I swear to Zog I am going to perform a violence on these damnable pickleworms. Two more wee zucchinis bit the dust thanks to these little bastards, so Operation Pickleworm Death is moving into high gear. What do you think…flamethrower? Pony nuke?
Above is what the damaged fruit will look like, just a tiny perfectly round hole. And here’s what you’ll find when you cut it open (not my pic):
Here’s what the eggs look like (the orange-y beeswax looking stuff there)…albeit when it is too late.
These were spectacularly weird cucumbers, too, siamese twins.
Oh well, now they’re compost.
The melons are at risk too, curse it, just when they’re getting so melon-y.
That’s the pineapple (ananas) melon. It MUST be saved!!!212drama!111
Inside the house, someone (Nana, I think) gifted the children with a butterfly raising net-thinger last christmas, and we finally got around to purchasing caterpillars (or calerpittars, as the Girlchild still sometimes “accidentally” says) last week. They’ve nommed up all their pre-packaged food and have gone all chrysalis-y on us. It is tres creepy, let me tell you, when you’re transferring chrysalids to the net-thinger and one starts freaking out, wobbling the un-solid part of its abdomen like mad. Apparently some flutterby chrysalids have this capability, it’s a predator scaring-off mechanism. Works, too…scared the crap out of me.
These are painted lady butterflies, and after they emerge we’ll be releasing them outside to fly, be free! Where they will live, predators willing, for approximately 2 to 4 weeks.
$30 bucks for 4-week butterflies. Ah well, the kids are enjoying the process.
The milkweed out back is about to flower, so Monarchs shall soon be ours as well.
The lizards are enjoying the bean trellis.
The parisian pickling cucumber is losing track of its support cage.
NO! The marigold seedlings are not yours, bad, BAD!
Probably no further updates until Tuesday, as this weekend holds the Boychild’s 11th birthday party, at least one viewing of Indy, backyard weeding and mulching, and holiday butt-smoking and Geocaching. I hope you all have a very fine Memorial Day weekend.