FRIDAY FOTOS: Milkweed

I know.  It's an odd thing to take pictures of ... but I like the curved and twisted shapes.  The textures are good, too .. rough and brittle against soft and feathery.

FRIDAY FOTOS: FINAL FALL Leaves

FRIDAY FOTOS: FALL Color

I've been intending to get some fall foliage pictures, but my daughter borrowed my camera. I got it back mid-week and since then it's done nothing but rain. So here are pictures of wet leaves.

An Infestation of Not-So-FEMALE Insects: Asian Beetles

Every fall, three things happen here in farm country. Corn and beans are harvested. The leaves turn beautiful colors. And the Asian beetles invade every sunny wall they can find. Lady bugs (red) are useful insects, but Asian beetles (orange) are a pain in the … nose. They stink.


According to the University of Kentucky, they first showed up in the US in the1990s, but I didn't see any around here till the early 2000s. The south wall of my house was been coated with them. The nasty little critters lay eggs in my windows and they hatch on sunny days all winter.


Where did they come from? The Asian Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) is native to China, Russia, Korea, Japan, (hence the name) where it dwells in trees and fields, preying on aphids and scale insects.


Why are they here? During the 1960s to 1990s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture attempted to establish the Asian beetle to control agricultural pests, especially of pecans and apples. Large numbers of the beetles were released in Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland. No such releases were ever attempted in my area, but bugs don't always stay where you put them. Some scientists believe that current infestations in the U.S. originated not from these intentional releases, but from beetles accidentally transported into New Orleans on a freighter from Japan. Other people think that's bull.


Like dandelions and other imported, invasive species, Asian beetles have few natural enemies in the United States. As a defense against predators, they secrete a foul smelling yellowish fluid from their leg joints when disturbed. (Translation: When you squash them, they smell.)


In the fall, Asian beetles leave their summer feeding sites in yards and fields for protected places to spend the winter. (Again Translation: Your House.) Beetle flights are heaviest on sunny days following a period of cooler weather, when temperatures return to at least the mid-60s. (Final Translation: This week.) Consequently, most flight activity occurs in the afternoon and may vary in intensity from one day to the next.

They're EVERYWHERE!

Harvest: FALL on the FARM

The walls are down and the fields are naked.

Seasonal change in a rural area is more than summer, winter spring and fall. It’s planting, growth and harvest. In April, littered stalks are swept clean and plowed earth provides a fresh black floor. It’s a blank canvas waiting for the coming crop. In May, a green fuzz hovers over the fields and soon the rows are easy to distinguish. “Knee high by the Fourth of July” is outdated. Now, it’s waist high or better. As summer progresses, green walls rise, I have to stop at intersections where for 9 months a year, I can see cars a ½ mile away. Green turns to brown in late August. In late September, the walls come down and the fields undress for their winter nap.


This year, we had a wet, cool spring. Planters got stuck in the mud and the crop was planted late. Consequently, harvest is several weeks behind. This morning when I left the house, my neighbors were in the field. When I’ll come home, it will be empty. I’ll be able to see headlights on a road 2 miles away.

Quote for 9/22/09: the FIRST Day of FALL

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

FARM Life: the First Mouse of Fall

First thing in the morning, the pets go out. Fiona, Beth’s kitten, usually leads the pack. But earlier this week, I couldn’t find her. Sometimes, curious kittens get shut in closets, so I searched the house. Then I heard her stampeding through the living room. (For something so dainty, she can make a lot of noise.) She leaped the coffee table, then sat twitching and focused on the bottom of the sofa. A mouse.

My house was built in the late 1800s. Over 100 years of weather and wear will give anyone some imperfections. Yeah, it’s not as tight as modern construction. When the neighboring farmers harvest, we normally get a few mice. But it’s late August. Since they got into the fields late this year, harvest is 2, maybe 3 months away. This way is ahead of schedule. I suspect we’re in for an early fall and I have a list of projects to finish:

1. Edging to set.
2. Shrubs to plant.
3. Perennials to move.
4. A couple of small things to build.
5. A little painting.

It’s been a good gardening year, so I started more projects. I suspect I only have a few weeks to wrap them up.

Looking for a diet tip in here somewhere? Get interested in something besides food and what you’re not eating. Plant a garden. Start a blog. Redecorate your house. Join a book club. Volunteer. Learn a foreign language. Play an instrument. The point is, get a life. There's more to being happy than a full stomach.