Milkweed Bugs

If you grow milkweed, more than likely you have seen this orange-red and black insect. It is the milkweed bug. Milkweed bugs feed on the pods and seeds of milkweed. They are harmless and can be good for controlling milkweed overpopulation in the home garden. The downside to that is that they damage and cause deformity to the seed pods preventing collection of seeds for those who would like to grow more milkweed.

They have a lifespan of about one month and during that time the female can lay up to 2000 eggs. Like ladybugs, they do not go through complete metamorphosis; they go through a series of molts. You can see the varying instar stages in the collage above.

This year they were prolific in my garden and were treated as pests. They were either smashed or collected in a bucket of soapy water. Not to worry, there are still plenty there to control my milkweed population!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am thankful for the rain this morning. The flowers were drooping and the grass was just about dead. I am looking forward to some cooler weather! We have had the opposite summer compared to last year. Instead of the cool rainy weather, we have had a very hot and dry summer with twenty-eight days of temperatures in the 90's. I don't think we even hit 90 last summer.

Thank you all for your kind comments and the welcome back!

Dragonfly Pictures

Here are a few of the dragonfly pictures I took at White River Gardens yesterday!

Ladybugs!

First of all, thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes. Can you believe that my husband and I have the exact same birth date? We both had a very good 47th birthday. We are so thankful for our health and another year to celebrate together!



We had a little taste of spring today! It was cloudy and windy but it was warm. At 6:00 PM it was still 65 degrees, (F)! I did some cleaning in the flowerbeds this morning before work. I cut back the echinacea seed heads that had been left for the goldfinches. I cut back a few more of the
grasses and trimmed back the Jackmanii clematis. I skipped trimming it back last year and it wasn't very pretty and didn't have as many blooms.

I planted two really small weeping, red Japanese maples several years ago. They aren't so little anymore and probably not in ideal locations. They are beautiful and very healthy and I dare not move them, so I had to prune them a bit to keep them from encroaching on the sidewalk and driveway.

While I was cleaning in one of the front yard flower beds I noticed two ladybugs on the lambs ear. Yes, it is almost spring! Not only that, but I am seeing some of the perennials and a few daffodils starting to emerge from the earth.

It was so wonderful to be outside playing in the dirt. I didn't even mind that the wind was blowing all in my face as I shook it loose from last years annuals.



I usually buy some type of camera equipment with our credit card reward points, but this year I'm thinking about the garden. I ordered my first pair of Felco pruners today and I got a few gift cards that can be used for some things in the garden.

I'm so thankful for this little taste of spring, I just wish it was here to stay.

Autumn Around Robin's Nesting Place

Thank you all for your sweet comments and get well wishes. I apparently don't have the flu, just another virus. I was feeling better today and actually got out to vote. When we pulled into the parking lot, the line was out the door but thankfully our particular precinct had no waiting at all.

It was such a beautiful day and I just couldn't stand to be inside all day. I walked around the yard and took a few pictures. The seed heads of the butterfly weed have opened up and the silky seeds are flying about as the breeze blows.

The way the sun was shining on the seeds reminded me of July 4th sparklers.



The lady bugs are everywhere right now.

I was sad to see the swallowtail caterpillar on the parsley this late in the season. I don't think this little one will make it before the cold weather hits.


The maple tree in my front yard is beautiful right now. I believe this one is an 'October Glory' maple.

I saw another bluebird at the birdbath today but we were on our way out the door to go vote. Hopefully he will come back tomorrow for another dip and I can get more pictures.

They're Making the News

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - "Swarms of insects that look like mutant mosquitoes are invading neighborhoods across the area. Homeowners have been calling mosquito control and Purdue University's extension service asking about the bugs. They are called Crane flies and if you've got them, you can't miss them. "

Yes, it is that bad! Swarms, literally thousands of these Crane flies all across the yard. With each step I take masses of these large mosquito looking bugs fly up from the grass. Every time I open the door to let the dog out they try to get inside. It is terrible! I had no idea what these were or why there were so many of them. I was very glad to read this in the news today, now I know what has invaded Robin's Nesting Place.

Since I'm posting about bugs, I thought I'd share this picture of the moth too.

September Garden Blogger Bloom Day

The most beautiful flowers here at Robin's Nesting Place, during the month of September, are the ones adorned by the butterflies. This little beauty is on the lantana. I have several different colors of lantana but the pink has always been my favorite and is also the best performer for me.



As the blooms fade on the butterfly bush, the mums take over and dominate the show.



I can't remember if this cosmos is "Picotee" or "Candy Stripe" but I have really enjoyed it. I plan to collect the seeds and hopefully grow more of it next year.

This is one of the Blanketflower that was wintersown. It really hasn't done very well this year but hopefully next year it will be larger and have more blooms.

I have enjoyed the combination of Russian sage, lambs ear and dusty miller again this year. The carpet rose and the knockout roses are still blooming. As is the Russian sage. For some reason, the 'May Night' salvia has had a dismal year. Last year it was beautiful all summer long, this year they all looked as though they were diseased. I wonder if it is due to the wet spring we had.


I love this color of zinnia!

I have several groupings of zinnias around the back yard. Some did well and others were a flop. I need to do a zinnia post to remind myself of what not to sow next summer.

Several weeks ago the 'Purple Wave' petunias were looking pretty bad. I cut them all the way down to about an inch or two and they quickly grew back. I'll definitely grow these from seed again. There is nothing easier to grow from seed that gives a great display of color all spring and summer long than the wave petunia.

The front flower bed has filled out nicely with the impatiens. The coleus seeds from the front porch planters must have blown into the bed because now I have a lot of little coleus growing with the impatiens.

I have quite a few grasses and they are all in bloom right now. I have two of these near the kitchen window and I love when the sun is shining on them, the feathery plumes just glisten in the sunlight.

Here is the list of what is blooming:

Gerbera Daisies
Mums
Coleus
Begonias
Purple Wave Petunia

Salvia
Impatiens
Zinnia

Cosmos

Verbena bonariensis

Carpet Rose
Knockout roses

Lantana

Russian Sage

Lavender

Grasses
Superbells

Lantana

Anise Hyssop 'Golden Jubilee'

Dianthus

Spirea

Black-eyed Susans
Mallow
Blanket Flower
Malva
Butterfly bush

Hopefully things will settle down for me and I'll be on time for next months Garden Blogger Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Late Summer Blooms, Bunnies and Bugs

It is definitely beginning to feel like autumn. The leaves are already beginning to turn on some of the maple trees.

It is so nice to have the windows open and the fresh air coming in. I love this time of year! The cosmos and zinnias are beautiful...

painted lady butterflies are all over the verbena.

Of course, not everything is wonderful; there are late summer pest too. Just like last year, the praying mantis are trying to catch the hummingbirds. I knocked this one off the feeder three times. Each time he climbed back into position, and would swipe at the hummingbirds while they drank. Thankfully they were quicker than the mantis.

I'm seeing a lot of grasshoppers too.

While watching the butterflies and hummingbirds, I saw this little rabbit next to the house in the butterfly garden. It was so small and so cute. I wish they weren't so destructive. I sure hope it doesn't take up residence here this winter and eat the rest of my burning bush. They feasted off them all winter and are still working on the smallest one. I definitely need to somehow cover them this winter.

I love zinnias...

especially close up! They are so interesting and beautiful!

Hummingbirds are Finally Here!

Others commenting on my blog have told me that dragonflies and damselflies eat mosquitoes. As I read more about them I found out that the nymphs eat the mosquito larva. We have three ponds in our neighborhood, so I'm sure they are well fed this year. We've had so much rain that the mosquitoes are pretty bad which probably accounts for the large number of dragonflies and damselflies this summer. After seeing so many pictures of the dragonflies on other blogs last year, I wanted to get a picture of one too. I don't think I ever did. If you remember, last year we had drought conditions, so that may have been a factor in the decreased numbers. I've had plenty of opportunities to photograph them this year. I'm very happy to share my garden with these beneficial insects.

The hummingbirds have finally arrived and I'm beginning to see them more frequently, in brief moments, as they zip by.

I just happened to be outside with my camera taking Garden Blogger Bloom Day pictures yesterday when this one came by.

Once they get used to seeing me around, I'll raise the window and sit beside it and photograph them up close. I did this last year and loved being so near them.

I can't imagine summer without all of the bumblebee activity.


The catbird and the robin were singing at the same time, right there together, in the top of the tree. They did not make beautiful music together, let me tell you. The catbird makes a sound somewhere between a crying baby and a very loud meowing cat in heat. I think they were trying to out sing each other.

The goldfinches have already started eating the seeds from the sunflowers. It's funny, because I don't recall ever seeing them eating sunflower seeds from the feeder. I have thistle/nyjer feeders and that's the seed they usually eat.

This is one summer critter I can definitely do without.


Another summer pest that is not welcome here at Robin's Nesting Place, is the dreaded Japanese beetle. Everyday I go outside and pick them off the plants. They seem to especially love the roses and the purple sweet potato vine and are destroying them. Last night I was sitting here at the computer when I felt something on my back, I reached down my shirt to see what was scratching me and I felt a Japanese beetle on me. I can handle it fine touching them with my hands, but for some reason the thought of one of them on me freaks me out. Thankfully no one but my husband was in the room, so I came out of that shirt really fast. I hate when that happens!


I'm seeing the bunnies all over the neighborhood when I walk in the evenings. I think they are so cute, in other people's yards! This one, however, was in my yard, still munching on the burning bush. So it is not cute! Well...maybe just a little bit.

Thank you to all of you who mentioned that my RSS feed wasn't working, I'm not sure what happened, but we've been having some computer issues lately. I hope I have corrected the problem, and that it's working for you again. Please let me know if it isn't.

Summer is Here!

Summer is in full swing around Robin's Nesting Place. A few volunteer sunflowers, (compliments of the bird feeders), are beginning to bloom. Most of them are small and insignificant, but this one was a beauty. I also planted a variety mix that is growing fast and will be blooming soon.

The butterflies have finally arrived! I've been watching for them for several weeks and was beginning to wonder if they were avoiding my butterfly garden.

The Monarchs seem to prefer the coneflowers.

I'm not 100% sure if this one is a comma or a question mark butterfly, but it looks like a comma to me.

The liatris is blooming.

The bumblebees and wasps are plentiful here this year. I don't mind the bumblebees and will get pretty close to get a picture. They are always so busy they don't seem to notice. The wasps, on the other hand, are given wide berth.

I have several projects that need to be completed. I moved a few plants and have holes in the butterfly garden. I bought some topsoil a few weeks ago to fill the holes and never got around to doing it. I'm a little concerned about using this top soil. Can you imagine the weeds I'll have in my garden?
Along with summer comes the pests. Thousands of Japanese beetles have descended and are devouring the sweet potato vines, roses, and birch tree leaves along with other plants and leaves. One of the arborvitae was covered with small bagworms, which seems to to be their plant of choice. Last year I got really interesting pictures of the worm.

I hope these are not the eggs of the bagworm. I'll be keeping a close eye out for this arborvitae, just in case. Thankfully it hasn't been to hot and we've had plenty of rain, so I've only had to water plants a few times.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!