You may have noticed that this site is looking sort of strange. I’ve been tinkering with the code and am still a long way from getting it to look the way I envision it. Snatches of time get devoted to this experiment, so please bear with me. I figure as long as the words and pictures come through, you won’t mind putting up with a little “under construction” disorganization. So let’s get on with it.
This little fella is perusing the salad bar. If you look closely, you may be able to see the little buds of antlers on his forehead.
Which means that by next year he will have added this kind of damage to his repertoire. Funny how they have zeroed in on just two of the Italian cypress trees to use for antlering and leave the others alone.
Wouldn’t you think Mom would teach them to steer clear of the castor bean plants? Maybe they’re just going through that rebellious phase.
Here’s his sis on a brighter day. They sometimes visit together, but Buster will make himself scarce once those antlers become obvious. We’ve never caught them in the act of antlering the trees.
I expect the spiders to want to move indoors, but slugs? I’ve been finding about one a day on the doorstep. This one was getting ready to ring the doorbell.
The Brugmansias got moved into my studio. They dropped all but one bud, but that one put on a pretty good show. The tall one from Means is now completely bare, but the one I got at HPSO in spring is still adding leaves.
It’s worth tipping up that dangling blossom to get this view.
Campsis ‘Madame Galen’ produced several huge pods this year. Just one pod yielded all these seeds. Anyone want some?
Here’s my Echeveria ‘Haagal’, looking leggy and anemic. I’ve been told that this is their response to light levels that are too low, but even when it is placed in brightest sun, it stretches out like this. You can see where I have cut back older stems. HERE it is in its former glory. I have this problem with all Echeverias, so as much as I love them I’m about to give up unless I get some terrific advice in response to this plea.
Hi Ricki, I don’t grow Echiverias. I hope someone can help you. I love your visitors including the slug who is about to pour himself a cup of tea. Your Brug flower is so pretty and probably very much appreciated this time of year. Your blog still looks great, despite your WIP.
Grace~I would so much rather have YOU as a visitor.
Oh deer! Hope your visitors don’t do too much damage! Echiverias tend to do that so I just cut off the tops and root them in soil.
Peter~With the dear deer, we have learned to co-exist. Gophers: don’t get me started.
Ricki: Your blog looks great. I know what you mean about tinkering around. I keep thinking maybe I’ll set up a duplicate blog for experiments, but that would be one more blog to maintain. So, I continue to experiment on the live one. I’m surprised, too, that the deer would eat the Castor Bean plant! Slugs in the house?! Interesting. I’ve never tried to grow an Echeveria. Good luck!
Beth~Thanks for understanding. So you’re an html nerd too? I’ll have to remember that when I get stuck.
One year when I was quick to bring the plants in for the season, and didn’t take the time to check them over for stowaways, I noticed a dozen or so slugs that had dried in place slugging their way up the basement wall. Once I got over the disgust I was amazed, how did they all know to make a break for the ground level window?
Loree~Hah! “Slugging their way up the basement wall” cracks me up. I have gotten less squeamish over time, but still need gloves to deal with slugs. And snipping them in two? Just the thought icks me out.
I tinker very little with my own blog. I’m so bad at that kind of thing, I fear it will get in a state that I can’t fix. The Brug flower is so pretty, I always have to photograph them and give them a sniff. So strange that the deer nibbled on your castor bean.
Alison~I took an online class in html & css, but it gets rusty (and outdated) pretty quickly. It’s definitely a challenge to the brain cells.
growlight for the echeveria. please!
Hoov~You have your own natural grow light. Thanks for the tip.
Last spring I pulled all my leggy Echeverias apart and repotted them . They made huge clumps ! I’m sure I’ll be doing the same again ….and again !
Linda~Thanks, Linda. I’ll try that.
You actually write code? I’ve just managed to master the copy/paste function.
Jason~I write it, but making it do my bidding is another story.
Are things so wet that the slugs have to go where it’s drier? I think we’ve had a couple over the last decade, but daily, not even close.
Good luck with the redesign. It can be fun, but can be incredible amounts of work if you’re absolute blog perfection, which I’m sure you do…
James~I think the slugs just see that we’re having so much fun in here that they want to get in on the act.