Bring On the Cicadas

My yard looks like it’s ready for Halloween or maybe a ghost tour of Savannah. I heard the cicadas were expected this week, today, to be precise, so I spent Sunday netted my young fruit trees. I guess they are bidding their time, because I haven’t heard a chirp.

I don’t remember them visiting in 1996. I remember hearing them, but I don’t recall seeing any in my yard. I have a lot of birds, so maybe they didn’t stand a chance. More likely it’s because I don’t have a lot of hardwood trees.  The more trees, the more cicadas. Forests should be loaded with them.

But since their last emergence, I’ve planted some fruit trees and they all have branches under ½ in. in diameter. I don’t want to start over with them, so I covered them with a light netting. You need a net with squares that are less than ½ in. wide, to keep the females from getting in and laying their eggs inside the branches.

That’s the damage they do. As overwhelming as they can be in numbers, they don’t really have any interest in people or pets. But the females insert their ovipositor into small branches and if they don’t snap them off, the emerging larva may.

They’ll only be around for a couple of weeks. Then they’ll go back under ground, munch on tree roots and hang out as nymphs for another 17 years.

Updated expected arrival is now the end of May or the first week in June. Learn more about cicadas from the Cornell Chronicle.

What a Difference

Spring 2012

Spring 2013

(sigh)

Garden Show Season

The garden shows are starting in my area and they seem to have brought the sun with them. I was getting worried that we wouldn’t see it again. After being disappointed by Punxsutawney Phil, I figured it was going to be a long, dreary start to spring. Well, spring isn’t here quite yet, but I’ll make due with some sunshine and garden shows.

Frosted and Frozen

I can’t say I’m thrilled to see a coating of frost everywhere, but it sure is pretty.

Happy Veterans Day

Some Forget-Me-Nots, in honor of all our Vets and their Families. Thank you.

Winners from My Garden

The spring-like weather continues and I’m almost tempted to start some seeds. Almost. Instead I’m looking back at some of the pictures I took this summer, making notes of what I’d like to grow again.

Smells Like Spring

The weather has warmed back up and miracle of miracles, the sun is shining. The air has that muddy smell of spring. Very confusing and disappointing. If it were spring, the buds on my fruits trees would be popping open. Still, I’m glad to see them there.

Ready to Enjoy the Harvest

I’m almost sorry to see the temperature warming up this week, because I’m ready to dive into my stored winter squash. My Sweet Dumplings are an acorn squash, which doesn’t store for long, so I’ll have to force myself to eat them soon. There are worse problems.

Who Taste Tests for the Birds?

I often wonder who the original food tasters were. Who thought to bite into a lemon. And when they did, who thought, “Well, it’s kind of tart, but it would be good for brightening up heavy dishes.”? And who looked at coffee beans and said, “Ooh, if we roast these and then soak them in hot water, I bet it would make a nice beverage.”?

It’s All Just a Memory Now

Good by, colorful fall. Hello pre-Spring.