Vole trapping

I had some luck baiting mouse traps with peanut butter and locating them at the entrance to vole networks.  I placed a pot over the trap upside down and put a rock on top to keep other animals or birds from injuring themselves trying to get to the peanut butter.  I did manage to kill several.  And I did have a possum or raccoon discover one.  I will be repeating in the future.

Voles-My new nemesis

So last year in early spring I found one of my rose bushes laying on the ground.  It looked like it had been chewed off at the base by a miniature beaver.  I proceeded to lose three dwarf nandina, another rose, some iris rhizomes,  and about half of a decorative grass.  I also recalled an Autumn Joy sedum that looked as if it had been eaten from the ground up the previous summer.  I had no idea what was eating my plants but I had suspicions.  As spring progressed to summer I did not find any more eaten plants.  And I hoped I was in the clear.  Well just a couple of weeks ago I noticed one of my rose bushes leaning over and when I touched it, it was not attached to any roots so I knew my pest was back.  I've come to believe the culprit to be meadow mice or voles,  I know they are in my yard since my cat Max has brought me one as a present.  But I'm surprised at the extent of the damage they have caused.  The nandina they killed last year were 10 year old plants and not easily replaced because of their size.  I'm currently considering making wire boxes to place in the ground in which to place my roses, in hopes this will prevent further damage.  In the meantime I've been dumping coffee grounds around the base of my roses in hopes it will change the taste since they seem to really love these particular plants.

Where have all the Japanese Beetles gone

So I wanted to get a photo of a Japanese beetle.  But since I've been looking for then they seem to have all disappeared.  I'll keep looking and maybe I'll finally get a photo.

Four O Clocks

I have some wonderful Four O clocks growing at the back of my garden.  They are fairly prolific and I make sure I pull seedlings up when they appear where they are not wanted.  Here in middle Tennessee they reappear each year as a perennial. They can be planted from seed very easily and will produce a nice size plant within a single growing season.  And I have passed along transplants without any trouble.  They produce a carrot type root and the older the plant the bigger the "carrot".  I have been trying to identify the variety I have growing.  These were plants I enherited with the purchase of our home.  I thought I had seen the pink and yellow variety referred to as Kaleidoscope at one point  but after some additional research it appears Kaleidoscope may include some additional color variations that my plants do not. My plants may be Marbles red and yellow.  My plants seem to have no fragrance though fragrance is mentioned in many descriptions of Four o clocks.  My boys call the seeds grenades since they are black and seem to be shaped like miniature grenades and even have similar markings.  They make a great color splash when they start opening in the late evening and I occasionally even get to see hummingbirds visiting for a lated evening meal.

June Bug in Tennessee

I have commonly spoken to people who confuse Japanese beetles and June bugs.  I can understand the confusion since both are a dark green beetle.  But the Japanese beetle is much more prolific and does a great deal more damage.  These beetles are typically half the size of our native June bug beetle and appear very metallic where the June bug has a much more velveteen appearance.  I have seen very few June bugs since becoming an adult and moving to a less rural area.  But I have a privet bush, that's more like a tree, that seems to leaking sap and I have seen a number of interesting insects and butterflies enjoying this food source including several June bugs.  I'll add a photo of a Japanese beetle later for a side by side comparison

Siamese/Double headed Shasta Daisy

I had noticed one clump of shasta daisies has been exhibiting siamese or double headed flowers.  As I was walking through my gardens after a late afternoon rain shower I found a triple headed flower in one of my other clumps.

Tennessee Gardening

This year I decided to create a Zinnia bed.  I planted a number of Zinnia seed I have never tried and I love them all.  The cactus variety have each been a surprise and very beautiful.  The Gold Finches love my zinnia bed.  They are out every morning pulling petals off of the flowers to get at the seed.  I currently have a number of naked Zinnia heads that I should remove.  I am also very popular with the bees and butterflies.