Spring on the 'farm'

We knew when we bought this place that spring would be an exciting time.  The people that owned this house were professional landscapers. They tucked trees and plants into every nook and cranny that create beautiful colors and textures. Every day, we go outside and see something new. Heck, sometimes, what we see changes by the hour. It is really quite extraordinary for me. I LOVE flowers. LOVE gardening. I think that is one of the things that drew me to this property. I could see the 'spring'...even in the dead of the winter.

This week, the insects and flowers are really coming alive. I wanted to take you on a tour.

This tree here is some kind of crab apple. We have dozens and dozens on this property...and they were really quite beautiful when they were in bloom. This one is a special tree though. Raelee loves climbing it and it really seems as though it could have 'magical' qualities to it. It's twisty and droopy and just fun. There were buds all over it this past week. They were pale and dark pink. I thought it would bloom out pink.  I took a look at it today again and could see that the blooms were going to be white. I snapped a few pictures and went about my day.

Raelee pointed out how 'boring' this tree was from a distance and when you got up close to it, it's like a present that just got opened...such a surprise. She is right...it looks so unassuming from a distance.

I came back a few hours later and those buds started popping open...exploding with this sweet (think honeysuckle) scent and absolutely BUZZING with bees. In just a few hours! It was amazing how quickly the transformation happened.

                                     

                                     

Here are a few more pictures from my walk around the property:

Don't they look like little faces? Raelee calls them "Alice in Wonderland" flowers.

Can you see the future blueberry pie's anyone?

My tribute to LSU

Calendula...I have looked EVERYWHERE for this and was so excited to find it at Lowes of all places!  I'll use these flowers in my soaping. Apparently, they have magical powers.

The weeds are even pretty! This is a Purple Dead nettle. I also have Henbit...both are cousins to the mint plant.

My very own grape vine!!! So excited about the possibilites here!

And pests of course.  As I type this, there is a mouse or something of the sort right above me in between the two floors gnawing away. I live in the country now..it can't be helped.  Outside, at the moment, are tent caterpillars. Or as Raelee calls them "TNT Caterpillars". I have no idea why. I had to break out the bug killer for these things and that truely does bother me. It is not something I take lightly, at all. Especially with the bees buzzing all around on the same bushes/trees.  Once you start gardening for food, raising your own chickens for eggs, know a bee man, or even just bird watch you really start paying attention to what you put on this earth chemical wise. Poison put on caterpillars...your chickens eat the caterpillars then you eat the eggs.  The bees get pollen off of the same plant that you sprayed for caterpillars, you harvest the honey (well I don't..but would like to someday) that they give you.  You spray for caterpillars, the bluebirds eat those bugs. No, you don't eat the bluebirds or their eggs, but you enjoy watching them don't you?  I really really struggle with insect poison.  Sometimes, it's a necessity though, I think. Like right now, caterpillars and also ticks. We are having a tick problem. Eventually we want to get guineas, but I don't know that that will solve our problem..and will they stay out of my flower beds and not ruin them?  Meanwhile, I have an almost 10 year old that walks our property daily and comes in with sometimes multiple ticks on her a day. Not good.  I'm struggling with what to do about that.  I will put some diatomaceous earth down, but it's only good until it rains...and 10 acres is a lot of land to put DE on. I will put it down where we are particularly having problems for sure.

Anyway, here are the "TNT Caterpillars".  Not only do I struggle with killing the guys because of all of the above problems I stated, but I have a child who literally cries at the thought of killing most bugs. She wants to be an entomologist someday. I try to respect her love for bugs. I have done my share of relocating caterpillars, grubs, moths, etc so as not to kill them instead.  But when they come by the hundreds? It gets a little harder.  Then I have a child who tries to rescue them ahead of me spraying them with killer.  What I end up with is a bug box on my kitchen counter that is full of caterpillars. Oy

 

Box of bugs..ala Raelee

And just cause he is cute...and VERY put out...there is yet ANOTHER new member of our family. More on that in another post.

Buster and one of the many items he randomly carries around when he gets excited. He will just pick up whatever is by him and carry it around. This time it was a plastic container...I have no idea where it came from or why it was on the ground in the first place.  It probably carried a bug at one time.