Fox Haven Journal

Beau July 8th, 2008

The month of July in Missouri is a lot of things.  Good things like tomatoes, barbeques, cooler mornings and maybe a few rainstorms if we’re lucky.  And then there’s the other things… the heat and humidity, weeds and trimming, and tons of insect critters that find their way into everything, usually leaving us itchy reminders to deal with.

I guess the bees fit that insect category, but they’re pretty neat to have around.   Unlike a few other critters such as ticks and chiggers.  Now I’m sure the peskier bugs serve some functional purpose for the web of life in our evironment.  But there’s times I wish they would serve that purpose somewhere else!  If you’re going to live in the country however, you have to take the good with the bad, and I’m learning that the good far outweighs the bad over the course of time.  

It’s not hard to appreciate our pollinators though.  Those amazing bees that go buzzing around and help us grow our fruits and vegetables.   Isn’t this a cool looking bumblebee?  This one is working a lavender plant, darting from flower to flower. 

And did you know that bumblebees are the primary pollinators of our tomato plants?  I’ve seen them all over our tomatoes, but I didn’t realize until recently that the way bumblebees pollinate tomato plants is through sonification.  The bumblebee pulls the tomato flower down to a vertical position, and vibrates their wing muscles at a certain frequency after which the tomato flower pollen falls out of pores in the anthers.  When the pollen falls down, it sticks to the bumblebees fuzzy body and, oh by the way, the bumble just happens to be rubbing that same fuzzy pollinated body against the tomato flower stigma, and because of his fuzzy little travels, voila! pollination from one flower to another occurs.   I think of bumblebees with appreciation every time I eat a tomato!

Here’s another important pollinator below, but it’s not a bumblebee.  Instead this is a Carpenter bee about to dive headfirst into a hydrangea flower head.  Carpenter bees are not thought of very highly because of the tunneling damage they can do to wooden beams, decking and the wood in houses and barns.  Yes, they actually bore holes and tunnels in wood!  We see them around here, but I’m not sure where they are nesting. Sometimes you see the male buzzing up and down in a certain area, seemingly harassing you if you try to walk by.  That’s just his way of protecting his territory or a nest nearby, but he’s actually harmless and can’t sting.  Not very fun to have a big buzzing critter zoom at you however.

But our other favorite pollinators are the honeybees of course.  Our two hives appear to be doing just fine, although one is a lot stronger than the other in terms of the number of bees around the hive.   And yesterday there were hundreds of bees clustered outside the hive.  Are they getting ready to swarm?  Fanning to cool the hive?  Just new bees getting outside for some fresh air!?  I don’t really know, but with lots of space in two relatively new hive body supers, I think they’re just staying cool.  They have quite a bit of shade under some oak trees, but it has been very hot and humid lately.

The other hive which is weaker didn’t have many bees hanging around outside however.  In both hives, the bees were coming and going just the same, and working flowers around the property.  It’s interesting to see the differences though, and I’ll be opening the hives up sometime the next week to see what else I can find out.

• Seasons , Science , Beekeeping
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Beau July 6th, 2008

Trees.  Those amazing mostly green things we so take for granted.  What would we do without them?  They bring to the world clean air, strength, beauty, shade, biodiversity and even help supply our energy needs in winter.  So much more than a simple list of course, but even so we usually just look at them, or through them.   Lately we’re enjoying the shade from our trees as the summer heat sets in.

But on August 1st we’ll look a little more closely while hosting the Festival of the Trees right here at Fox Haven Journal.  Nothing fancy, just an eclectic mix of pictures and words shared by creative people who appreciate the wonder and magic of Trees. 

So you are most welcome to join us, even if you think writing about trees is crazy.  But you’ve got to admit, they’re pretty darn useful.   If you have a treeish blog post to share, you can submit it through the online submission form, through our Contact page, or send it to foxhavenjournalATgmailDOTcom. 

Maybe we’ll find a pattern in the mix of submissions, and perhaps some kind of theme will emerge.  But don’t count on it; I’m still trying to put the puzzle of my own life together.

• Reflections , Passing Thoughts
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Beau July 4th, 2008

When you think everything is hopeless,
A little ray of light comes from somewhere!

      I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think,
all the walks I want to take,
all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
The longer I live the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and wonder of the world.

                                                                    John Burroughs

• Reflections
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Beau July 3rd, 2008

There were heavy rainstorms all through yesterday evening and last night, but the sun came out towards day’s end yesterday highlighting a beautiful double rainbow over grassy hay fields.  We raced out to get a few pictures, and enjoyed the evening.  The camera focus didn’t quite work out, so I modified the photo with a watercolor look.  But it really did look like this; the natural lighting was spectacular, and the rainbow one of the brightest I have seen.

• Reflections
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Beau July 2nd, 2008

I’ve got beetle mania this week.  After seeing hundreds and hundreds of japanese beetles decimating our grapes and other plants, we decided it was time to get a trap.  They’re simple, not too expensive, and work like a charm.  Within minutes of hanging up the trap yesterday, beetles were flying toward it and dropping into the bag.

This thing works very well. There’s at least four flying beetles and a dozen more over the yellow vanes above the bag, and more on the way!

After a few hours the bag was full of hundreds of beetles. Yuck!   We put up another trap and left them up all day.  This morning I threw out what seemed like two pounds of bugs, and hung up a couple of more bags. 

I considered cutting open the bag and throwing the beetles in the pond after reading about someone who fed them to his catfish, but I didn’t want to chance releasing a ton of beetles that we already caught.  This morning the grapes already look better, and there are many fewer japanese beetles on the other plants.

I’m under no illusion that this will solve our nuisance problem with the beetles.  But it may just help the grapes continue to mature, and lessen the number of beetles we have next year.  Chalk one up to technology, but I hope some enterprising bird can figure out how to eat these little suckers!

On the subject of yucky bugs, does anyone know what this big brown catepillar is?   It’s sitting upside down next to a 4×4 post!  I’ll try to find out… maybe we’ll call it a “Big Brown Four Inch Catepillar” for now.  Not very creative, I know.  Any better ideas?

• Wildlife, Insects and Pets , Science
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Beau July 1st, 2008

The garden has really come into its own this week.  We finally have a good crop of beans this year, and they’ve grown more than enough to eat each day.  For the last week they’re making almost too much, which means we get to save some for winter.  We’re still learning how to grow an abundant garden, finding out what vegetables we like and understanding how best to manage weeds and pests naturally.

The lettuce has done very well this year, probably because we got an early start.  We planted mixed varieties of leaf and butterhead lettuce and some of them have grown very well.  I’m not partial to softer leaf lettuce, but since it grows so well we may have to get used to it.  And we haven’t tried yet, but I’ve read that the crunchy types of lettuce such as iceberg don’t grow as well in the midwest.  Anybody know?  

Red leaf and butterhead varieties have grown nicely this year, but what is the red speckled type?

I’ve enjoyed making canned pickles and peppers the last couple of years, but we have not used a pressure canner yet for other vegetables.  Maybe we’ll freeze some of them?  For beans we’ve been told that it’s best to blanche them quickly before freezing, to help maintain flavor and freshness.   That will be great to have nearly fresh beans for the colder months, yet I also like the softer canned beans. They just have a flavor and texture that I love.

Beans, sweet peas and snow peas, yum!  Nothing like home grown, but it makes you appreciate just how many peas are in a can at the grocery store.

Of course the internet is a wonderful resource these days, and there’s many sites that offer helpful information.  Here’s a great site at PickYourOwn.org that provides a wealth of how-to guidance on canning and freezing.   Very helpful especially since we’d like to make some jam or jellies from berries, as well as put up a lot of other vegetables.   We’re still learning, and with grocery prices skyrocketing it helps to do more things at home.

Have you ever made anything out of elderberries?  We have a couple plants growing on the property and I hope to pick a bunch of them. These Elderberry flowers will grow into a bunch of blue-black berries, hopefully picked before the birds can get them!

The tomatoes are about to start producing too; lots of small to medium green tomatoes are all over the plants now.  If we can keep the moles from digging them up we may do well this year and even have tomato sauce.  

And have you ever thought about corn pollination?   It’s an amazing process that we really take for granted.  Hopefully we’ll have some corn to feast upon in the months ahead.

The garden can be a lot of work but it’s also a wonderful place to learn about plant growth, especially when it provides so much food!

• Rural Living , Gardening
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Beau June 29th, 2008

The change of seasons is welcome, and with the beginning of summer we find ourselves looking at the garden and landscape a little differently.  The plants are maturing and bring new flowers while the weeds try to march through everything.  The grapes are growing nicely on the arbor, and I think of using them for jellies or even wine someday. 

But the insects are also now out in full force.  We’ve been chasing fireflies and avoiding mosquitoes, and we just deal with bugs as a matter of course. But some of them are strange and pesky critters such as the Japanese Beetle.  I’m told these little beetles were not around this area until just a few years ago.  They apparently were introduced to the U.S. around 1916 on the east coast, and have spread a few miles every year.  Last year was the first we had seen of so many around our area, and they decimated the grape leaves.  The fruit just shriveled up as they sucked the juice from the leaves (see the little brown spots?) and the whole plant just withered.

I’ve noticed them over many different plants this week, but they don’t have any natural predators apparently.  Does anybody know any good control techniques?  I’ve heard you can get a trap, but some people think that just attracts more of them.  I’ve also heard someone’s rooster liked to eat them, and someone else collects them by hand.  Ours are in so many places, and high and low, that I couldn’t begin to collect them all.  I did try spraying some tea tree oil soap on them… didn’t seem to bother them in the least.   I’m not inclined to use harsh insecticides around the house, so I’ll keep trying different things.

I suppose like many things we’re just going to have to get used to them.  Or maybe we’ll get those chickens next year after all!

• Reflections , Wildlife, Insects and Pets , Science
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Beau June 26th, 2008

We found you in a pile of unwanted kittens,
And brought two of you to our home.

You brought us love and joy,
And a bundle of cat energy that
Wanted as much to explore as
To be cuddled in a lap.

You were spirited and fun,
With a personality so full of life.
Sometimes you seemed more like a dog.

And you didn’t hunt very well,
But you jumped at birds in a half-hearted manner,
Flicking your tail,
As if to show that, Indeed! You were a Cat.

Yet to a boy you brought so much more;
A big fuzzy kitty that he could
Drape over his shoulders,
To carry and hug and play with.

And you didn’t mind.
He loved you most of all. 

Farewell Sparky.

• Reflections , Wildlife, Insects and Pets
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Beau June 24th, 2008

“Make hay while the sun shines.” A wise old axiom that’s been around for generations, and has more than a few meanings. I like to think of it as “Get things done while conditions are favorable.” It has been time to cut hay for many folks in our area now, but the on again-off again rainshowers have made it difficult. Ideally a good 3-4 day stretch of dry weather is necessary to cut, rake and bale the hay. I’ve mentioned it before, but we don’t cut hay ourselves; a local dairy farmer makes the rounds and takes hay off fields that wouldn’t be used otherwise. We appreciate the fields being cut once a year, and they appreciate the good hay. There’s still one field left to cut, but this morning it rained buckets and delayed things at least another day.

I can’t imagine how much more it costs these days to “make” a bale of hay with the price of diesel fuel. I know I’ve reduced the number of hours I spend on the tractor cutting grass, but that’s not an option for a farmer who needs hay for his livestock. Hopefully energy prices will stablize soon, and head back to more reasonable levels. I’ve been calculating the cost of driving various places lately and it’s kind of amazing to see how much we spend on fuel. But it is what is. As for me, I need to “make hay” with quite a few projects too. I don’t always act while conditions are favorable… but I try!

Think I posted some day lily pictures before too, but I was wondering- do day lilies grow everywhere? They sure bloom abundantly here from plantings long established. And they just seem to get bigger each year. I like them because they really “grab” and help stabilize the soil, and can be transplanted very easily. You may dig a shovel of roots, plop them near a tree or ditch and forget about them. Before you know it they’ve sprouted and will bring flowers year after year. Maybe I also like their tall and showy color to brighten the landscape. But no pruning required… I wish all plants were as simple!

• Landscapes
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Beau June 22nd, 2008

My goodness the weeds and grass can really grow while one is gone, and to see how fast it all grows in the space of a couple weeks is amazing. We’re catching up at home this week after a trip with the family, and have returned to see many parts of the central U.S. inundated with flooding from the Mississippi and other rivers. The rivers are cresting now, and several towns are waiting to see how much more flooding there will be. Many of the levees have failed, but others are still holding with water right to the top. Our hearts just go out to those who will begin working to recover from all the flooding this week. There are also a few thunderstorms about, but strangely in much of our area the topsoil is becoming quite dry.

We are thankful to live a little higher and have started watering the plants around the house and garden now. And it’s time for vegetables as we’re picking the peas, beans and lettuce that is doing so well. I’m surprised the peas and beans have not grown higher up the supports, and I wonder how long they will produce this year. But it has been a cool week in terms of temperature, so that helps keep them flowering and producing.

I think the corn looks great in the garden and I thought of a dumb question today since we have not planted hybrid corn before… How many ears of corn can we get from one stalk with our garden variety hybrid? I’ve seen some of the field corn growing in our area with 2-3 ears per stalk. But a little web research indicates we’ll probably get 1-2 ears from most smaller hybrid plants. We’ll see how it turns out in a month or so as the tassels are just forming at the top of the stalk now. But the tomatoes are also coming along- small and green, and soon we’ll have more than we know what to do with.

An early morning yesterday as we went across the pond dam to check the property. The yellow lab was like a kid in a candy store after coming home from the kennel. He did very well while we were gone, and didn’t miss a beat when returning home. Maybe a little too much energy saved up for romping around the property. Come to think of it I could use a little of that extra energy… the grass on the pond dam needs cut for the year again!

By the way, the bees are doing pretty well so far. I’ve put on a second super (hive body) for both hives and the bees are working like crazy each day. One of the hives appears much stronger in terms of numbers of bees, so it will be interesting to see how they do this year. Today I removed the entrance reducers I had placed last month while the new hives built up their strength in numbers of bees and stores of food. They didn’t fuss too much and (all anthropomorphism aside) actually seemed to enjoy the opening being wider. I probably left the reducers on a little too long while we were away, and today it was like seeing a little traffic jam of bees getting in and out of that smaller 3 inch entrance slot.

So to remove the wooden stick that blocks the entrance, I took my hive tool and pried up the corners and under the reducer to loosen all the joints. Then as I wedged and held up the hive slightly, I slid a stiff hooked wire through the hole and gently pulled out the wooden reducer. The bees didn’t seem to mind a bit. So now both hives have a full entrance on top of the bottom board (actually a screen) to come and go. And it was fun watching the returning bees covered in pollen… a welcome sight. It’s also great to see them covering so many flowers around the property. Keep working little bees!

• Labrador Retriever , Gardening , Beekeeping
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