Dirty Girl Gardening | Bugs

Emergence

jenn — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:33:31 +0000

I understand it’s cold and snowing elsewhere in the world. But here, in Half Moon Bay, CA – it’s almost 70 degrees.

In tribute to this fabulous weather that is inspiring emergence in my garden, here are some lovely emergence related links.

Take a moment to indulge:

Into the unknown

jenn — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:24:40 +0000

Cornu aspersum (formerly Helix aspersa) crossing my path last night in the driveway.

To the Gods

jenn — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:22:14 +0000

Last night on the brief walk to Pasta Moon to watch the game (Yessss!) and to eat pizza & vino with Nicole, I stopped suddenly, back tracked a few feet, bent over and examined the sidewalk. She said, “No Jenn, it’s not a dead bumble bee it’s a broken piece of asphalt. Come on!”.

That’s right. I collect dead bees. I store them in apothecary bottles and put them on my office shelves for the future, when the world’s currency is bee.

Anyway. The whole thing reminded me of a very sad photo shoot I did the other week of a honey bee in my garden. He was clearly dying and I took about 100 shots of the process. Poor guy was at the end of his buzz and simply sputtering out on the tip of a viola flower. Here he is:

snail on my palm

jenn — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:05:52 +0000

I'm in Love*

jenn — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:01:45 +0000

This is my new love… Hyalophora cecropia (I think… have been searching for days now and still have not found if this is in fact the exact match. But I’ve seen these moths around my house a lot, so I’m thinking it’s him. Any clue, anyone?)

I found him while watering my succulent collection, he was brazenly munching the hedge in my front yard. He has been my obsession for a couple weeks now, as any fat, beautiful, interesting creature should be. I talk with him, we listen to podcasts together while I water the plants, I go out and move him to lower branches when I think it’s too hot… He’s pretty amazing and I think it’s getting serious!

I adore his little black, padded feet…. so cute and so reminiscent of Chanel’s flats circa when I wanted a pair of Chanel flats.

Why I love My Job, Reason # 9871027357391801

jenn — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:25:19 +0000

Exhibit A.

Agave Attenuata.

I know I have mentioned these a lot the past few months, but they are incredible. A few streets away from where I live, a family has a huge cluster of them in their front yard. They said it’s been there since 1983 with little to no care or water. They are so prolific and I have been coveting cutting from them for years. I finally took the time to stop and ask if I could trade them some plants. Needless to say they were over joyed to have me thin out the cluster, and believe it or not the two truck loads we took barely made a dent in what they have. Two guys, myself, hand saws, chain saws and a big ass F250 accomplished this job within about an hour.

Dustin – Livin’ the dream!

Giant Agave ready for homes….

Patterns imprinted on the leaves from weight of water inside the leaves.

View from my lounge chair.

We also harvested Aloe in the garden… These are ready for propagation or planting in the garden.

Raw Nature

jenn — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Stay Tuned for more hardcore gardening footage!

Mites vs. Ladybug

jenn — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Bee Hive

jenn — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:36:00 +0000

Recycling cards board boxes

jenn — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:55:00 +0000

worms are incredibly important to the entire health of your garden. they aerate the soil, allowing fresh air to penetrate, and redirecting excess water. worms provide a healthy environment for large and small plants to take roots and grow more vigorously. their poop, or castings – provide an excellent source of nutrients for plants. and worms also help maintain an important balance for wildlife, like birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
you can easily attract worms to your garden… simply lay out sheets of newspaper, wetting them down every other day. recycling cards board boxes by sheet mulching will attract them as well. they need shady, damp conditions to really thrive and multiply.
if you want worms and their many benefits right now… you can order them HERE.