New arrivals at the end of May

Last year, a friend of mine gave me some iris plants as well as lovely rhubard, hostas, and lilies. After letting them simply grow and establish without blooms last year...the blossoms of my iris plants are beginning to arrive.

The birds and the bees

When I was introduced to sex education in 5th grade public school, I now realize how I really didn't pay much attention to the "birds and the bees" but must have been more interested in human reproduction at the time. I think science class enlightened us to the idea that flowers need to be pollinated to reproduce, and that butterflies and other insects often carry pollen and seeds on their legs to other plants so that they can mix and multiply.

I also found as I moved into this home (and yard) that I didn't know much about plants and really didn't know much about insects and critters that inhabit the outdoors in the Minneapolis suburbs.

We are the proud hosts of a colony of bumble bees under our backyard shed. I understand from some websites that they are most likely bumble bees not honey bees. They are not wasps...as we rid the back of our garage of a wasp nest not too long ago. Those things are scary with the kids playing in the back yard. The ones we see coming and going from the shed are bumbly thick furry creatures who move from one flower to another and carry with them an insatiable thirst for nectar. Aparently the Queen Bee is the only one that overwinters in the nest, and the others all die off. She lays eggs in the springtime, and they become the worker bees who go off to find food for the colony. Amazing culture if you really think about it. How can this process of only one queen continue a breed of insects for such a long period of time?
Well...that's may be just one reason the honey bees are endangered and crops all over the world are suffering. I need to do more research about the differences in honey bees and bumble bees. When I find out more, I'll let you know.

A few more sites to visit

I've added a few more websites to my links. Way funny - Garden Humor, and Garden Web both came from Wiseacre Gardens, which I found doing a Google search for photos of some of my perennials. I love it when that kind of thing happens.
I don't know much about plants - other than they need sun, soil, water, and tlc. But, many other bloggers and websites do know about gardening, and so I go hunting for more info on plants and garden learning that quenches my thirst for knowledge about all things alive, growing, and full of wonder and beauty.

I'll keep looking for more...and will try to write more when I have some new nuggets to share.
Photos of our tilling adventure didn't turn out so great, but I'll try to post within the week. It was a strange weather weekend, but at least my veggies have a nice bed to lie down in.

Ground cover

May in Minnesota leaves much to the imagination. One day it's 70degrees and sunny - the weeds are in full bloom and the bugs are beginning to emerge. The next week, we are faced with a forecast that shows temps below freezing and much precipitation. This means snow - which by itself wouldn't be much to worry about as it easily melts by mid-day at this angle to the sun's rays...and actually provides much needed moisture to the ground. However, it's the frost in the forecast for Saturday night that has me wanting to protect my perennials that are already in bloom.

The groundcovers - Bugleweed, Coral bells, lamium, etc are loaded with gorgeous blossoms that have painted my front yard such a lovely shade of happy. Roses, daylillies and sedum are just waiting to open in another month or two, and I have a huge desire to see color as I pull into the driveway upon returning home at the end of the day.

And so...I am putting together a pile of sheets, tarp and towels that I can stake down on top of my beauties so the frost won't bite the delicate petals and leaves. (sigh) Gotta love MN weather!

Cheese please

We have rodents in the garage and in the shed. Or, should I say, we've seen remnants of where they've been. I've even purchased small poisonous paste packs that I have scattered in the corners of the garage and shed and they have eaten through them. Then...a few nights ago, a noise was heard from the rooftop...and we had no idea what it was.

When we had some additional insulation installed last fall they found a dead bird in the attic. We wondered if it could be another bird...but how did it get in there in the first place?

Well...the nice guy at North Country Wildlife Control came out to look in the attic and check out the roof yesterday afternoon. No bats, no squirrels, and certainly no birds. Thank goodness! He said maybe it's just paranormal activity...and I said, "Don't you think we would have noticed that sooner than now?" I mean, we're not experiencing anything like Ghostbusters type stuff going on. Just the normal lively kids in the house. That would be enough to scare any ghost away. I digress.

Basically he said they're coming in through a space where the garage door meets the ground, and that they get into the cinderblock foundation and climb up through the walls to the attic. Nice visual. NOT!
It doesn't sound like a bunch of them, so we're having another guy come out this weekend to bait and help us rid the house of this nuisance.

We live on former farmland. There's highway construction just 5 miles north of us, and as MN DOT builds a spiffy new freeway - the homes of the critters in that area are being destroyed, and the mice, raccoons, and other wildlife are looking to take up residence in someplace nearby. I don't blame them. It's crazy what we're doing to them. But, I don't want them in my house. Outside - I don't mind so much. That's where they belong - outside. Maybe they'll become roommates with the rabbit who has taken up residence under our deck...or the bumble bees under the shed. I'm fine with that. Just don't eat my grass seed or leave the toilet seat up.