Spring Plants

Every year when I see little green shoots poking out of the ground I become hopeful for a healthy, green summer vegetable garden in spite of past experience.

I know that in less than two months the blistering-hot sun will scorch leaves, daytime temperatures will cause chronic wilting, and all the stress will make the plants susceptible to pests and diseases.

But this is such a cheerful sight!

This year I decided to just empty all my old tomato seed packets (some of them 7 years old!) into one of the planters and wait and see.

Obviously they are thriving in our lovely warm Spring. If the mild weather would last through May, we might just get a real tomato.

Katrina

Cactus or Pincushion?

Pincushion cactus:

source

Cactus pincushion:

I started with the tutorial from PC at Meijo's Joy. (So cute!) I drew a cactus-shaped paper pattern that looked like a good size for some 2-inch clay pots I got at the craft store. I used the pattern to cut out 6 felt pieces for each cactus.

I made the base narrow, but this was unnecessary since it gets hidden in the pot, and it also made it more difficult to stuff, so I think next time I will make the base wider.

I used a very short stitch and a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I backstitched a good 1/2 inch at each end at the opening, since that part gets the most stress.

Turned - almost a cactus!

After turning, I stacked three of the cactus pads together and stitched them together through the center, bottom to top.

This was extremely difficult with the thick felt - I could barely get it under my presser foot!

nice and even at the top

In some cases the tops did not come out even, but I can disguise that with fancy pins!

very uneven!

Each little section had to be stuffed - I used polyester batting.

Stuffing is easier with long tweezers and very small bits of batting.

I packed it tightly so the cacti would be very solid.

Once all six of the cactus sections were full, I slipstitched the bottom closed.

This will not be visible and will not have much stress on the stitches.

Now for the little pots. I decided to have some plain and some wrapped in a loosely woven fabric that looks like soft burlap.

For the plain pots, I glued a piece of cork to the bottom just in case the pot is placed on wood furniture (we don't want scratches).

The pincushions will be top heavy, so to keep them from flopping over, I placed a small handful of pebbles in the bottom of each pot.

To finish, I simply glued the pincushions into the pots. Then it was finally time to put the pins in!

I made some fancy pins with beads and earring backs. (They are hiding my uneven cactus tops.)

Here I pinned bee and ladybug buttons to the pincushions.

I call this one the princess cactus.

The finished cactus garden.

Now, these were supposed to be gifts, but will I ever be able to let any of them go?

Katrina

Colors

I did not decorate for the holidays this year, but I didn't have to go too far to see the traditional bright colors of the season.

The garden is full of bright red, green, and gold.

faded gold grape leaves (and two little dogs behind them)



this Euphorbia turns red at the tips when temperatures drop



exuberantly red berries of the Pyracantha

three golden grapefruit weighing down their tiny tree

Best wishes to all for a happy and colorful New Year!

Katrina

Sometimes Nature Is Too Much Even For Me



I'm embarrassed to admit that I shrieked when this thing jumped on me.

You know, I really do my best to live in harmony with the natural world. Yes, I do have to run the air conditioner several hours a day for seven months, but I balanced that out by converting the front yard from a water-guzzling lawn to a wildlife haven filled with native desert trees and shrubs.

I like to work in the garden all day in the company of birds and bees.

I encourage our spiders, large and small, to do their work of pest control.

Crab spider?



Black Widow Spider - I've seen them kill scorpions many times their size (below)

I really have no sympathy for these - I keep getting stung!

 I rescue poor confused snakes and lizards from the pool all summer. 

I even put up with some of these pests...

But once in a while, something comes along that is too weird!

 

I was just walking around the back yard yesterday, minding my own business, when this thing flew right into my face. It was scary.

WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT HERE?

When I recovered my composure - and when the bug removed itself to a tree - I was able to appreciate its beauty. The body is about 1/2 inch long, and then it has those crazy red legs. It really has the most amazing colors. It likes the mesquite tree. The closest I can get to an ID is that it may be related to the Giant Mesquite Bug, Thasus neocalifornicus.

 



I've recovered from the shock, but honestly, I can do without any more surprises hitting me in the face for a while!

 

Katrina

 

Is It May Already?

Looks like two whole weeks flew by while I snoozed (actually sneezed, mostly).

There are a few things going on, but my daily activities don’t lend themselves to photography or blog updates. Examples:

I sat in a spot of shade on the patio, while a hummingbird visited the flowers on my bright red shorts.

Of course I did not have my camera at the time.

 

After two weeks of daily workouts and no pie (okay, minimal pie), this number refuses to get any smaller.

 The scale must be broken.
 

I pulled this dress out of a pile of UFOs from last year, made some progress on it, then ground to a halt again.

It should be cute though, if it ever gets finished.

We have hit our first 100-degree day already, so I’ll just use the summer sun as my excuse ... for everything.

 

Katrina

In Its Element

The tiny verdin is a bird I’ve seen in the past, as it visited my garden to snack on bugs and flowers.

I did wonder where they nested, but this year I don’t have to wonder. I have a large, noisy family of them right in my back yard.

 (be sure to click on photos to enlarge)

Hiding in plain sight
Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) in a mesquite tree

 

Other than its chipper conversation, the main feature of the verdin is that it’s very difficult to see (and nearly impossible to photograph). It has perfect camouflage for the yellowish-greenish-gray foliage of our desert scrub.

Peeking out of the pyracantha

 

Finally visible!
Eating an insect on a branch of the lemon tree.

 

I will gladly welcome more of these birds and any other insect eaters to the garden.

 

Katrina

Pollen Nation

Pollen is here.

 

 

And it’s here.

 

It’s in the water.

 

And it’s definitely in the air.

 

Every tree, shrub, and grass is in flower here.

 So pretty to look at, so painful to breathe.

 

In the early part of the 20^th century, Phoenix was known as a haven for people with allergies and respiratory ailments, due to the clean, dry air. One hundred years and a million people later, we are known for the poor quality of our air, which seems to be comprised mostly of ozone, dust, pollen, and other large and small “particulates.”

I don’t think I’ve taken a normal breath since late February! Zyrtec, which has worked reliably for me for the last ten years, barely makes a dent in this season’s allergies. I’m steadily working my way through the pharmacy shelves, trying a new combination of antihistamine and decongestant every two weeks, hoping for the magic formula.

I studied pollination ecology a few years ago (thus the title of the post, from a very confusing phone conversation with my aunt). One of the many things I did was photograph these microscopic particles. Pollen is actually a beautiful thing, when it’s not wreaking havoc on your nasal membranes.

The pollen was dyed before mounting on a slide, to create contrast between the structures on the outer wall of the grain. Presumably this assists in identification, although I never got very good at the ID part of the job.

If you want to see some really beautiful photos of pollen, just Google “pollen photos” or “pollen microscopy.” You may have seen some in Nat Geo or similar magazines. The pictures taken with electron microscopes (very different from what I used) are fascinating.

I hope you enjoy your flowering season with minimal sneezing and wheezing.

Katrina