SCORPION!

2nd Family has warned us about scorpions out there and so we're always cautious.  Over the weekend, I turned over the garden cart to load it with the mulch for the blueberries and saw this on the inside...

It looked dead so my first reaction was to just flick it out with my hand.  I was about to reach in but then decided to use a stick...and it moved!

The scorpion died shortly after this photograph was taken...

SPIDER PALOOZA

If spiders freak you out, you might want to scroll to the bottom of this post for a Hobart picture, ha.

These are spiders we have here in our yards.  They look scary (I wouldn't want to have one on me, ha) but they are not aggressive and are non-venomous.  They also eat bugs, wasps, mosquitoes.  They are friendly allies to have in the garden.

And we have apparently had a population explosion of them at the farm...

There is this one in the blueberry bushes on the porch...

This one in the Texas lilac vitex bush...

This one on a bag of potting soil...

This one on a bush...

This one on a landscape timber...

And this one making a home in a flowering vine...

Again, they are friendly, if not intimidating.

Now as a palette cleanser...

...here is a picture of Hobart, sleeping on the work laptop a couple of weeks ago, doing his best to keep me from working.

THE CASE OF THE VANISHING WASP NEST

 Now for something weird...

You will recall last week that we posted about this wasp nest in one of the blueberry bushes on the porch.  You all had some great suggestions (moving was one, 2nd Man considered it, LOL) but I vowed to take care of them.  I made up a spray bottle of dishwashing soap and water and thought I'd try that out.  I had some other ideas in mind.

So I got to the farm armed with my "weapon" of choice and got ready...

...um...what happened?  They were gone.

Not just "abandoned nest gone" mind you, no it was gone.  Nest and all.

And not just "laying on the porch floor gone", it was entirely gone!

There is no trace of them ever having been there.  Are there animals that would eat a nest?  Birds?  We thought maybe they just moved on but there would be an empty nest still hanging.  Or if the wind blew it down it would be on the ground.  

We guess it will forever remain a mystery. 

We are however RELIEVED that they are gone.  There are a few small nests in the eaves of the house and I used the regular spray on those.  I just need to make  sure they don't come back in the blueberry bushes.

I've been bad on catching up on comment replies, I'll work on that tonight. We always read them all!

WASPS IN THE BLUEBERRY BUSHES

First...a little good news.  We have, er, had, ONE SINGLE BLUEBERRY...

A single blueberry

...now of course we aren't trying to grow them to harvest yet, they are still in their containers on the porch in the shade but hey, I'll take one to sample.  I couldn't share with 2nd Man so I was on my own.  So sweet and delicious.  I hope that we can make these work in raised bed containers so that they grow well enough to get some fresh blueberries.  They are one of our favorite berries.

Now comes the part we need advice with:

Wasp nest in blueberry bush

WASPS!  There are two LARGE wasp nests in the bushes.  Now for the ones that pop up around the house (up in the eaves) we use regular wasp/hornet spray.  However, I can't spray that on bushes, especially edible bushes.  The spray can kill plants and of course poison anything edible. 

We need to get rid of them not only so the plants can be moved but just to be able to water them or at least move them to a sunnier spot on the porch.  I'm not about to pick them up like this and get stung.

Been there, done that, LOL!

So does anyone have any idea on how to get rid of them without harming the bushes?  Any home-brew concoctions or other methods?

BIRD AND SPIDER ID

While we were sitting on the porch, this little bird decided to pay us a visit.

When we first saw it, I thought it might be a hummingbird.  It was very small and when it was on the bushes in front of the porch it flitted from branch to branch so very quickly you couldn't tell what it was.  When it flew up onto the porch railing, it became obvious that it wasn't a hummingbird, ha.   

I had to move quietly to get a picture and captured this one before it flew off.  It made several return visits and didn't seem too fazed by having humans hanging around.  

THEN, in the garden, I saw this spider: 

A daddy long legs of some sort I guess.  It wasn't eating the plants, hoping it was taking care of the "bad bugs" in the garden.

Just another day in the country, ha.  We really need to get up on our bird watching knowledge AND creepy crawly knowledge.

TEXAS TARANTULA SPOTTED AT THE FARM

TEXAS BROWN TARANTULA

Here is a new addition to the farm.  Or perhaps it's always been here but just never seen before. "J" from 2nd Family sent this pic and video to us.

It's a tarantula.  Now mind you, they (2nd Family) have lived out there more than 20 years.  They have NEVER seen one before.  Either they are really good at hiding or they've been elsewhere and are now coming our direction.  They are brown but varying shades from light to dark almost black (like this one).  Supposedly harmless, according to a quick Google search, but yeah, not sure I'd want to pick one up. 

We won't hurt them of course, would never do that, but I really don't want to have them crawling out of the underbrush while I'm planting something...cause one of us is going to have a heart attack and I don't think would be the spider.

Happy Friday!?

Keep commenting, I will catch up on comments tonight and this weekend.

SHOE SURPRISE FRIDAY NOT SO FUNNY

Last weekend, as I relaxed on the porch I decided to kick off my work boots.  I had socks on so I put on the black rubber boots and went to walk around a wet area of the yard.  After I was done, I came back to the porch and took them off to put these back on.  I started to just grab them, stick my feet in and go...

Do you see it there?  

Down inside the dark?  

It's there inside the circle if you look hard...

A wasp!  It had wandered in and was exploring when I came back and was about to put the shoe on.  I saw it climbing around and had to get a couple of pictures before it flew away.

One thing we've learned about the farm, always, ALWAYS, check your shoes before putting them on.  Normally it would be for spiders of course.  Or maybe an occasional mouse.  But now it's wasps!

The weekend is almost here!

DAY OF DRAGONFLIES

No these aren't bubbles...and they aren't helicopters...it was hard to get a picture, I had to take about twenty photos to get this one but I wanted to capture just how many there were.    

(Click to enlarge)

Dragonflies!

This was yesterday at the farm and it was a dragonfly haven.  They were EVERYWHERE.  It didn't matter where we walked, there were dragonflies. I even had one land on my shirt for a few moments.  

A few last yellow wildflowers of Summer sprouting up along the fenceline...

Okra for sale

Stopped at the grocery store on the way back and saw this.  They were selling fresh okra in 1 lb packages...for $4!  Four dollars a pound?!  You'd think it was asparagus or something!  I think we should grow more next season and sell it at a farmers market somewhere...at the rate in produces, we'd have a fortune every week, ha.  

Did a few outside projects but really it was just too hot.  High of 91, almost a record for this date.  But there is a cold front coming...next weekend we could be in lows of 50's.  I can't wait for a full weekend of perfect weather.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

TOMATO HORNWORMS OH MY

Noticed that a few leaves were stripped on one of the tomato plants and some fruit had parts eaten off.  I immediately started looking for critters...

Green Hornworm Caterpillar 

...and sure enough, I found one...

Tomato Hornworm

...and then two!   That was all though, I checked the plants thoroughly.  Ugh, I hate these things.  Masters of disguise and they are so creepy looking.  They can destroy a tomato plant.  I picked them off and "dispatched" them.  

They didn't do much damage from last weekend to this so I think I'm OK until next weekend.  I also saw a few red and black spidery looking bugs.  I had some spray on soap mix that I used on both plants and that seemed to take care of them, but I'll have to do some more research.

Anyone have any suggestions? 

ANOTHER OH HELL NO

So...over the weekend, even though it was wet, I had to check on the garden area, a few plastic panels had come off so I was looking around.  I went over to a metal can that we have and took the lid off to see if everything was OK inside.  

I saw a spider web...

And upon further examination...a spider...

But not just ANY spider...

Black Widow Spider

THIS spider...a freakin' black widow spider!

Are you kidding me?  I found this not reassuring info online:

"The female black widow spider, identified by the red hourglass shaped marking on her abdomen, is considered the most venomous spider in North America.  Her venom is 15 times as toxic as that of the rattlesnake."

I quickly took a picture with my cell phone and thought "this would be really detailed with my camera because I can zoom in".  I walked from the garden to the porch, got the camera and walked back.

I looked inside the can to snap a picture and she was gone.  I looked down and thought I saw one on the ground.  Same one?  Different one?  More than one?

OH HELL NO....

I left the lid where it was and exited...quickly...

When I got home and regaled 2nd Man with my newest adventure, he says:  

"So let me get this straight...we have deadly snakes, mice, rats, wasps, fire ants, scorpions, and now black widow spiders?"

Yep, that pretty much sums it up!

Hey, just another weekend at the farm.

SPIDER NIGHTMARE FOR SOME

Since tomorrow is Halloween...

can you see it?  

Up there in the sky, between the two trees?

Ah, maybe now you can see it a bit better...but just in case it's still hard to see...

How about NOW?  

DO YOU SEE IT

Do you see it?  

Up there in the tree?

What about now?  

There in the middle?

How about now?  

YIKES!

Wasp nest in tree

  Yep a HUGE wasp nest way up in a mesquite tree, not too far from the bee yard area.  I had to take care of it, we hate using chemicals but these wasps can be very aggressive and I don't need to bump into the tree with the zen machine and have them fall on me...that wouldn't be so "zen", ha.  They are also very near the beehives and we don't need any sort of insect war going on... 

I used wasp spray that shoots about 25 feet and that was just about at the far end of the range.  I did it and then ran.  Wasps are gone now.

I guess I'll have to keep an eye on the sky from now on as I roam around.  Recently, 2nd Family's "R" was stung several times as he was cutting a limb on a tree and didn't see a wasp nest that was higher up until it was too late.

BLACK WOOLY BEAR CATERPILLAR

These are all over the farm.  

Not sure what they grow up to be when the cycle is complete, but it's always fun watching nature do its thing.

I do believe though that if you touch these, they cause a severe rash with raised welts.  I seem to recall a childhood incident with one, but not sure if it was this. 

Black Wooly Caterpillar 

I'm NOT going to take a chance and find out.  I just left them alone, they weren't on any important plants, just on the weeds and grasses around the property.

Caterpillar 

They are kind of pretty to see and imagining the transformation that they will soon be going through is fascinating.  

Nature truly is amazing...

BANANA SPIDER

Avert your eyes if spiders bother you...

You have been warned...

Saw this lady (the females are always the larger, more colorful of the species), building a web near the mower shed.  I just had to get a closeup picture...

Banana Spider

Definitely intimidating!

She is called a Banana Spider, also known as a Golden Orb Spider.  While I did not put my hand TOO close, she is about the size of my palm.  I didn't show it in person to 2nd Man, instead I showed him the pictures.  He looked and went "what the hell?  It's like we live in the rain forest!!"  

We don't mind sharing the property with her and as scary as they look, they are not poisonous.  A bite can cause irritation and pain like a bee sting, but it only lasts a day or two.  In rare cases it can cause an allergic reaction but for the most part, it's not terribly aggressive.  The upside is that they do catch and kill fruit flies and other bugs.  

What about you?

Do spiders creep you out or do you (perhaps reluctantly?) share your lives with them?

SCORPION IN A DRAWER

Part of the routine when we get to the house after it's been closed up for a week is to walk around and check all the drawers and cabinets for creatures...

Scorpion in a drawer

So I pull open the first drawer and all is clear.  The second drawer also clear.  The third drawer, oh oh!  There was a dead (thankfully) scorpion in the biscuit cutter in 2nd Man's baking supplies drawer.  

I asked if we were having scorpion biscuits and gravy...he was not amused.

2nd Family said they have found three scorpions inside their house lately, one in the bathtub, one in a sink and one in a cabinet.  

Anyone have any scorpion advice? 

HERE A WASP, THERE A WASP

Everywhere a wasp wasp...went to the farm and was in the shed where we keep the mower.  I looked up and saw wasp nests...

A small nest was just starting here...

Then there was another nest behind this piece of wood leaning up against the wall...

Another nest on one of the posts of the shed...

And finally, a nest behind a sheet of glass that was leaning against the wall!

Raid Wasp & Hornet spray

What the heck?

I didn't even see any a couple of weeks ago, now all of a sudden it was like wasp central!  Well, after a few squirts of "Raid", they no longer exist.  Some of you suggested that we leave the nests up in order to deter other wasps from building in the same spot so we did that too.  Hopefully they'll stay away.  I also roamed around the perimeter of the house and found a few more nests in the eaves up near the roof and so I took care of those as well.

Wasps are on the list of allowable kills.  We hate them and rank them up there (or is that 'down' there?) with fire ants, scorpions and poisonous spiders.

Any suggestions on how to deal with them in any other way or is this best?  Anything that will prevent them from building in the first place?

ANTS ARE FASCINATING

We were roaming around at the farm recently and noticed this line in the grass.  I thought it was odd as I hadn't really noticed it before.  So we followed it...

...it meandered around a tree and along the driveway.  So we followed it some more...

...then it veered off into the grass for a few feet until it ended at...

This large, red ant hill!

Now these aren't fire ants, though they do bite, but they are large and fascinating to observe.  I find it amazing that they have followed along the same route so frequently that it's created a visible path.  Or do they 'clear' it, much as we might clear a path through a bunch of trees to create a road or highway?

Red Ants

We left them alone, they've worked too hard, LOL!  Speaking of working hard, it's off to the farm for me, 2nd Man has to do some stuff in town and since I haven't mowed the grass in two weeks, we'll have to see how much it's grown.  Hope you have a great weekend!