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Day-to-day life in the garden

Garden Surprises

12/17/2021

4 Comments

 
From the outside, gardening looks pretty tame. Plants don’t race around. They don’t seem to attack. It’s just greenery, water, and soil, right?  The truth is, if you garden regularly, some amazing things are bound to happen.
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Carrots can split
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Twinned tomatoes
It’s not just the plant oddities that appear. Many of us have come across twinned tomatoes, dancing carrots, and fasciated stems, but gardens are full of surprises. These are just a few of mine.
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Carrots can be huge!
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Milkweed fasciation is fascinating!
Mobile molds

I never gave mold much thought before gardening, other than to make sure it never took up residence in my bathroom. I knew that mold could spread, but it never occurred to me that some molds, specifically slime molds, can move across areas intact. The dog vomit slime mold pictured below did just that. On the first day, it was a bright yellow blob above and to the left of a seashell. On the second day, my slime mold had changed color and started to engulf said seashell. I certainly didn’t expect that!
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Dog vomit slime mold - day one
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Dog vomit slime mold - day two
​Glowing bananas and bursting stems

Because of my time in the garden, pruning and harvesting, I was able to see, firsthand, what happens to a stem when the water inside freezes.
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Water inside a stem expands as it freezes.
I was surprised to learn that the sugary brown spots on ripe bananas glow when illuminated with a blacklight. You can use one of those penlights that tell you if a dollar bill is counterfeit.
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Ripe bananas glow under a blacklight.
Intriguing insects

Baby praying mantis, napping bees, and ambling grubs can all be surprise discoveries if you take the time to look for them.
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Baby praying mantis on plant label.
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Bee napping on netting
Even watching a simple grub walking can surprise you. 
Other garden visitors

I was happy to discover that I had several lizards-in-residence. Where they decided to hide was interesting, to say the least.
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Lizard hiding in rain gutter drain.
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Lizard on the lookout.
And the family of raccoons that tried to eat my hens and garden plants ran into a complication when my dog appeared.
Hawk rescue

I caged my fruit and nut trees to protect against bird, squirrel, and rat damage. Sometimes, small birds would still find their way into the tree cages. Once, a Cooper’s hawk managed to get in. I must assume he was trying to get at the songbird since the figs probably didn't appeal to him. I used my old wildlife rehabilitator skills to capture and release the magnificent bird properly. The songbird escaped on its own.
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This Cooper's hawk continued to visit my garden but stayed away from the tree cages.
In the end, the closer you look, the more you see. And gardening never ceases to amaze and surprise me.


What has surprised you in the garden?
4 Comments
Jill Willard
12/17/2021 12:45:45 pm

I have a hummingbird feeder which usually one hummingbird chases everyone away. However this winter, I have seen a number of hummingbirds (based on size) drink from it. Maybe in the winter, there is less food for them so they are willing to share until spring/summer.

I enjoy your posts. Wish you and your family a wonderful new year filled with good health and happiness.

Reply
Kate Russell
12/24/2021 06:16:46 pm

Thank you, Jill.

I always love seeing those hummingbirds, too. And I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings. Happy holidays!

Kate

Reply
Sura Jeselsohn link
12/19/2021 09:53:10 am

Nature can give propagation directions if you watch carefully. I love propagating plants and years ago I tried to propagate forsythias. I had brought several branches into the house in early spring so that I would have some early blooming to add cheer to the house. Eventually, the flowers died and I figured leaving the branches in a water-filled vase would eventually produce some roots. Nothing doing. Some time later - it could have been years later - I was doing some garden cleanup and went to move some forsythia whose branches tips were touching the ground. Would you believe that the tips of the branches had put out root?!. This is a technique called layering and I have used it liberally for forsythias ever since.

Reply
Kate Russell
12/24/2021 06:18:49 pm

Hi, Sura.

What a great garden surprise! And I'll bet that forsythia looks amazing. I hope your new year is filled with good health and great friends.

Kate

Reply



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