Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, October 16

Groovy Girl recently visited the gardens at Winterthur:

Just wow imho. So romantic. As I recall this is part of the Enchanted Woods section of the estate's 77 acres.

This small "cottage" is magical. In the Enchanted Woods. If others want to visit the website has a garden map that can be downloaded.

A nice thing for a place like Winterthur Gardens. Would it work in your yard?

Here is one of several pics from our late September visit to Winterthur. These lovely crocuses (crocii?) are fall bloomers. Lovely to define this meadow view and I bet they self-sow.

They are poisonous. But rodents don't eat them, like most of the true crocuses that bloom in spring.

This group of beauty berry bushes (calicarpa) are outstanding. We have several of these on the river bank that we had to stabilize after tornado damage in late 2018. These bushes come in white or purple berry versions and I have seen them grow wild too here in VA. We love them as they provide fall color and are fairly low maintenance.

More photos later.

Spiders for October

A common yellow garden spider living in my mexican hat rudebeckia most of the summer. I tried to not disturb it while watering and deadheading. And a smiley jumping spider.
S.Lynn
Wilder, ID.
P.S. I do keep in touch with Pat of Treasure Valley. She has lots going on. Fun to hear from her. Thanks.

Awwww . . . .

From Dr. Varno, a Spider of Concern:

The Joro spider is from Asia-- new to the US and Northeast Georgia in particular.
Probably came off a truck somewhere off I-85.
In Japanese mythology, the spider is described as a "whore spider" and "entangling or binding bride." This is because it is known to transform into a seductive woman to allure men first and subsequently devour them.
They build giant 3-D golden webs that are about 3-4 feet wide, with the supporting strands reaching out another 7-12 feet.
(I didn't even see the tiny male at the top when I took the photo.)

A few weeks ago, we had a series of spider love story comments, in which male spiders did not seem to enjoy a long love life.

Is This Puttering or Preparedness?

Thought about Building a Safe Room?

It could save your life.

Edible Gardening

This has been a great year for potatoes in our Ontario garden. Enclosed is a photo of a Purple Viking potato I pulled up this morning. It measures 6" x 4.5", and weighs 28 ozs!
Dr. Mabusette - Ottawa, Ontario

Impressive! Are you harvesting or eating anything from your garden?

Gardens of The Horde

For those who didn't check back on the comment thread later in the weekend, the famous Pat* had an interesting Quirk of the Week along with her detailed gardening report:

Husband mowed Sun. 3rd - found a girl's shoe out back. Belonged to neighbors. Maybe a magpie's fault?

Here is a story about magpies in Idaho that seems a little extreme to us today:

I've been having a great time compiling the history of the Avimor area through personal interviews and reading lots of books. Recently I was able to spend the afternoon at the Boise Library researching local periodicals. I spent four hours on one 1927 microfilm of "The Idaho Daily Statesman" gleaning articles related to the murder mystery of bachelor Frank Starr. . . You can imagine that stories related to birds also stole my attention.
One particular brief entry got me to wondering. . . It was about prizes awarded for a Magpie-killing event in Glenn's Ferry, Idaho. One line mentioned the "predatory" nature of magpies to justify the slaughter. The winner had killed more than 3400 and had the heads and eggs to prove it. The runners-up had killed well more than 2000 each. I was surprised by how many birds were taken.

I have always known Magpies to be scavenger birds feeding on carrion. Curious about the "predatory" comment in the article, I looked up info on Magpies and I read that they will occasionally eat eggs and nestlings from other bird's nests, but that is only a tiny portion of their diet. I also just read the magpies will eat the ticks off of livestock and will even cache dead and alive ticks for food storage.

Bet you didn't know that. I didn't. Several questions remain. One about European starlings.

This blog has some great photos and facts about the Black-billed Magpie. A Mischief of Magpies.

Here's one now.

Do you have a story about Magpie Mischief?

From badgerwx:

Before we get to the fall-blooming plants, here's another end of summer rose. Sunny Knockout isn't the most impressive-looking flower (it's a
single like the original Knockout) but it's the only Knockout rose with any fragrance. I planted mine next to the screen porch.

Says "happy" to me.

If you want a fall bloomer that isn't an aster or mum, Montauk (Nippon) Daisy is a kind of shrubby-looking full-sun perennial. The yellow coneflower peeking out behind it is a newly-planted Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' - it's supposed to get different shades of yellow & orange blooms on a single plant. This is why I have to stay away from garden centers. I went to buy some garlic to plant & walked out with the garlic, a swamp milkweed & this coneflower too.

Garden centers are dangerous.

I was able to get a close-up of one of my pink anemones that sprouted close to my fence. And there are also dwarf windflowers like this 'Pretty Lady Maria', if you don't have a big space for a big aggressive plant.

This beautiful flower just came up by itself? I like the dwarf ones, too.

Finally here is a fall aster - a blue wood aster. It can handle part-sun as well as full sun. It's a tall plant but I think mine is leggy & droopy because it only gets a few hours of morning sun.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at that g mail dot com place

Include the nic by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ,
unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:20 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good afternoon Greenthumbs

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:23 PM (2JoB8)

2 Crows are at it again in my yard. Defiling my nuts, cracking them on my roof.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:23 PM (ynpvh)

3 Damn, skimmed the content, missed 1st by that much...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:24 PM (ynpvh)

4 Getting ready to go out and clear out all the dead stuff in the garden. It's still a wee bit cold.

Posted by: Jewells45 at October 16, 2021 12:25 PM (nxdel)

5 My Cactus now has 4 or 5 fruit, and continues to flower. Never seen it do that before. First fruit is now big enough to fill my hand and is purple, starting to turn magenta.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:26 PM (ynpvh)

6 5 My Cactus now has 4 or 5 fruit, and continues to flower. Never seen it do that before. First fruit is now big enough to fill my hand and is purple, starting to turn magenta.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:26 PM (ynpvh)

Although the bees that have been polinating are are...aggressive. I got within a few feet, and immediately left the flowers and started buzzing me. Must have some African in them.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:28 PM (ynpvh)

7 Love to hear it, Jim! Still have your flower photos.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:28 PM (0ghg2)

8 Just finished a outlet burritos that had my Anaheim peppers in the mix, have to go see if any more ripe ones are in the mini greenhouse. Haven't had any frost yet and in 80s last two days but it's coming.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:29 PM (2JoB8)

9 Thanks for the thread KT.
I read the whole thread and then noted no one had posted.
DOH! I coulda been a contenda...

The Phoenix Botanical Garden had the 1st day of their plant sale yesterday.
Cacti (chosen for bloom color), red fairy duster, and penstemon parryi purchased ( Firecracker Penstemon seeds waiting for fall planting).

Now for the digging and watering.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at October 16, 2021 12:30 PM (+lMsj)

10 How did my tablet get outlet out of a possibility misspelled couple ?

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:30 PM (2JoB8)

11 7 Love to hear it, Jim! Still have your flower photos.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:28 PM (0ghg2)

I'll send you some pics of the first fruit when I've picked it and opened it up.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:33 PM (ynpvh)

12 Is "Africanized Bees" racist? Asking for a friend...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:34 PM (ynpvh)

13 Looks like a great place for witchcraft and human sacrifice.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at October 16, 2021 12:36 PM (BdbhX)

14 I want to go there, but that's a long way from Michigan. Should probably make it a vacation.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 16, 2021 12:37 PM (/+bwe)

15 We're slowing pulling plants in the garden. Today, it's the tomatillos. Done. Still getting tomatoes coming on... long after we have anything to do with them. Giving away gallons at a time. Hoping for those last ones picked green to last til Thanksgiving.
Still getting okra, but never did have the amount at one time we're used to. Weird summer.
Running the dehydrator constantly. Mostly peppers. Chipotle being made now. The paprika peppers are superb!
Nice crop of butternut squash drying on the porch. Won't harvest sweet tates til a frost, probably.
Cukes were weird also this year. Those plants looked like hell the last 2 months, and never stopped producing.
Bees are ready for winter, except one hive is a little light... still feeding them.

Posted by: Mk at October 16, 2021 12:39 PM (Foq6I)

16 Where'd my "Y" go?

Posted by: MkY at October 16, 2021 12:41 PM (Foq6I)

17 16 Where'd my "Y" go?

Posted by: MkY at October 16, 2021 12:41 PM (Foq6I)

WHY do you ask?

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:41 PM (ynpvh)

18 I read a article ( here?, but don't think so) Murder Hornets are not bad at all, they are big but not aggressive.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:43 PM (2JoB8)

19 speaking of harvest, we're picking out our deer now, too.

Posted by: MkY at October 16, 2021 12:43 PM (Foq6I)

20 I read a article ( here?, but don't think so) Murder Hornets are not bad at all, they are big but not aggressive.
Posted by: Skip
Skip, they seem to be hell on honey bees. Can wipe out a hive in a few days.

Posted by: MkY at October 16, 2021 12:44 PM (Foq6I)

21 hiya

Posted by: JT at October 16, 2021 12:44 PM (arJlL)

22 18 I read a article ( here?, but don't think so) Murder Hornets are not bad at all, they are big but not aggressive.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:43 PM (2JoB

If you owned bees, you might think differently. They're murder on them.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:44 PM (ynpvh)

23 Insomniac - Outlaw at October 16, 2021 12:36 PM

Wintherthur Gardens is named after a city in Switzerland near Zurich. Don't think it has been known for withcraft or human sacrifice for a long time.

But you know, those hill people . . .

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:45 PM (0ghg2)

24 Hiya, JT

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:47 PM (0ghg2)

25 I think that little spot of bright blue at the very end of the post is a true geranium. Am I right?

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:48 PM (0ghg2)

26 there are YouTube videos of guys killing Magpies from far off ... they can even damage livestock apparently. I don't think we have them here. Range map shows mostly the NorthWest US and up into Canada, but not along the coasts.

My persimmon tree has ripe persimmons falling, but they are not that tasty imo. Nice to have for Armageddon days though ... heh. Seem to be a lot of black walnuts this year as well. So much work to hull them and crack and pick the nuts ... but they do taste better than store bought.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 16, 2021 12:48 PM (Cus5s)

27 Wintherhtur is the largest private residence in the US, boasting 175 rooms.

Posted by: kallisto at October 16, 2021 12:49 PM (DJFLF)

28 Oh, I do hope Honey Bees are not harmed but have said rarely and not this year seen any fat Honey Bees.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:49 PM (2JoB8)

29 Hiya KT !

Posted by: JT at October 16, 2021 12:51 PM (arJlL)

30 26 there are YouTube videos of guys killing Magpies from far off ... they can even damage livestock apparently. I don't think we have them here. Range map shows mostly the NorthWest US and up into Canada, but not along the coasts.

My persimmon tree has ripe persimmons falling, but they are not that tasty imo. Nice to have for Armageddon days though ... heh. Seem to be a lot of black walnuts this year as well. So much work to hull them and crack and pick the nuts ... but they do taste better than store bought.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 16, 2021 12:48 PM (Cus5s)

I hear persimmons are great at...helping digestion, like prunes are.
As to nuts, Yes, my pecans taste better than store bought, having a slight sweetness to them. The damned crows eat them before they're even ready for human consumption. Bastards!
And I'm severely limited with legal ways to take them out. I can kill them in San Diego county (they aren't protected here like other counties in Kali), but I can't even use an airsoft to dissuade them (firing airsoft rifles within San Diego City limits is against city regulations).

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:51 PM (ynpvh)

31 I like the fall asters, too.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:53 PM (0ghg2)

32 Do you have a story about Magpie Mischief?

Heckle and Jekyll

Posted by: JT at October 16, 2021 12:55 PM (arJlL)

33 Haven't been to Winterthur in some time. One year we did the DuPont Christmas tour. Went to Winterthur first then a short hop to his cousin's place Longwood Gardens. It was Christmastime, by the time we got to Longwood, everything was lit up. Beautiful.

Posted by: kallisto at October 16, 2021 12:55 PM (DJFLF)

34 I hate Magpies. They torment the cat and scare away the song birds. Hard to kill, they have eyes in the back of their head.

Posted by: Ronster at October 16, 2021 12:55 PM (OKqKK)

35 Skip at October 16, 2021 12:43 PM

The only information we had here on murder hornets not being aggressive involved dead (frozen) murder hornets.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:56 PM (0ghg2)

36 What do magpies do to livestock? Besides eating ticks off them?

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:57 PM (0ghg2)

37 34 I hate Magpies. They torment the cat and scare away the song birds. Hard to kill, they have eyes in the back of their head.

Posted by: Ronster at October 16, 2021 12:55 PM (OKqKK)

Had a bunch of black birds bothering our dogs when I was a kid. Took my bb-gun (with scope) and shot one. The rest starting making a rucus trying to intimidate me, so I shot a second. They rest left after that.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:57 PM (ynpvh)

38 36 What do magpies do to livestock? Besides eating ticks off them?

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 12:57 PM (0ghg2)

Maybe the pick at the fur and create open wounds, like Keas do in New Zealand.
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/kea-the-feisty-parrot/

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 12:58 PM (ynpvh)

39 Having learned more history I find myself amused that longer time 'invasive' species to North America like honeybees and horses will get the tree huggers screaming about herbicides (yes idiots will proclaim that herbicides kill bees) and BLM policies to round up the wild horses to preserve grasslands and OH the shrieking if BLM proposes to spay feral mares.

Posted by: PaleRider, wrecker vaccine resister at October 16, 2021 12:59 PM (pxVvf)

40 The XO grabbed the last time tomatoes off the tomato bush. The Bush still has small green tomatoes and a ton of flowers, but the frost warnings are coming. My butterfly bushes seem to have finally run out of flowers after blooming non-stop since the beginning of July. All the neighborhood trees are starting to drop their leaves. And my feet are freezing.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin, clinging bitterly to a deplorable life at October 16, 2021 12:59 PM (BvRyV)

41 I think wild horses are like deer. There are plenty of them.

Posted by: Ronster at October 16, 2021 01:01 PM (OKqKK)

42 Sorry that was barely garden related. I have to see if the taters that came back from a few stray roots after I pulled the dead plantss in the one tank in mid August made any baby taters. It's the time of year here of burning garden remnants, weeds and dead branches.

Posted by: PaleRider, wrecker vaccine resister at October 16, 2021 01:02 PM (pxVvf)

43 I've got a bunch of red bells I need to roast/peel/seed/freeze. I'm also drying a giant tray full of Thai firecracker peppers, and it's barely half the plant. Most of the peppers were half dried - they seem to do that quickly when they turn red. So, figure they'll work regardless. Probably try to harvest the rest tomorrow - it's going to be in the high 80's here today, and the temperature is due to drop dramatically tomorrow. Looks like the fall switch is about to be flicked.

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 01:02 PM (wAnMi)

44 39 Having learned more history I find myself amused that longer time 'invasive' species to North America like honeybees and horses will get the tree huggers screaming about herbicides (yes idiots will proclaim that herbicides kill bees) and BLM policies to round up the wild horses to preserve grasslands and OH the shrieking if BLM proposes to spay feral mares.

Posted by: PaleRider, wrecker vaccine resister at October 16, 2021 12:59 PM (pxVvf)

Don't forget the earthworms.
https://tinyurl.com/2u3yaanp

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:03 PM (ynpvh)

45 Here is a talking magpie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwFQpotg90

My maternal grandmother had a magpie in the trees by the road mimic her when she called the family to the house from the farm.

It made her furious. She thought it was a child making fun of her.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 01:03 PM (0ghg2)

46 did that circle once have a wooden roof?

Very eldritch.

Posted by: jakee308 at October 16, 2021 01:07 PM (H5Y9p)

47 My cousin in OK and I were talking about this, as he kept getting tornado alerts on his phone last weekend. It helpfully told him to go to the basement. He's on the top floor of a three floor apartment complex. There's no place for him to go.

Our grandparents had an underground storm cellar in OKC. It was my favorite place to be in the summer, nice and cool. If I lived in tornado country, I would want one.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at October 16, 2021 01:08 PM (YynYJ)

48 RE the anemone by my fence: l moved a sky pencil holly there last fall & 2 anemonies sprouted next to it this spring. I must have gotten some of their roots in the holly root ball. I think they spread by underground runners & not by seeding themselves. I hope the little white one will also form a clump of plants.

badgerwx

Posted by: Badgerwx at October 16, 2021 01:12 PM (cL7E+)

49 idk about magpies except internet stories. ... some say they pick at ticks or bugs on cattle, which sounds good, but they may keep pecking and harm the cow. Or the sheep, freshly shorn, might have some nicks, and the magpie will peck at them. Stories of them eating the whole cow, or killing it, might be exaggerations, idk.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 16, 2021 01:14 PM (Cus5s)

50 Wut?

Posted by: John at October 16, 2021 01:17 PM (3SBUJ)

51 What kind of pepper pant has bunches of bright red little conical peppers that grow pointing up?

...I do have a picture and maybe someday I will remember to send it to KT, but that wasn't today.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at October 16, 2021 01:17 PM (ACi07)

52 pLant

I must be thinking about the book thread!

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at October 16, 2021 01:17 PM (ACi07)

53 I have a puttering project that I should tackle that I keep punting on. We had bought a horse and cowboy plywood silhouette several years ago and had it mounted on driveway wings we have. It was not never repainted or water sealed and had warped. I took it down with intent to repaint, fill in places where parts of the plywood layer(s) are gone, reinforce and remount it.

It is not any fine scale work, so my complete lack of artistic ability should not ruin it but I still keep punting on the project.

Posted by: PaleRider, wrecker vaccine resister at October 16, 2021 01:17 PM (pxVvf)

54 If there's a positive to living in Mexifornia, it's that we only really get the occasional catastrophic earthquake. If I moved someplace that had tornadoes, the budget would certainly include some sort of bunker. I know somebody that got killed in the recent flooding in TN, and a couple of guys that either lost their shops or a lot of their home in PA. I don't know what anybody can do about flooding, that's terrible. Then with hurricanes you've got the worst of both worlds. Yep, earthquakes just have a bad rap.

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 01:18 PM (wAnMi)

55 Thanks KT
Great thread today.
I use a steel basket suet hanger in my yard as it's fun to watch birds feed.
Exdept for the red tail hawk that tried to fly off with my car this week.
I have had to use a wire tie on the suet cage becaus ethe magpies have figured out how to open it and drop to the ground for ease of gobbling it all up.

Posted by: Winston, GOPe, not one dime, not one vote at October 16, 2021 01:21 PM (0CPkz)

56 Time to go feed the horses. Thanks green thumbs and photographers for the pretty pics again this week.

Posted by: PaleRider, wrecker vaccine resister at October 16, 2021 01:21 PM (pxVvf)

57 IMO if I was say visiting a 3 or more story apartment or a office building and a tornado alert was happening the safest place with not much notice is the stairway in center of building. Stairways in a office or apartment are supposed to be fire rated.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 01:25 PM (2JoB8)

58 Thank you for the thread.

Those Joro spiders, from Asia. I did a lot of hiking in Thailand. Hiking up mountains, head down, watching where your feet are going. I tell you what, walking into one of those Joro spider webs, spread across the hiking trail. Before you know what is happening, you have a huge web in the face, which is bad enough, then you look up and there is a 10 inch spider, looking very scary. Very exciting.

Posted by: MikeM at October 16, 2021 01:26 PM (5Y7fX)

59 What kind of pepper pant has bunches of bright red little conical peppers that grow pointing up?

...I do have a picture and maybe someday I will remember to send it to KT, but that wasn't today.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at October 16, 2021 01:17 PM (ACi07)

There's actually a few that do that. A popular one is called a decorative Thai, and it has plump little peppers on a nice round little plant. https://tinyurl.com/y2nc96wp

The firecracker pepper is long and skinny, grows upright and is wonderfully hot and fruity. My plant is 2 years old now, and this year it was about 36" around (I trimmed some branches for harvest). Probably 1k peppers easy. There are some that go yellow/white like a banana pepper, mine went from green to red.
https://tinyurl.com/y4racxm9

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 01:27 PM (wAnMi)

60 KT is right about the geranium in the aster picture. It's a (cranesbill) hardy geranium 'Rozanne'. The main plant is in the bottom right of the picture & likes to grow long flower stalks that flop over into my lawn. I have to lift them when I mow so I don't cut them off.

baderwx

Posted by: Badgerwx at October 16, 2021 01:29 PM (cL7E+)

61 Sorry to hear about Groovy Girl's tornado damage.

Interesting that it led her to plant beautyberries like those at Wintherthur.

Posted by: KT at October 16, 2021 01:34 PM (0ghg2)

62 There is video of crows killing a lamb as it is being born ... they peck the eyes out, even peck into the mother where the lamb is still inside. ... one shooter says the magpies also go after young lambs. ... "nature" seems cruel, much of the time.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 16, 2021 01:34 PM (Cus5s)

63 54 If there's a positive to living in Mexifornia, it's that we only really get the occasional catastrophic earthquake. If I moved someplace that had tornadoes, the budget would certainly include some sort of bunker. I know somebody that got killed in the recent flooding in TN, and a couple of guys that either lost their shops or a lot of their home in PA. I don't know what anybody can do about flooding, that's terrible. Then with hurricanes you've got the worst of both worlds. Yep, earthquakes just have a bad rap.

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 01:18 PM (wAnMi)

You forgot the wildfires.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:36 PM (ynpvh)

64 57 IMO if I was say visiting a 3 or more story apartment or a office building and a tornado alert was happening the safest place with not much notice is the stairway in center of building. Stairways in a office or apartment are supposed to be fire rated.

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 01:25 PM (2JoB

I know that at Lambert Field, it's the bathrooms.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:38 PM (ynpvh)

65 >59 What kind of pepper pant has bunches of bright red little conical peppers that grow pointing up?

The facing-heaven pepper could be one.

https://tinyurl.com/3vbav29h

Posted by: Dr. Varno at October 16, 2021 01:39 PM (vuisn)

66 62 There is video of crows killing a lamb as it is being born ... they peck the eyes out, even peck into the mother where the lamb is still inside. ... one shooter says the magpies also go after young lambs. ... "nature" seems cruel, much of the time.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 16, 2021 01:34 PM (Cus5s)

It's opportunism. Hell, lots of critters eat eggs too.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:40 PM (ynpvh)

67 They always say the bathroom is the safest place to be, if there's no better shelter.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at October 16, 2021 01:42 PM (YynYJ)

68 67 They always say the bathroom is the safest place to be, if there's no better shelter.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at October 16, 2021 01:42 PM (YynYJ)

Bathrooms are often near the center of the house, and bathtubs can be heavy and protective. I believe to cover youself with a bed mattress whilst in the tub. Then again I don't live in the midwest, so don't take my word for it.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:44 PM (ynpvh)

69 Has anyone checked on AlexTheChick and made sure she's not visiting the HQ today? Or else made sure she has a few gallons of rum to deal with the 8 legged pictures?

Posted by: Rafal Gan Ganowicz at October 16, 2021 01:46 PM (DN0pc)

70 69 Has anyone checked on AlexTheChick and made sure she's not visiting the HQ today? Or else made sure she has a few gallons of rum to deal with the 8 legged pictures?

Posted by: Rafal Gan Ganowicz at October 16, 2021 01:46 PM (DN0pc)

She might be better off pouring gasoline on them instead of rum. Then again, maybe not less expensive.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:48 PM (ynpvh)

71 read a article ( here?, but don't think so) Murder Hornets are not bad at all, they are big but not aggressive.
Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 12:43 PM

My bff's dad killed one that was among local wasps in TN. They were getting into the hummingbird feeders and distressing the birds. He said tgey were no worse than other wasps.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 16, 2021 01:49 PM (/+bwe)

72 RE tornadoes & shelters. In an apartment building you want to be in an interior stairwell, especially if it's built out of concrete or concrete block. But for the strongest tornadoes you want to be underground. They estimate the tornado category & windspeed based on the damage it does. If the only thing left of a home on a concrete slab is the slab, it was an EF5 tornado - the top category with > 200 mph winds. Ted Fujita invented the tornado categories (the Fujita scale) after the notorious tornado outbreak of 1974 - which killed people in the midwest during the day & in the south overnight. That was before doppler radar & many people had very little advance warning.

badgerwx

Posted by: Badgerwx at October 16, 2021 01:49 PM (cL7E+)

73 I've always enjoyed jumping spiders. Active hunters, caught and played with a ton of them when I was a kid. Can be very colorful. Do create silk lines.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:50 PM (ynpvh)

74 I've always enjoyed jumping spiders. Active hunters, caught and played with a ton of them when I was a kid. Can be very colorful. Do create silk lines.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:50 PM (ynpvh)

I've got quite a few in my yard, they seem to enjoy the begonias and zinnias especially. One is the size of a small cat, black and white and twice as fuzzy. Sets off the motion cameras. Leaves beer bottles and KFC chicken bones everywhere. Not a big spider fan, but anything is better than black widows.

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 01:54 PM (wAnMi)

75 Thanks for the pepper pics! They do seem do be Thai peppers. I suspected the little guys might be very hot; might try drying some anyway.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at October 16, 2021 01:57 PM (ACi07)

76 You forgot the wildfires.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 01:36 PM (ynpvh)

True, but that's a big reason I moved out of the hills. Lived with an open space district bordering 3 sides of the property. And very active with runners/hikers all year. Was always convinced some idiot was going to toss a cigarette (or a roach) into the grass. The only way out was a narrow driveway about 1/2 mile. The FD basically said we were shit out of luck if a fire happened.

Sadly, a lot of CA's problems stem from idiotic forest management, not nature. Had a friend who had a family member that got jail time for clearing the underbrush on his property in South Tahoe. And that was probably 15 years ago. It gets crazier by the day.

Posted by: clutch cargo - processed in a facility that may contain lead at October 16, 2021 02:02 PM (wAnMi)

77 Storm coming here in se Pa

Posted by: Skip at October 16, 2021 02:18 PM (2JoB8)

78 Winterthur, one of the few nice things in Delaware.

Posted by: ptleahy at October 16, 2021 02:40 PM (WqhK3)

79 Had pet Magpies on the farm when we were kids.
When weeding the garden they would sit on your shoulder and wait for cutworms or beetles to eat
And once they were full they would stash them, usually by trying to stuff them into my shoes or between my hat and my head
Very entertaining birds.

Posted by: Mongo at October 16, 2021 02:52 PM (PxT1v)

80 For anyone who is interested or in the area, the San Diego botanic garden predicts that the corpse flower will be blooming within the next 10 to 14 days. Last time it bloomed was in 2018. I've never seen it and I plan on going this time to see and smell this thing

Posted by: keena at October 16, 2021 02:55 PM (RiTnx)

81
Here is one of several pics from our late September visit to Winterthur. These lovely crocuses (crocii?) are fall bloomers. Lovely to define this meadow view and I bet they self-sow.

Those are not Crocuses. They are Colchicum. The foliage comes out in the spring, while the flowers bloom in fall.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at October 16, 2021 04:08 PM (97I0d)

82 80 For anyone who is interested or in the area, the San Diego botanic garden predicts that the corpse flower will be blooming within the next 10 to 14 days. Last time it bloomed was in 2018. I've never seen it and I plan on going this time to see and smell this thing

Posted by: keena at October 16, 2021 02:55 PM (RiTnx)

Almost in time for Halloween.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 16, 2021 06:12 PM (ynpvh)

83 Clutch cargo-what a crack up.

So many pretty fall flowers. Spring only 5 months away!

Posted by: S.Lynn at October 16, 2021 08:54 PM (995Au)

84 From Boise area: First week with several heavy frosts. We harvested poblano peppers, as many Romas as possible, and some basil and parsley to dry. Baked/squashed tomatoes, canned 10 half-pints of sauce. Neighbor gave us more San Marzanos and we have the Romas ripening on the kitchen table, so at least 2 more batches of sauce to make. Since we got no sauce last year, this is good.

Frosts killed basil, poblano, tomato, and zucchini plants. Burned the fall burn pile this past Sunday, after a few episodes of drizzle.

Earlier today, raked some sycamore leaves - harvested last 2 fingerling potato bags (not much there) - cut any tomato vines hanging outside beds, so husband could mow grass between raised beds, which was very long.

"Donut maple" and crabapple have dropped most leaves, southside maple and 4 sweet gums have turned yellow, "Eric" maple is turning dark red. Only a few colors turned on the oak and "Jupiter" the huge silver maple. Have to check the apples again soon - a couple we know says they want to help with the crush when it's time, so they can see how cider is made (maybe we'll share our hard cider and its recipe, too - we think it's perfect!).

Posted by: Pat* at October 16, 2021 08:55 PM (2pX/F)

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