Neat! I haven't seen them on the trunk of the tree either. We have two younger redbuds (Cercis canadensis) that have grown quite a bit in the past couple years. I'm hoping for some good blooms this spring. I'll try to get a photo if I remember.
From January 1, 2024:
Happy 191st (or so) birthday to the world’s oldest living land animal
"As Jonathan enters his 192nd year, he still shows a zest for life, said Joe Hollins, who helps care for the 400-pound tortoise."...
I'm just heartbroken to hear about this. I do agree that we need to reconsider our animal abuse penalties in many locations; I think it would show that animals should be viewed in higher regard. It's unfortunate that so many people look the other way when it comes to the suffering of animals. I...
My mom got into pottery and made her grandson a new food dish out of plain terra-cotta clay (no glaze). It's much lower to the ground for Steve to eat off of so I think he loves it!
I'm in Michigan and we have some native Opuntia here. I grow some in my yard and it has absolutely no problem with our winters. It's so incredibly hardy that some pads I haven't planted yet flowered while still in a cardboard box. I'm hoping to get fruit soon. If you can find some iteration of...
The pollinators are plentiful! Monarch caterpillar on some milkweed:
We've had hummingbird moths visiting some Monarda fistulosa lately. I think I observed them mating today, and I also saw a few eastern tiger swallowtails here.
Some sort of skipper.
A black swallowtail.
I think this...
I won't give up though! 😀 Steve has gotten the opportunity to try a bunch of plants that he probably never would've been able to if I hadn't taken him in, like aster, geranium, echinacea, plantain, evening primrose, hibiscus ... the list goes on!
I haven't specifically grown any grape plants...
More blooms from our butterfly garden: Milkweed and some hoary vervain. I'm pretty sure a monarch landed on them yesterday.
Cardinal flower buds and blooms. Phone cameras just can't capture the brilliant reds they display!
Elsewhere in the yard, some coneflower, which has been racing the...
Every once and a while, I pick him a leaf of it and throw it in his salad. I think he finds the aroma too pungent, so I don't think he's ever eaten it. I keep another patch of it in his garden but I may transplant it to make space for more dandelions or something.