Horseradish & Honey | Page 3 of 24 | Musings of an organic gardener in Cincinnati

Pawpaw Trees and Zebra Swallowtails

October 5, 2018

Guess what? I was in the garden one evening. I know…what a shocker!

All joking aside, I spotted a Zebra Swallowtail that evening. Only the second one I’ve seen in the garden this year, and maybe the fifth or sixth one I’ve ever seen in the garden.

It got me thinking about symbiotic relationships and this crazy world we live in. Why symbiotic relationships? Because I know that Zebra Swallowtails feed on pawpaw trees. In fact, pawpaws are the only host plant for Zebra Swallowtails. Why crazy world? Because I think about all the development going on in cities and suburbs and rural areas and wonder how many people know that, without pawpaw trees, there will be no Zebra Swallowtails. What a shame that would be – they are some of the most beautiful butterflies I’ve ever seen.

Zebra Swallowtail on Butterfly Bush

Love those colors

Check out that long, thin tail

Live in an older neighborhood, I’m sure there’s a stand of pawpaw trees somewhere within butterfly flying distance, just not sure where. I think I’ll ask my neighbor, who has lived in the neighborhood most of his life, next time I see him.

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Garden Musings

The Power of Gardening

September 13, 2018

I always plant “sacrificial” tomatoes in our backyard for deer. This year, I decided to plant them in the rental house backyard (which is next door to ours). Deer and other critters have nibbled on the plants off and on, but the plants have grown and grown and grown. In fact, they’re taller than the lovely barbed wire fence that separates the yard from the park.

Super-Tall-Tomato-Plants-Horseradish-and-Honey

Tomato plants are taller than the fence!

A month or so ago, I was back there harvesting the tomatoes I could reach. A woman walking by with her dog stopped to ask if I wanted her to hand me the ones I couldn’t reach through the fence. I laughed and told her to take them if she likes tomatoes. “Really?,” she asked. “Yes, please please please help yourself!,” I begged.

We realized we were talking through the really tall tomato plants, so we took a few steps to the side so we could see each other and introduced ourselves. Monica used to live on a farm with her husband and kids. After he died a few years back, she sold the farm and moved into the city to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She told me how much she loves her daily walks in the park and, in particular, how much she admires the flowers, plants, and trees in both our yard and the rental yard. Monica also told me how much she misses eating her own homegrown tomatoes. We both agreed that there’s almost nothing better to eat.

It took a bit of persuading, but she eventually filled her pockets with tomatoes. A few days later, I was out back again at the same time as Monica and her dog. She waved and told me how happy the tomatoes made her and how delicious they were.

I don’t see her every day. But, on the days I do see her, her pockets are full of tomatoes. And she makes sure to tell me how happy she is to have access to them.

Gardening, and specifically vegetable gardening, takes a certain amount of work (understatement of the year!) and passion. I put a lot of both—and a HUGE amount of love—into everything I grow. I love sharing with family and friends. But sharing with a stranger, who is now no longer a stranger…that’s the power of gardening!

Birds, Bees & Butterflies

Butterfly Love

August 16, 2018

I was in the garden ~~minding my business~~ stalking bees and butterflies when I noticed two monarchs flying around. When they both landed on a butterfly bush, I went over to check them out and take some pictures.

After watching them for a bit. I turned around to ask John a question and imagine my surprise when I turned back around and spotted this!

I yelled the monarchs are mating! to John and proceeded to give them zero privacy. But they didn’t seem to mind.

You know I almost died from the excitement of monarchs mating RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, IN MY GARDEN, ON MY BUTTERFLY BUSH. I took a zillion pictures and even a video (which I’m not sharing because there wasn’t any movement and all you can hear is me babbling about monarchs “doing it” because I’m mature like that).

At one point, they briefly switched positions. Or whatever monarchs do when they’re really getting into it, I guess.

Of course, in the middle of all this excitement, a hummingbird moth stopped by. It’s been a great year in the garden for these moths. While I don’t spot them daily, I have seen them a few times a week.

How does this story end? Hopefully there are monarch eggs on the milkweed in the garden. Time will tell!

Birds, Bees & Butterflies

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen

August 8, 2018

Well really, just on Dasher. Specifically this blue dasher dragonfly perched on a garden stake near the koi pond. Very cool and sort of sci-fi.

It’s hard to pause in the garden this time of year. I’m always weeding or harvesting or planning for the fall or wondering what’s wrong with this plant or that plant or chasing butterflies like a madwoman.

But, when I do pause, I’m always astounded by what I see – like this very cool and sort of sci-fi dragonfly. We spent a few minutes checking each other out. I might have been more intrigued but you never know!