Blister Beetles (My Bane)

A few words about blister beetles. Most equine owners know to check hay for the beetles, as they can cause serious health hazards. Their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin (orange or yellow fluid). About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous, and some are brightly colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.

Blister beetles are my nemesis. As an organic gardener, I've learned to carefully stomp them. But today we were invaded by thousands as they attempted to reproduce. I had to spray with roach killer and emptied the large can with many still crawling or flying toward the 

garden. And they eat anything! A horde of these beetles can completely defoliate a mature tree in one day!

 

Their only enduring trait is that they lay their eggs in areas surrounding grasshopper eggs. The immature stage (larvae) feed on these grasshopper eggs.

 

 

 WARNING. If you unknowingly brush against one of these beetles (as I did in 2008), the results can be terrible. I was just cleaning out an old hen house that I wanted to make into a tool shed. The next day, my ankle itched, and I noticed swelling. The doc and I decided not to puncture or lance the growing blister due to possible infection. Instead, I covered and let it go down on its own. Four months later, it shed its skin. I continued to cover and treated for protection and cleanliness. Thus, I dislike the crusty creatures.

Winter Nights and Summer Days

The temperature is still freezing some nights, with daytime highs in the 70's. Lost some tomato tops and flowers to frost night before last. Yes, squash and canteloupe seedlings made it fine. It's as if a deadly ribbon of cold sneaked through the garden, selecting its victims in the night.

Dogs in my Life

Sometimes I think my life is measured by the dogs I've loved.  From a child to an old lady, I fondly remember them all. Puppies growing into old dogs,  and then leaving me behind.

I never owned a cat. Never had the desire. But I've always had at least one dog.  The most at one time was 14 ( If you count the 12 puppies born on Thanksgiving by c-section to a stray we took in). Her name was Chance and that's what we gave her. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In chronological order:

1. "Cricket" black Cocker spaniel
2. "Taffy" blonde Cocker spaniel
3. "Boots" terrier mix
4. "Vickie" Basset hound
5. Unnamed Basset hound
6. "Heather" Collie
7. "Ingot" Weimaraner
8. "Carrie" German shorthair
9. "Cassie" Retriever mix
10. "Chance" Golden retriever + 12 beautiful, healthy puppies
11. "Tonka" Border collie mix
12. "Lacey" Border collie mix
13. "Angie" Springer spaniel
14. "Bella" Australian shepherd
15. "Maya" Australian shepherd mix
16. "Tilly" (Matilda) Australian shepherd (mini?)
    

 

To be continued...

 

Chickens in the Compost Pile

This is one of the best ways I know to help aerate our compost pile. My black copper French Marans pullets and an old brown leghorn are searching for grubs. Yum.

MY GARDEN SHOES

My muddy, old barn shoes are not allowed inside, therefore, they reside next to the back door. Most of the time they are protected from the rain. (You know, that wet stuff that comes down from the heavens when Mother Nature decides to bless Arizona). Possibly She's forgotten us on her 2020 list, or maybe Santa told her about the pansies I forgot to water last summer. Whatever the reason, the shoes are not caked with mud, just chicken poop and mule manure.

I learned at a young age that shoes left at the back door are suspect for safe wearing the next day. Tiny snakes love to hide in the dark toe spaces, as well as lizards and insects. Beatles and other spiny insects are especially bad as they can become entangled in your socks. You just can't shake the creatures off - you first have to pry them away from the threads. Yuck. So, I'm especially careful during warn weather, and thump out the creatures before I put them on. Winter, not so much. Too cold for reptiles.

This morning I bopped the shoe heels and emptied my tenies. Nothing. I did manage to awaken a couple of lost rocks. Then I slid my left foot home and felt the crunch of something large, quickly tossing the shoe across the porch. 

I looked into the shoe and saw a faint outline of something familiar. A lost (and crunched) maple leaf. 

 

Kofa Wildlife Refuge

Highway 95 looking toward Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Tough place to live, but the mountains were colorful and spectacular.

 

 

Warbler

 Watched this lovely warbler grab and eat a tiny worm.I believe its a female yellow-rumped warbler, posing in the redbud tree. How can there be worms when the morning temperatures are 10-12 degrees?