Date Archives June 2014

Ladybug Ladybug Fly Away Home

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The garden store near our house advertised that they had ladybugs for sale on their roadside sign, and I practically squealed the tires of our old Saturn in my rush to acquire some for our garden. They package them some 1800 per bag, and once released, they’ll happily set up shop in our backyard and munch aphids and other pests so we can reduce/eliminate the pesticides we’d otherwise use AND reduce the number of times I shout “GET OFFA MY CROPS” and scare the everliving daylights out of the neighbors. The only downside is that so many were crawling on my arms and legs and even in my hair that hours later I’m imagining every little tickle is an insect crawling on me. How long until I start slapping myself due to imaginary infestation? Place your bets!

Bonsai yi yi

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is located behind the Weyerhaeuser complex (adjacent to the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden), and it houses the second largest collection of bonsai in North America. The outdoor surroundings are spare, in order to create a tranquil atmosphere and keep the focus on the bonsai. I’d love to see an educational area where the public could learn about the art of bonsai so they’d better know what they are looking at, but considering the entire exhibit is free, I won’t complain and will do my bonsai learning elsewhere. Jason would like a bonsai for our house, but I’m fairly certain that there are no good places in the house to raise a bonsai, and plenty of places to kill one–our windows have some sort of UV filtering built in, and while it’s excellent for privacy, keeping the house cool in summer, and preventing sun damage to the floors and furniture, it’s murder on houseplants and I’ve sadly already killed my beloved medallion calathea…or, more accurately, the house has already killed it. I don’t think a tiny tree with very specific care requirements would fare any better, sadly.

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