Marching Mushrooms
Posted: August 20, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: mushrooms, nature photography 2 Comments
On my trip to the North, I came across this rotting stump that was supporting several plants.
The mushrooms caught my eye, as they appeared to be marching up the stump.
The mushrooms were perfect like tiny little soldiers.
Come On Down
Posted: August 18, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Milkweed, Monarch Butterfly, Monarch caterpillar, nature photography, Year-round gardening 26 Comments
On a trip to the northeast, I stayed at a place with lots of Milkweed. First, the swallowtails came.
Next the Monarchs visited.
Soon the Monarch caterpillars began to eat through the plants.
Mirror munching.
What next? All that is left is a stringy vein of a leaf.
I can count about 10 caterpillars on this Milkweed. All the caterpillars received the coordinates to visit the Automatic Garden during their migration, where the Tropical Butterfly weed is waiting.
Passalong
Posted: August 12, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Fire Spike, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Passalong Plant, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 20 Comments
I never say no to a free plant, but there is a reason why people are able to share and it is usually because the passalong has prolifically reproduced. Above is a piece of a passalong Fire Spike that I cut back and threw in a pile. Everyone of those nine upright stems has roots. Now I just need to find nine gardening friends.
Caterpillar Rescue
Posted: August 9, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Backyard Critters, butterfly weed, Gardening, Milkweed, Monarch caterpillar, nature photography 7 Comments
I found this baby Monarch caterpillar in my laundry room on a clothes basket. I have no idea how it got there. I quickly snapped a photo with my phone and returned the baby to a Milkweed plant.
Mystery Plant
Posted: August 6, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, balsam impatiens, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 20 Comments
I had put several pots away in the garage awhile ago. I was surprised to see plants had germinated in the dark space.
I was not sure what they were, so I brought them outside to the sunlight to see what would develop. As soon as the second leaves appeared, I knew they were Balsam Impatiens. It is a mystery of how the seeds got in the pot, as I normally seed the Impatiens directly in the soil.
They have been added back to the bed with the others. Gardening is always full of great surprises.
The Texas Stars Are Big and Bright
Posted: July 28, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Hibiscus coccineus, My Kitchen Window, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Texas Star Hibiscus, Year-round gardening 20 Comments
The Texas Star Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) growing outside my kitchen window, looked so gorgeous, I interrupted my dinner to take a photo.
The big red flowers were glowing brightly as the sun got lower. I’m afraid the photo does not quite reflect what my eyes were seeing.
Nonetheless, the Texas Stars made a pretty picture.
Early Blooming Gingers
Posted: July 11, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Costus barbatus, curcuma parviflora, Gardening, globba winitii, Gulf Coast gardening, Hedychium hybred "Pink V", Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, White Angel Ginger, Year-round gardening 20 Comments
Gingers enjoy our hot humid summers and don’t start to bloom until the heat is really on. I was surprised to see that the Pink V had been very busy reproducing. There were about 14 stalks blooming that had multiplied from the single original plant. The Curcuma, White Angel, is one the hardiest gingers, never failing to come back year after year. It multiplies and each clump gets bigger with age. During those horribly hot days of summer when many plants stop blooming, is it always a pleasure to see the tropical flowers of the gingers.
Click on the photos to enlarge and see the captions.
