The squash looks good already.

I have some fire blight in my apple trees. I have been attempting to control it by climbing the ladder and cutting back the bad branches. I have to bleach the saw or pruners after each cut to keep from spreading the problem.

So...this morning I was up there and saw this. Wow! Just hanging out. I have not heard any noises recently, so I don't know if this one is a loner or not.

Same tree.
You can see the new leaves that have grown since I pruned this several weeks ago. I have never, ever seen an apple tree send out blossoms in August. Could it be as a result of our cool weather? It has been a strange year in the garden.

I continued to work in the yard this morning, trying to beat the heat. The humidity was already present. I could tell it was bad, for when I took the camera outside, the lens fogged up immediately.

This is an iris that I dug up, as I saw some evidence of a problem. Unfortunately, I have this on/in several of my iris. The iris borer is ugly and will create havoc in more than one plant. I had moved this particular plant when I discovered iris borers near its original location. Nuts!

Last one from this Tuesday morning.

I saw this butterfly as I was putting away my tools. I thought that being on the sunflower would show off colors nicely. This butterfly has been through a lot. The wings are faded and have several missing pieces! Yet it still was working this flower diligently.

Great pictures - nasty iris borer (go away forever), and probably a really tired butterfly. You just find such neat stuff to photograph.

We had a few cicadas serenading at night, luckily not as much as 5 years ago when I had to protect my just planted Chinese Dogwood with window screening. Your Swallowtail looks like he/she had a hard short life, Your sunflowers are good hosts.

Jim, it is very enjoyable and educational, too, to see your pictures and read your posts. You have a 'sharp' eye for spotting things most people wouldn't notice--me, especially. Please keep on helping me learn new things! Thank you.

Jim, you've captured the Beauty and the Beast all in one thread.
Congrats

I took this photo on 8/4. I don't know if this is the same butterfly, but there is striking difference from then to now!

Good photos. I love it when something turns up or turns out unexpectedly well, the butternut squash looks good.
I don't think we have iris borers out West, I have never experienced them and I have some iris that naturalized on the pace.
Butterflies life is so short, but they bring much joy to the world.

The blossoms are delicious. However, the critters like them as much as we do,. Don't serve the flowers whole, there may be some critter in there.
So before you put them in a salad, inspect the flowers down to the core. Tear the petals apart and rinse and blot them dry.
The only time I'll eat flowers is when I grow them and prepare them myself.

Here's an update on the 2 butternut squash (from the top).

I did not touch the blossoms.

Looking good. Send out a note when they are ready to eat and we will all show up for dinner....

We have picked some already. I planted them early. I tried to convince the missus that we should cook them and puree them and freeze several batches. Great for making cookies or breads or soups in the middle of winter. She said no way!

These I planted not too long ago sorta as an experiment. I wanted to see how well they would do by planting them away from the rest of the veggies. These are on the edge of one of the peony beds.

Another one of Jim's experiments. I started some Brussels Sprout seeds about and month ago. I transplanted them last week and they are growing quickly.

However, I have cabbage moths in the garden and I don't spray. In an effort to keep those insects from laying their eggs on the plants, I rigged up this. As the plants grow, I have to keep adding taller supports at the ends. Ultimately, the plants will get too big to shelter. Then I will go out and try to nab those yucky caterpillars before they chew the plants to death.

With a bit of luck, I'll have fresh sprouts toward the end of October.

Today's picture of the last planting of blue lake green beans. The wood between the rows provides something firm to stand on while picking the beans.

Last photo for this extremely humid Sunday afternoon...dragonflies spend a lot of time on the top of the sticks that I use as row markers in the garden. I don't know why, I cannot think of anything there that they would find nutritious. But, what do I know, I am just the guy who does the work.

Jim

We have picked some already. I planted them early. I tried to
convince the missus that we should cook them and puree them and freeze several batches. Great for making cookies or breads or soups in the middle of winter. She said no way!
I agree with your missus in this case, Been there, done that experiment. A watery mush does not work very well.

A garden chore I hated as kid - squish the yellow egg mass of the Cabbage White on the underside of the leaves. It was always my job, since I was the closest to the ground, LOL..

Oh my! Picture at the top. And then farther down. This is what they look like today. What happened? Who knows.

What happened? I don't know. Just having fun on the net.

What happened? I don't know. Just having fun on the net.
Gremlins happened?

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by west_gardener on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 18:36

Jim, luv your garden.Very productive .
Re your "As the plants grow, I have to keep adding taller supports at the ends",
Your protective cloth looks good. We use pvc pipes to make hoops to hold the protecting cloth. pvc is bendable and it seems to last forever. Once you put it place it stays there, no need to replace.