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Penny Carnathan
Penny’s a Nurture And Hold (NAH): Nah, I won’t pull that out yet, it’s still got a green shoot. She likes dragonflies, lady bugs and new stuff only after weeding, pruning and fertilizing.
Kim Franke-Folstad
Kim’s a Want It Now (WIN): Everything pretty, everything now. She will resort to full-spectrum insecticides in desperate situations, and believes it’s her duty and right to buy new plants every weekend.
Both advocate Plant Choice (SOMEthing besides crotons. Please!), lots of color and low maintenance. We don’t agree on everything, but we’re smart enough to learn from each other - and from you.
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Good bugs. It’s about darned time
Posted Jun 27, 2010 by Loren Omoto
Updated Jun 28, 2010 at 03:29 PM
I was beginning to think the whole good bug/bad bug thing was hogwash. All I’ve seen in weeks is bad bugs, except for dragonflies and mason bees, bless their predatory, pollinating little hearts.
But they don’t eat lubbers, slugs or waved sphinx moth larvae (that’s the big fat caterpillar eating up my datura. I had incorrectly identified it as hawkshead moth, which I learned when I found this really great site for ID-ing caterpillars.)
My dream is for a perfect biological balance in my garden. A garden where all the plants are in the right place, rooted in rich, nutritious earth. And all the bad bugs have to face off against — at least! — an equal number of good bugs.
I’m happy to say, the good bugs have begun showing up. They aren’t the kind that’ll eat the bad guys—and I’m not even sure whether they’re technically bugs—but at least they’re critters I’m happy to see.
I was thrilled — THRILLED — when I spotted four sulphur butterfly caterpillars on my junior butterfly cassia tonight. Yes, they’ll eat some leaves, but they won’t strip it bare and then turn into moths (like greedy sphynx.)
If you see these on your cassia, don’t kill ‘em!! (Kim!!)
One of our Tribune readers, Susan Bisulca, has been thrilling to the same sights — different caterpillars. She mailed me this photo of a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on her fennel. (A very good larval plant for lots of butterflies, btw)
And Susan says this is a giant swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on a potted orange tree. She says you have to look closely for this one on your plants because, at first glance, he looks like bird poop.
She also had a monarch butterfly totally loving on her hummingbird feeder!!
Speaking of critters, I just have to share one more picture that’s not gardening in the purist sense.
I have a great neighbor, Miss Myriam. She’s going on 80 and is the coolest going-on-80 person I know. When we moved into this little neighborhood 20 years ago, we joined a colony of feral cats that Miss Myriam was already corralling.
Over the years, she got every one of those cats fixed. And if she noticed neighbors’ cats were bearing way too many litters of kittens, well, she got them fixed, too. She feeds the cats in her garage morning and night, but this morning at 7:30, I spotted her out in the street feeding a neighbor cat.
I couldn’t help but think of her as St. Myriam of Assisi, with all the animals flocked around her, even the visiting peahen!
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Reader Comments
Posted by (Chip) on June 29, 2010
Good Bug , Bad bug, that is the question! Some start off on the bad list then morph into a good guy, some disguise them self’s as good bugs and by the time you figure out you have been fooled the damage has been done. We go organic and one of the reasons we do is because of bugs. Pesticides are really good at killing bugs mostly good ones then the bad bugs have nothing to keep them in check. Kind of like if you got rid of the fox’s out of the forest then you have way to many rabbits on your hands. It works the same way with insects. It takes longer for the good bugs to reestablish them self’s if left alone mother nature has its way of finding a balance ..“Chip”
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on June 29, 2010
I don’t know which is funnier, your wish for a biologically harmonious backyard or the already harmonious relationship between your neighborhood cats and peacocks.
Of course, I can’t even picture such a scene on my busy street. And I’m not sure folks in the O.C. would welcome a colony of cats—fixed or not. But it sure is cute with St. Myriam in the picture.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on June 30, 2010
I’ll watch for the bird poop caterpillar now that I have a cassia (thanks to you). I look forward to the swallowtail showing up in my yard and not just Farmville.
Love St Myriam. I love cats but don’t think I would take the time to catch feral ones and then pay to get them fixed. She truly is a saint.That’s exactly how I look when I go out to get my Tribune, though.
Posted by (Pumpkin) on June 30, 2010
Penny, Your neighbor is how I picture myself at about 80 surrounded by lots of cats in my nightgown. Pumpkin
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on July 01, 2010
The cassia is doing great, Penny, at least the last time I checked. Is this the season for those caterpillars?
Nightgowns in the summer and jammie bottoms and t-shirts for winter.
Posted by (Chip) on July 02, 2010
Oh you Women and your jammy’s ! If I walked down the road in mine there would be so many 911 calls it would over load the system! ” a mad man is loose” “escaped mental patent walking right down my road!” ” a pervert I am telling you walking down my road!” The swat team would be dispatched. And oh boy is it butterfly season!....“Chip”
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on July 02, 2010
We always got those matchy matchy jammies for Christmas, plus a robe and fuzzy slippers.
You are too funny Chip. And thanks for such expertise. I truly appreciate it as much as everyone else does on The Dirt. The information you and Diana share makes such a big difference between a healthy garden or a possible puny one. Thanks! I’ll keep ya posted on my tomatoes. I’m not even a big fan of tomatoes, which is why I never bothered growing them. You made them sound so tasty I thought “Oh why the heck not”. And then you gave away those plants so I really wanted to try. I do love them green fried but now I want to taste those pear guys.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on July 02, 2010
My friend Tom, was trying to grow some tomatoes last year but he had these birds that loved to eat all his flower buds on his plants. He didn’t even try this year. What do the squirrels do to tomatoes? With all of Nature after tomato plants it’s a wonder we ever get any to grow to adulthood.
Posted by (Chip) on July 02, 2010
Make it a toy story 3 jammys and you got a deal! oh matching rope oh course! ..“Chip”
Posted by (Chip) on July 04, 2010
Matching ROBE [sorry]
Posted by (Chip) on July 04, 2010
Diane and I like the fun movies. I don’t like scary movies, If I want a good scare I just look at my bills. Mother nature is going to get her share there isn’t much you can do about that. I just plant more than I need! Ironically it is the birds and squirrels that cause most of the volunteers so nature has a way of working things out. The pink ping pongs are great!! but so are the sugar snacks and the yellow pears. sometimes I come in for lunch but I filled up on tomato’s already ...“Chip”