April and Spring

April is here and Spring is showing some signs of arrival. We have had a wet winter, heavy snow in spring, record river levels, and below average temperatures. Even though the yard is snowier and wetter than last year, things don't seem to be too far behind.

Above is a photo of ladybugs in the south foundation bed -- it was actually taken March 20. It is interesting to see this bed come to life first...the beetles are the first moving insect of the garden! I really must make better use of this early bed with its heat.

No outdoor seeding yet, things are way too wet still. I will try to transplant some lettuce this year and see if we get salads sooner than direct sowing. If that works, then I will repeat again.

(lettuce seedlings, 7 days old on 4/5/2009)

Cool-season transplants are growing nicely...

(early cool-season seedlings on 4/5/2009)

Some are chomping at the bit to be put out. I may start some hardening off so they can go in as soon as the garden is ready. I see some round swiss chard leaves, and the kohlrabi and kale are hard to tell apart at this point (kale is on the end).

(closer view of seedlings on 4/5/2009)

But, as you see - that last 12 inches of snow is holding on still. That is probably good though as the river levels are still falling (they will rise again come this weekend maybe). I do know it is spring...robins are singing, staying in the trees - what is up with all that white?

(snow from late March storm 4/5/2009)

This is the first vegetable showing its green. Walking onions I planted last year. I am hoping they will take off in their second season. I think I will be happy with this perennial giving a yearly supply.

(walking onions 4/5/2009)

In the south bed, day-lilies are sprouting nicely. They are a bit water-logged this spring, but about as tall as last year.

(day-lily in southern bed 4/5/2009)

I think this some kind of crocus I planted last fall. Either way it was planted last fall and it is coming up now.

(bulb in southern bed 4/5/2009)

I'm getting excited to get out and plant and see what is coming back under the snow!

It's Aphid Control!

What do you get when you have:

this...


that...


...and those?


These!


I went out in the garden and discovered little yellow eggs on a dill plant. After returning indoors I felt something crawling on my arm...it was the above creature. Upon returning outside I spotted many sets of ladybug eggs and more than 50 nymphs all over the dill. (Click the photo and you can count a few.)


I must be getting more aware of what is in the garden, because I cannot recall seeing the running of the nymphs in the past.


These little guys will eat a huge share of aphids in the garden at this stage (something like 500) any many more as adults (another 4500)...yippee. They also eat other pests when there are no aphids.


I spotted some with yellow legs, some with black legs, and even one that was mostly white.


These can sure look a little scary, but they are very good...I am glad I can witness them in our garden. For the next few weeks I will closely watch these and see if I can catch some in the pupal stage before becoming adults (eggs hatch in 1/2-1 week, nymphs/larva last 2-4 weeks, pupa last 1 week, and adults last 2-3 months).

Sunday's Safari on Monday

I did the Sunday Safari, but didn't get a chance to post it until today...

My old leaf-cutter or mason bees seem to have disappeared but are replaced by others. Above is a picture from last Sunday -- I had rescued this one from a pool of water and place it on a leaf. Later it flew away, but I haven't noticed them around since. I also had an encounter with a honey bee (which I haven't seen lately) and we are both unharmed -- but no photos...

There must be a change in the season or at least a difference in recent weather because I notice a change in the insects I am finding. Fewer hover flies and more lady beetles. Here is a hover fly I did catch on the dill.


One lady beetle, two lady beetle...


Three lady beetle (from two angles)...


Four lady beetle...(there were more)


One of the "new" bee visitors. This one was hard to catch because it kept crawling to the top of plants and flying off. Finally it took a little break.


Another type of new bee visitor. I noticed at least a couple of these in the same flower patch. These smaller bees were also hard to catch...they didn't stay long on one bloom.


A frequent sight...daddy long-legs always hiding in the leaves.


Thanks for visiting...hope you are enjoying the wildlife in your gardens.

Grapes (Blooms for GBBD May)

Okay, I'm sure you know that those are not grapes. It's one of my blooms for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for May 2008. The weather is starting to warm-up, trees are starting to leaf out, and I mowed the grass for the first time this year. Have a look at what's blooming in North Dakota

Grape hyacinths look nice, but they really are small. I didn't take a photo of the "normal" hyacinths for today, but you can see one in my Mother's Day post.


More Spring bulbs, I haven't identified them yet, but these little white and purple flowers are a nice greeting walking around the garden.



Most of our tulips have not bloomed yet, but this pairing of red and white is going strong -despite the rabbits' efforts. I have noticed some bright displays of tulips in the neighborhood. I might have to replant some bulbs later in the season.



The strawberries are starting to flower. I can't wait until June. These June-bearing plants usually sets fruit near the end of May. I'm not sure if they are later this year or not.


The violas have very pretty faces. These were purchased as already blooming plants a few weeks ago (maybe that's cheating?). I have transplanted some "Johnny Jump-Ups" that I started from seed, but they are still fairly small seedlings.


The first Dandelion of the year (in my yard). I have been spotting dandelion blooms during walks all these last couple of weeks. Just today is the first I have spotted them in my yard. I am happy to report that I also noticed some bees buzzing as well.


Early in the week some of our flowering bushes began to break bud.


We still have ladybugs. I was having a hard time finding them until I went to the grass. That's why I don't always like mowing the grass - even if it's "too" long. Today during my first mow of the year there where many beetles taking flight (at least those will live).


I love the purple chive flowers, but they are not blooming yet. I see some scapes? forming though.


Here's an artificial bloom we found at the store. It "glows" at night. Maybe I will attract some lighting bugs (fireflies).


Oh, and I can't leave out the compulsory first Spring salad made from lettuce that was thinned.

Bugs and Blooms April 15

Hi. I decided that I should post some of the things "blooming" in my garden this month. It is funny because I didn't have a blog last year, but I did take photos on the 15th. For other blooms and blogs from April you should go to May Dreams Gardens: Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2008. As I was getting my photos I spotted the little guy above.

The first is my favorite of the moment, a purple colored crocus. I think the yellow pollen is a nice contrast, especially in the full-sized version.



Next, more crocus -- hey it is North Dakota in April. Two different yellow varieties and a white. I noticed the first bloom of the back yard is also forming (the rest are in the front). I think that the crocus are behind some this year. Last year there were more blooming on this day.




Here are some tulips still growing up. They look ahead of last year. I like the color of the red one.



Hyacinth buds are just coming up.



Also some Allium in the back.



A representative of the rest of the garden is this fern from last season. Give the garden a week or two and it should waken more.