So when you garden, do you plant more than you need? Long ago I read this was the way…plant more than you need. The why is because then you can share. Well, this year I planted a garden (thanks Claire). And my plan all along, was to share.
How appropriate is this…a Garden Spider in the garden!
The male was also lurking at the web too! Yesterday, the lady caught a grasshopper. Did she share?
Another predator in the garden! A Robber Fly (Asilidae)! This morning (but no photo) I saw a Robber Fly that had a paper wasp for breakfast. I have recorded them eating skippers, dragonflies, beetles, flies, bees, and flower bees. However, sometimes they can be the prey. A jumping spider made itself a meal of a Robber Fly that I witnessed once.
This beauty visited my garden as well. However, the Carolina Hornworm (Manduca sexta) is not the one I had been hoping for. I really want to find the larva for the Five-spotted Hawk Moth (Manduca quinquemaculatus) which is also known as the Tomato Hornworm. It looks similar, but has chevron markings on the sides. This particular hornworm in the photo came inside to pupate in my jar. I saw around six of the Mandura sexta on my tomatoes. However, the next day I checked on them again. But they must have all pupated because I found none. The Manduca species are great pollinators for Jimsonweed or Moon Flower (Datura) and Four O’clocks (Mirabilis) to mention a few. In addition, they are food for bats, birds, toads and some small mammals! So of course, I share my plants with them!
Such the perfect color match! The grasshoppers did leave plenty of tomatoes for us! 🙂
Each day I got enough to make our salads. So I got plenty for us! Sharing!
Update: Edgar returned to check out his childhood roost. At least I think this is Edgar because it did not fly away as I approached. An additional bird update, the last bluebird nestling at our mail box fledged yesterday.
At press time, a little storm was to our west. We got a couple of drops so my fingers are still crossed!
Love seeing Edgar. She looks stunning. And the insect photos are really good. Video of grasshopper eating your tomato is cool. They are such pretty tomatoes.
Edgar is so handsome.
I’m afraid our tomato plants are so stunted by our drought regardless of watering that we are barely getting enough for ourselves so I didn’t feel so generous with the hornworms when they ate all the foliage plus a couple tomatoes.
Oh I used to move the cats to non producing plants in the past but not this year. My 2 spindly plants aren’t even 2 ft tall when they usually would be 4-5 ft tall by now and covered in fruit. The tomatoes are few and far between and about half sized too. I remember when I moved them off the jimsonweed onto tomato plants in Carrollton.
Lovely post. Welcome back, Edgar!
Love seeing Edgar. She looks stunning. And the insect photos are really good. Video of grasshopper eating your tomato is cool. They are such pretty tomatoes.
And the tomatoes are pretty tasty!😊
Good to see Edgar again. It’s nice they may recognize you! Nice friends in your little garden. I’m glad it’s working out
Edgar is so handsome.
I’m afraid our tomato plants are so stunted by our drought regardless of watering that we are barely getting enough for ourselves so I didn’t feel so generous with the hornworms when they ate all the foliage plus a couple tomatoes.
I certainly knew some of you serious gardeners would/could not share. I have a different goal. LOL
Oh I used to move the cats to non producing plants in the past but not this year. My 2 spindly plants aren’t even 2 ft tall when they usually would be 4-5 ft tall by now and covered in fruit. The tomatoes are few and far between and about half sized too. I remember when I moved them off the jimsonweed onto tomato plants in Carrollton.
My tomato plants were quite large. I threw some Datura sees pods into my garden recently. Maybe i will have some next year.
If you don’t get them, I have about 20 plants potted up.
Wow, Thanks! I will let you know 🙂