Grass Cutting Ruminations

I've never really liked cutting grass, although I do admit that using a riding mower takes several strenuous hours off the job. Given my preferences though, I would prefer to doodle around in the flower bed. The only real good reason for cutting grass is to keep snakes at bay.A fellow I used to work with long ago said snakes were scared of lawn mowers. I found it amusing and wondered how many snakes were in his sample. I suspect it is not lawn mower phobia that keeps them out of the yard, but short grass that is not as easy to hide in. Mice like taller grass, too.
Saturday evening about dusk I was cutting a little grass and I thought it was just delightful. The gardenias had perfumed the air and the lightning bugs were out in good numbers. I suppose my cutting may have stirred them up. It is a good time for sitting on the porch and smelling gardenias and thinking about all that is right with the world.

What kind of Bird Nest Is This?

 

Several days ago while I was pruning my Sasanqua bush, I accidentally cut off a large limb that was holding a nest. I felt bad about it and propped the limb and nest back in the bush.But... the bird never returned. I have had the same experience once before. I guess there is just too much disturbance to allow the incubation to continue. Once when we were having the house painted, the painter found a nest on one of the porch columns. He carefully removed it to a nearby rock till he finished and then returned the nest to the column. The mother bird returned to the nest and hatched her brood.
I have no idea what kind of bird laid these eggs. I thought it might be a cardinal but was unable to find any pictures of them. If you have an idea what they are, please let me know,

Evening Primrose

 

These two Oenethera are different in some of their habits, but the flowers have the same characteristics. That's how you know they are evening primroses. I grew the yellow ones 2 years ago. They are apparently biennial because they didn't bloom til the second summer. They close in the day and open in the evening. They are real charmers and wonderful to enjoy on an evening garden stroll. I had no flowers from them last summer but this year there looks like there will be a bumper crop.One of the tallest plants this year is already four feet tall.
The pink primroses (Oenethera speciosa) are a familiar sight blooming along the roadside and in waste places. I made the mistake of collecting some seed from a particularly beautiful patch several years ago in Waverly. I cast the seed into my rose bed and have fought them ever since. This year, I said what the heck and let them grow and they were beautiful. They die back after blooming anyway. Now I wonder why I wasted so much effort trying to eradicate something so hardy and beautiful. I even made cut flowers of some and they held up as well as day lilies. Mother always called these pink ones cornbread flowers. She never said why, but I assumed it was because they are so plain and simple. Here in the deep south these primroses are a staple, just like cornbread.

Tradescantia

 

 

This is probably Tradescantia virginiana, known to many as wandering jew.There are many types of wandering jew, and even if you are not a plant aficionado most people are able to recognize a few kinds. The purple variety planted commonly now as a perennial ground cover is called Purple Heart, and there are many kinds that are planted in hanging baskets. Many of these hanging baskets can withstand the winter out of doors in the basket and come back the next year. Who would guess this succulent easily broken plant would be so hardy? So when you put your plants in for the winter, don't allocate precious space to jew because it can take care of itself.
The first picture of the white tradescantia was given to me as a cutting by Mary and Guf. They had a plant of it growing by the patio and I admired it. While they were hunting a shovel, I took several cuttings and was on my way. Tradescantia root so easily, there is never a need to dig them. The white variety may be common but I had never seen it before.
The second picture of the purple one has been in the same place in my yard for quite a few years. I originally noticed it when it was much smaller and started mowing around it, and it has certainly thrived and increased in girth (sort of like me) I am thinking of rooting several and making an entire flower area devoted to these two colors. They certainly would require minimum care and bloom early to late, literally for months. They grow in a variety of environments from shade to sun, and are not fussy about poor soil.
The other interesting thing about Tradescantia is its use as a bioassay.There are not many good bioassays and they have stopped using canaries in coal mines. Some of these plants have blue stamen hairs (not the stamen itself, or the pollen) and when the plant is exposed to ionizing radiation (like gamma rays -x-rays), the cells mutate and turn from blue to pink. I remember hearing this a number of years ago and believe it was discovered by accident in a lab where gamma rays were in use.

What tree frog is this?

I caught this tree frog on my porch last night. I think it may be the largest tree frog I have ever seen. I looked through some pictures but was unable to determine what its name is. Maybe a Barking Tree frog? If you know, please let me know. I put him outside and he leaped away into the dark.

One of God's Little Perfections

 

 

This is a green tree frog (state amphibian of Georgia), also known as Hyla cinerea.They eat mostly insects and worms. Their calls can be heard on rainy evenings during the warmer months. The male is smaller than the female as in many amphibians, and he has a wrinkled throat indicating the pouch used in vocalizations. They are typical inhabitants of ponds and other aquatic areas. Why was this one in my sister's storage room? I saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought it was a leaf. I was so pleased to see who it really was. I released it outside on the clematis vine. I really like green tree frogs. They are so small and perfect, and so...green. The shade of green depends on the temperature and lighting.

Lyre Leaf Sage

 

Lyre leaf sage is a herbaceous perennial and like all members of the mint family, almost impossible to eradicate. So don't try, just enjoy it where you see it and keep it in check with the lawn mower. Don't let it get in your flower beds though, because it reseeds like a house afire. The genus and species is Salvia lyrata, and you can tell immediately that it is a mint because of its square stem. The colors in my yard vary from purple to lavender and even white. Oddly, last year almost all the ones in my yard were white. This year they are lavender. Click on the picture to see a better view of the flowers.