Mexican feather grass

“Agavephobia”

ESPatch Sep 22, 2012 9 comments

“Ahhh, Differential grasshopper.”

Oh come on, what was I going to do?

Melanoplus differentialis

Did you know that one of their favorite gourmet meals is Giant ragweed?

Ragweed is a plant synonymous with late summer hay fever, and one I struggle to clear my throat of every year. The plant is generally considered the greatest allergen of all pollens in North America.

Today, there is no area in the US that is free of ragweed pollen.

So chomp away my spiny-legged pest, but you better move immediately away from my Mex. Leucantha, if you know what is good for you.

The design on this insect is quite something, the armored plating, the militia graphics on its thighs, the hooks, spines and alien eyes.

“Get them off me…I have agavephobia you know!”

Calm down Gandalf!

I will thin them out soon enough, and I had no idea.

Def. Agavephobia is a condition where the sufferer becomes anxious in environments that heavily feature members of the agave family. Triggers for this anxiety may include serrated edges, unnecessary worry and concern for loved ones, and more rarely in subjects, a fear of sharp soil. Agavephobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of sharp points, weevils and drought tolerant, water wise planting schemes.

Changes are certainly in the Patch air.

Pyracantha berries are a reminder that pumpkins are just around the corner.

The rain and the sun has put this satsuma tree back on track for a great fall harvest.

“Aye, she has a nice bunch of satsumas all right, but i’m tellin ye, anymere, n’ she’ll fall apart. Just-one-mere-satsu…”

No more Scotty!

Asparagus Fern,

Asparagus pyramidalis

Asparagus pyramidalis is a hybrid between A. plumosa and tree fern, it adopts a more vertical, layered habit than other cultivars but it is equally as invasive. Asparagus fern is somewhat deceiving as a name because it is not a fern at all, it merely looks like one, it is in fact a relative of edible asparagus. Pyramidalis is more dense and does not wrap round other plants or trees like plumosa.

Both my pyramidalis (above),

and my plumosa (above) ferns are currently displaying tiny off-white flowers.

Moving along…

Soft Mexican bush sage contrasts well with soft leaf yucca.

This stand in the front of the Patch is completely out of control and leggier that I would like it (pruning negligence on my part), though it does have more of a natural rambling look when left to its own devices like this…

…okay it is just leggy.

On sending up a flower spike yuccas

flower very quickly.

A great drought tolerant plant for our area and well worth getting a jab now and then, oh and if you are as obsessive as me,

you may not want to get down low and look into the heart of the plant.

This is almost as annoying as…

I said almost.

You can see where I started in on this stock tank sticker in the top left corner, and the massive progress that I made attempting to remove it.

Stupid stock tank stickers.

Duranta erecta ‘Sapphire Showers’ is very much living up to its name.

Stunted Cone flowers and browning feather grasses signal in the fall.

Inspirational Images of the Week:

Path at Powis Castle in Wales leads to dark trail winding through a stunning yew hedge.

Some beautiful Hipstamatic and filter work by:

http://tinktastichana.tumblr.com/

I will leave you with some serious landscape LED lighting. Forest of Light is a serene forest of 20,000 illuminated stems scattered along a forest walk.

Art Installation: Bruce Munro

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania

http://www.longwoodgardens.org/lwgHome.html

And here is a link to a free App that allows you to explore the Gardens and installations after hours:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/light-installations-by-bruce/id532235352?mt=8

Stay Tuned for:

“Thats Just Not Blight!”

All material © 2012 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

Happy Birthday PP.

“Between a Rock and a Hardscape”

ESPatch May 28, 2012 8 comments

Just when I thought this Nierembergia had as many flowers on it possible, it produced even more,

at the base of my sotol beanstalk.

A quick update on that beanstalk:

The top of it is now filling up with small flowers to be, and it is packed in there.

Sotols bloom once every few years and can do so multiple times during its lifespan. (Unlike Agaves it does not die after it has bloomed). Also in contrast to Agaves and yuccas, lots of different insects pollinate sotol flowers, yucca are pollinated only by a moth

Tegeticula maculata

and agaves mostly by bats:

http://www.jointheevolution.ca/blog/2010/04/19/sharing-agave-nectar-with-those-who-really-need-it-why-you-wouldn%E2%80%99t-have-agaves-without-bats/

One lone bug,

on one lone Madam Ganna Walska flower in my feeder tank.

Staying with bugs for a moment, a couple of new ones were caught on camera this week in the Patch:

Coming in at the two inch mark and sporting a fine pair of fake eyes and some spray-painted coloration I give you the Click Beetle,

Alaus oculatus

As the name suggests these beetles “click” as a defensive mechanism. When threatened the beetle bends its head and prothorax backward then quickly straightens out with an audible click, launching the creature several inches into the air, though as you see, mine did not get very high at all. I won’t go into exactly how it does this for fear of boring you all to death but I will say this; it does involve prosternums and mesosternums…snort.

The next bug was very shy,

always maneuvering itself to the opposite side of the stem from the camera. I finally tricked it by coming at it with a stick from the opposite side with my camera lying in wait.

Even then, it did not venture all the way around after seeing through my rouse with the most amazing planetoid eyes. This is a Fishfly which belongs to the Alderfly and Dobsonfly group of winged insects. It has most likely been feeding on the tadpoles and baby fish in my pond. Fishfly adults are a challenge to find because they are only around for a few weeks each year.

The rather flamboyant B/Lady has recently started adopting a bug of her own…as a Bob “beauty-spot”.

Moving along:

I have had a few more rock procurement trips this week with no further bog-encounters.

Some of these rocks have interesting features, this one may have a future life as a bubble-fountain.

as may this asteroid.

“There is absolutely no reason for public concern“

Remember this:

Now Kumo…it appears we are all slowly turning into Mexican feather grasses.

“Mulder, Scully – you may want to take a look at this”.

Finally:

Palm grasses are getting ever larger.

Evergreen wisteria is developing the first blooms of the year, you can see where I am going with the brickwork, it will continue under the bench and it will be sunken flush with the DG.

Mmm…smells like Grandmas old cashmere scarf…and I like it.

The appropriately named (size and markings) Tiger Swallowtail,

Papilio glaucas

this is a male on a stand of Buttonbush.

Cephalanthus occidentalis

This is one Hell-Raisingly unusual plant that is actually in the coffee family.

Stay Tuned for:

“Oops! I did it again”

All material © 2012 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

Bizarre image of the week: