A quick walk through the yard today added urgency to my pre-frost list of to-dos. Last night's temperature dropped low enough to slightly burn the top edges of a cherry tomato plant - the temperature at 6:30 am was 39 degrees – so a good hard freeze is not too far off. So what's done and what's left on my to do list?
September 29, 2009. Looking for a worthy fall project to engage youngsters in outdoor activity? Check out the Lost Ladybug Project. It's another of those citizen scientist programs – like Project Budburst, Firefly Watch, and Frogwatch USA I noted in previous posts. Lost Ladybug asks individuals of all ages to watch for and photograph ladybugs that frequent the area in which they live or work. Then the organizers want everyone to upload photos to the Lost Ladybug website so they can be identified and mapped along with thousands of other ladybug photos.
September 25, 2006. As you scramble to enjoy as many blossoms as possible before frost finishes them off, don't pass by late blooming hydrangea. I find these some of the easiest blossoms to save. Mind you I only have one hydrangea paniculata tree (the peegee type) and one macrophylla 'Bailmer' (an endless summer variety) in bloom right now, but I cut blossoms off of both, with stems as long as makes sense for each blossom. I arrange each in a vase arrangement, fill the vase with water, and walk away. No more water, no more fuss. The blossoms simply dry in the indoor air … and they hold most of their color. This technique works when you wait until after the blossoms begin to turn either from white to pinkish or blue to purple/green. It does not work with freshly opened hydrangea blossoms.
September 23, 2006. In my house you don't need to look at the calendar to know that fall has arrived – signs of the change of season become more evident daily.
When we were little, my sister and I loved catching fireflies in empty, washed out peanut butter jars. Gram poked air holes in the lid of each jar and reminded us to pick some damp grass so the lightning bugs, as we called them, had a place to rest and something to eat and drink. Shortly after dark, much like the children in the video below, we'd wander through the yard chasing lightning bug flashes that seemingly floated in air.
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