Instrument of Grace

You'll Just Have To Take My Word For It

For the last several days, we've been receiving cool temperatures and constant rain from that tropical-like storm that moved up the East coast. I was happy about the rain, we so badly needed it, but I wasn't so happy about being inside all weekend. I mean, who wants an opportunity to stay in their jammies much of the day and be forced to watch football?  OK, Saturday was good, and there were some good games on, but Sunday, too?

I kept walking to the glass doors in our breakfast area and looking out over the back yard/garden. I don't know what I was looking for, but what I was seeing was rain.  On one trip to the doors early yesterday afternoon, I looked to see if there was any interest at the bird feeders.  The niger sock was deserted, but there were several chickadees at the tube feeder.  I looked a little more closely, and noticed they looked agitated.  An even closer look revealed a chickadee INSIDE the feeder trying frantically to get out.  How did he get IN there in the first place?

Since I was in my jammies (and slippers not suitable for outside), I put in a frantic call for help to Garden Man, ensconced in front of the TV.  At first, he didn't believe there was a bird in the feeder, but after I insisted, he got up to look. Yep, still there and trying madly to get out. So Garden Man heads out into the rain for the rescue. I should have grabbed my camera, shed my slippers and headed out too, but all I could do was watch the rescue unfold.

As Garden Man approached the feeder, the chickadees scattered to the trees. As he lifted the feeder off the pole, one chickadee dive-bombed his head. Then, he lifted the cap off the feeder and the trapped bird flew out and away with the entire crew right behind him.

It was hours before any chickadees ventured back to the dangerous feeder that eats chickadees. I just wonder if that poor bird trapped inside will ever come back. And how did it get in there in the first place?

Summer Vegetable Gratin

We've been participating in a local CSA (community supported agriculture) program this summer. It's our first time, and we've generally been very happy with what we've received. The weekly share has presented us with a challenge or two, but we've enjoyed the "game" of consuming all that week's bounty.

On August 6, the Washington Post printed a recipe for a Summer Vegetable Gratin that uses a small eggplant, basil, parmesan cheese, pattypan squash (you can use yellow or zucchini), onion, tomato and breadcrumbs.  It was perfect for the vegetables we had that week. We tried it, and instantly declared it a "must make again" dish. We'll be making it tonight, in fact, and I thought it was worth sharing.  It's easy and quick to assemble and just plain delicious. 

Let me know if you can't get the links to work. This is one recipe you'll want to try.

That, My Friend, Is An Ichneumon

In my Bloom Day post for this month, I posted a photo of an unknown Solidago with a friend. 

I just hate not knowing what something is, so I hunted around on the 'net for a site to help me ID that bug.  I found a great site, called What's That Bug that can help ID insects of North America.  Unfortunately, they are transferring to a new format this week, and when I just checked, they hadn't worked all the (ahem) bugs out, yet.  I couldn't get the photos to show up, so the site isn't useful quite yet.  I was also somewhat dismayed to find it takes a lot longer to load than it did just a few days ago. Because it's photo intensive (or will be), you might not be able to use it if you use dial up.  If you want to try it, and maybe save it for further reference, go here. 

I got the ID by e-mailing Daniel, the Bug Man who runs the site, with a photo of our friend.  His one-word reply was "ichneumon," and it's pronounced ik new mon with the accent on the "new."  I did a little online research and discovered these things about ichneumons.

Ichneumons are related to wasps and they are parasitic on many varieties of other insects, many of which are harmful.  The long ovipositor on the abdomen of the female (the one in my photo is a female) can penetrate insect infested tree trunks to insert eggs into the bodies of larvae infesting the tree.  I find that amazing, because the ichneumon I photographed looks so very delicate. I guess she's not that delicate after all.  Not all ichneumons parasitize tree-burrowing insects. Some parasitize caddisflies or certain butterflies. Still, ichneumons are considered beneficials.

This sighting was the first time I'd ever seen one of these insects in my garden, and I hope it won't be the last. I wonder what new friends I can add to my list next year?

September Bloom Day

Once again, thank you to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. Please visit May Dreams Gardens for this month's Bloom Day post and comments and visit the other blogs. You'll see some beautiful gardens.

I must confess I took these photos on the 14th, but I think the flowers are still there, don't you? Again, this month, I'm surprised at what I see blooming. I'm seeing very real signs of the move into fall, but after not being out in the garden for a while, I wasn't prepared to find some surprises.

I bought some Dahlia 'Roodkapje' because Ranter Michele at Garden Rant recommended them. What I didn't know, since I've always had such bad luck with dahlias, was how these things would bloom their heads off. This one has been in constant bloom for more than two months. I love their clear red flowers with their sunny yellow centers.

This spring, my Master Gardener friend Kathy gave me three passalong Leucanthemums of unknown variety. While they were nice sized, I didn't expect the quantity of bloom I got. I thought they were done blooming a week or so ago, but today I found this surprise. This is the last one.

I expected to see Rudbeckia fuldiga 'Goldsturm' blooming, and I wasn't disappointed. It's still in its nursery pot, but it will be going into the ground as soon as the drip irrigation system is here and we rework the border.

I also expected to see Echinacea purpurea 'Pink Double Delight,' because it was just coming into bloom when I brought it home several weeks ago. What I didn't expect was how much I was going to fall in love with its cheerful pink self.

One thing I did not expect to see was more bloom from Salvia 'Eveline.' I planted her in the early spring, when she was covered with bloom spikes. After they bloomed out, I trimmed them off. I was rewarded with a few more spikes in July. Again, I trimmed them off when they were spent. I thought that was it for the year, so imagine my surprise when I found this today.

Maybe I'm "cheating" to include these Ilex verticillata berries, but they are as beautiful as any blooms to me. Last year, even though I watered, the drought caused them to drop all their berries.  Since they'd been moved the year before and planted the year before that, they've never had more than a few berries. I'm thrilled with the crop we have this year.  Another story about these mystery winterberries.  They came from a wholesale nursery and were a bargain at $5.00 each. They were labeled Cornus alba 'Sibirica' which they obviously were not. I was happy to have them, and at such a bargain price, that I can tolerate not knowing the variety.

Here's another plant whose variety is unknown. This Solidago has been in my garden for a number of years. I think it is the prettiest Solidago I've ever seen, and I love the leaves - they are almost round. I meant to take a photo of the entire plant, but I got distracted by the "friend" on one of the flowers. I'm guessing this friend is some type of wasp. Anyone know just what type?

My last photo this month is another unknown variety. Sigh.  It's sedum, and it might be Neon and it might not. It was one of the first perennials I bought when I began gardening in ernest, about sixteen years ago. Needless to say, it is very prolific, and its progeny grace many of my friends' gardens. What I love about it is its bright pink color and that it blooms as many other plants are beginning to fade. Did I also mention it's a butterfly and bee magnet?

I still have a good many things blooming, although some of them are beginning to look tired.  Here's a partial list:

Heliopsis 'Summer Nights'

Echinacea 'Coconut Lime'

Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'

Crocosmia 'Bright Eyes'

Boltonia asteroides 'Pink Beauty'

Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut'

Dahlia Impression 'Fantastico'

Triteleia Corrina

Dragon's Wing begonia

unidentified little pink zinnias

tangerine calibrachoa

unidentified purple cuphea

Buddleia davidii 'Petite Plum' - and there nothing petite about it!

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting my garden. Stop back by again soon! And don't forget to see the other lovely gardens by viewing the comments over at this month's bloom day post.

Not a garden post - public service announcement

Several folks have e-mailed to ask how I'm doing. I haven't posted much of anything over the last month, and there was a good reason for that. I've had pneumonia, and I have no idea how I contracted it. One minute, literally, I was fine. Less than thirty minutes later, I was down for the count.

I didn't have experience with bacterial pneumonia, so I thought "you feel like heck, you take your antibiotics, you feel better."  When I mentioned to the doctor on day six of antibiotics that I was pretty disappointed with my pace of recovery, she asked what I expected. This was pneumonia.  I asked her what she meant, and she said six, as in six weeks. Six WEEKS?  I guess she was right.  I'm in the middle of week two post-antibiotic. I may feel like myself, but I still have no energy. I went back to work this past week and tried to work full days. HA! So not happening.  After struggling through two full days of stumbling about and not being able to focus, I smarted up a bit and tried half days, which turned out much better. 

All my energy has gone to getting better and hauling my sorry self back to work.  There has been nothing left over for things like housework, laundry, blogging or even reading.  I'm grateful it's the weekend and that Garden Man has taken such good care of me. I've been able to concentrate on resting and storing up energy for the coming week. And reading those great garden blogs, of course.

Today was the first day I've been out in the garden since I took the photo of the Monarch caterpillar. It's been two and a half weeks, and things are changing. I took some photos for bloom day tomorrow, and it was so good to be out walking around again, even if it was hot and the mosquitoes were bad.

And now the public service announcement part - bacterial pneumonia can kill you.  Don't mess around with it if you get it. Do what the doctor says, rest and make sure to eat, whether you want to or not, to help yourself heal. And don't expect to be better when the antibiotics are gone. Baby yourself and don't try to do too much too soon. Your body will need every ounce of energy you have to heal itself.  Healing is good; it's what you want. So you can get back into the garden.