Monarda citriodora - Lemon Horsemint, Bee Balm

This is a different type of beebalm than I've grown before. Its pretty, but has me a bit confused.
There's a lot of conflicting info out there about it. Most sites refer to it as a 'winter annual', but I've found accounts from gardeners that say it has perenialized in their gardens. From those sources, it is said to be hardy to zone 6.
From some sources it is said to prefer sandy soil, others that it is easily adaptable and will tolerate even clay soils. Even its water preferences are hard to know - I've found it listed as a plant suitable for xeriscaping (meaning it is very drought tolerant) but have also found sources saying it prefers to be kept evenly moist. Most agree that it can take full sun to semi-shade.
While it can be aggressive (invasive) in some areas, I can find no sources that say it grows in my area (zone 7b in North Carolina). This means I'll have to be sure to collect some seed, just in case. It is an edible plant, with leaves that add a nice lemony flavor to salads or cooked foods. Its flowers are quite different than the Monarda didyma that I also grow, with the flower petals appearing much like bracts or leaves with a different coloration than its regular leaves. This is one that I'd like to get a nice colony of going for the enjoyment of the bees we expect to start keeping in the spring. Hopefully, the spot I've chosen will be to its liking - only time will tell.

Kittens and Spiders - OH MY!

The common garden spider (Argiope aurantia) is a leggy beauty! This lady (the boys are much smaller) made her web on my Isaac House hybrid scabiosa - aka pincushion flower. These are my favorite of the pincushion types. I think this spidey agrees.

The thicker, zig-zaggy filament in her web is called the stabilimentum. Exactly the purpose of it is unknown. The name comes from the belief, now widely discounted, that they provided stability to the web. Seems a likely inspiration for the words written in the webs of E. B. White's book, Charlotte's Web.

This less showy brown spider was sunning on my clothesline. His first spot was on the backside of a peg. I came close to touching him as I hung out my sheets. Luckily I spotted him just in time - scared the bejeezus out of me! I'm not sure who this guy is yet....

The other surprises outside today were much cuddlier forms of natural pest control! A group of feral cats - momma and 5 kitties - have set up house in the woodpile. Lefty, my almost toothless Yorkie, discovered them. He was yapping away, which luckily is very UNcharacteristic of him. When I went to see what the ruckus was, I spied these cuties hiding deep in the pile. We had seen these cats in the abandoned yard next door, but they had disappeared. We thought they'd gone off to the nearby woods where a fair amount of wild cats live. But here they are! They won't let us get too close right now. We're hoping some mackerel and time will change that. We set up some old bed frames with springs as a make-shift fence to keep the dogs away.

The family has been enjoying their protected area, having play fights and sunning out in the open this afternoon. It would be nice if they stuck around. We've got an exploding population of voles and chipmunks that have been eating my bulbs and, worse - tunneling under the foundation of the house. Some kitties patrolling the area might be just the solution we need.

We've done some trap and release type stuff to try to at least lower the pest population, but its time consuming and hasn't made a difference. Plus its not really any kinder than just offing the voles and chipmunks, as distasteful as that is - moving them away from their food stores and familiar areas is just setting the rodents up to die.

The little cuties are all orange and white variations just like their Ma. I'm thinking Marmalade and Dreamsicle, maybe Carrot Top for a few names to start with....

Ambush Bug Phymatidae PHYMATA Nymph

While gathering basil from the garden for a hot sauce I was making today, I found this little guy. He was hiding on a flowering stem. I don't see any wings so think this is a nymph. The rounded projections just above the abdomen (section called the mesothorax) on either side look like they might be what develops into the wings or may even be tiny little wing-lets. The prothorax seems a bit spiked to me suggesting he may be a Phymata erosa or jagged ambush bug, but I really don't know for sure.

He (or should I say 'she'?) was quite willing to pose for my camera. These bugs stay very still awaiting their prey. Because of this hunting strategy I was able to get very close, getting some nice details of its little face. The yellow eyes are very striking. The front legs are thickened (like Popeye's arms!) and held in a similar manner to a praying mantis. I think this is referred to as raptorial. You can see the segments in the antennae really well in the shot above.

The shape of the head is kind of reptilian. He's an odd mix of familiar features - like a mad scientist stuck crab legs on a fat lizard. Look at all the little bumps scattered across the body. The yellow and green coloration is beautiful - as well as practical, providing excellent camouflage. Entomologists refer to this as cryptic coloration

I'm sad to learn these guys eat bees. We're in the process of learning to become beekeepers - which is very exciting! Hopefully when he grows up he won't off too many of my colony.

For any interested - the hot sauce I made of roasted jalapenos and a mix of three different basils is beyond delicious! And best of all, like Paris would say: It's HOT!

Here are good shots of the back, displaying the color pattern and shape. The sections of the thorax and the abdomen are easy to see here and below.

I think I'm Infected.........BCTV!

Beet Curly Top Virus or Big Bud Phytoplasma on Tomato OR just a very bad potassium deficiency?

One of my tomato plants is exhibiting the curled leaves and purple veining associated with BCTV. This was a seed grown plant that was progressinging quite nicely for a while. The under leaf vein color and leaf curling can also be indicative of a potassium deficiency.
But the stem tops have developed some odd looking growth that would seem to suggest something a bit more than a lack of vitamins. I've not been able to find other photos online of the weird looking growth at the top of the main stems. Its bunchy looking - more like a broccoli head than something you normally see on a tomato. I'm not positive yet that this is a case of BCTV. It could be Big Bud Phytoplasma - which is spread by the same insect. Perhaps a combo then?
As far as possible viruses go, BCTV is a better one than some other possibilities. It is not something that lives in the soil. Its spread by a Beet Leafhopper. By the time the plant shows symptoms of the illness, the little culprit is long gone. Without the leafhopper, the disease doesn't spread any further. From what I've read so far, the plant can even be composted as per usual rather than bagged and disposed. I went with the bagging and disposing route though since I'm really not sure what this is.
There is a vaccine for this virus. Who knew plants could be inoculated? Some tomato cultivars are more resistant than others. My little ill guy is an unknown type. He was grown from seed gathered from last year's crop - but we didn't mark the packages we kept the seeds in and grew several varieties.
This is my first experience with a virus in a veggie. We had an experience a few years back with a rose shipped from Canada showing the very bizarre signs of rose rosette disease. That one was bagged and disposed of - very sad as it was the Pat Austin Rose I had received as a birthday gift. I still don't have a Pat Austin among my rose collection. Someday I'll try again. It is a lovely rose and even my little ill one produced some beautiful blooms along with its strange succulent super-thorny uber-growth.

My infected bush had kicked out a tall branch with bright coloring and an abundance of thorns that felt kind of soft at the tips. The coloring was odd too - it was red like new rose growth is sometimes, but seemed a tad too bright. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture before that one was shovel-pruned. Its definitely one of the more interesting looking plant diseases out there. Click here to read more about Rose Rosette Disease (RRD).