After getting home from our hike, we hung around the yard for a bit, checking out what was in bloom.
June 14, 2014
Maplewood Nature Center Hike
I took Evie for a short hike a few days ago. She insisted on packing a bag and bringing it with her. She carried it most of the way. Besides some water, she brought along her camera and a couple of stuffed animals.
June 9, 2014
June 7, 2014
Budding Gardener
It has finally been warm enough to feel like summer.
That is nearly 30 degrees colder than it was yesterday at this time.
Not only have we been enjoying some of the nice weather at the pool, but we've been taking advantage of doing a little garden work, including planting some new things.
I picked up a hummingbird mint (agastache) plant at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory gift shop a little over a week ago for only a couple of dollars. When plants are grown for the gardens in the conservatory, more are grown than are going to be needed, so the best-looking ones can be picked to be put on display. The left-overs are then usually sold at a really cheap price.
The hummingbird mint needed to be planted in a pot so I can bring it inside when it gets cold, and after getting it home, I decided to let Evie plant the plant for me. So, we got out her tools, I gave her some direction, then backed off and let her do her thing.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the garden we have...
Well, over the past week it has been warm. Today, I'm sitting here freezing as I type because it's something like 55 degrees outside at 2:30 in the afternoon.
That is nearly 30 degrees colder than it was yesterday at this time.
Not only have we been enjoying some of the nice weather at the pool, but we've been taking advantage of doing a little garden work, including planting some new things.
I picked up a hummingbird mint (agastache) plant at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory gift shop a little over a week ago for only a couple of dollars. When plants are grown for the gardens in the conservatory, more are grown than are going to be needed, so the best-looking ones can be picked to be put on display. The left-overs are then usually sold at a really cheap price.
The hummingbird mint needed to be planted in a pot so I can bring it inside when it gets cold, and after getting it home, I decided to let Evie plant the plant for me. So, we got out her tools, I gave her some direction, then backed off and let her do her thing.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the garden we have...
Columbine
Prairie smoke
And occasionally some water drops left by rain, or maybe it was the garden hose
June 2, 2014
Memorial Day Weekend
We kept our Memorial Day weekend pretty relaxed, mostly spending our time appreciating the nice weather and our garden.
We did clean out a portion of the yard on Saturday. It was a section off to the side of our deck that the previous owner used as a chicken run. It was all dirt, with this incredibly ugly cage left behind that we nicknamed the naughty child cage. (The picture below was taken last year.)
Yeah, not the most attractive part of our yard.
It was a lot of hard work cleaning up, but we managed to get rid of everything we hated about the space, lay down wood chips, and turn it into something that, at least, is no longer an eyesore. Eventually, I hope to create a new garden area in here.
Meanwhile, we are trying to manage the gardens we do have.
Mostly, we're just trying to manage weeds. The flowers we simply enjoy.
Evie really likes exploring the garden and helping ensure the plants and grass stay watered.
May 27, 2014
Caterpillar Turned Moth
About three weeks ago, while cleaning out the gardens, I came across a green caterpillar. Evie is obsessed with bugs, so I picked up the caterpillar, and placed it in a jar with a few different types of leaves. I noticed that the caterpillar preferred daisy leaves. So, I dug up a small daisy plant and put it in some dirt in the bottom of the jar. After a couple of days, the caterpillar had sealed himself within a leaf. I thought at first that he might just be protecting himself as he ate, but, apparently, he had built a cocoon for himself. It was not until I came home one day to find a moth sitting in the jar that I realized he had been spending his days in the leaf transforming.
I showed Evie the moth, then we placed the jar outside, on the railing of the deck. Thankfully, the day he emerged was warm and sunny. He stayed in the jar for a few hours, then eventually flew away. I picked the leaf he had enveloped himself in out of the jar and opened it for Evie to see the cocoon.
It was fun to see the transformation and share it with Evie. I did a Google search on the caterpillar shortly after finding him, so I knew to expect a moth to emerge. I think he was kind of cool looking, for a moth.
I showed Evie the moth, then we placed the jar outside, on the railing of the deck. Thankfully, the day he emerged was warm and sunny. He stayed in the jar for a few hours, then eventually flew away. I picked the leaf he had enveloped himself in out of the jar and opened it for Evie to see the cocoon.
It was fun to see the transformation and share it with Evie. I did a Google search on the caterpillar shortly after finding him, so I knew to expect a moth to emerge. I think he was kind of cool looking, for a moth.
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