. Yesterday I really needed to mow the back lawn. We had a break from the awful humid weather (we're having one more nice day before it regresses back to sticky tomorrow) and so I wanted to get that lawn mowed while it was still relatively comfortable to do so.
I've been stung twice by hornets in this one area, but I looked and scanned the grass for insect activity but couldn't find anything.
Yesterday, I found it. A completely nondescript hole in the ground where single hornets were coming and going. Not in large numbers, just one at a time, every few seconds. It was very hard to see. I tossed a large woodchip near the entrance to the hole to mark it.
I could have run to the garage for the can of wasp/hornet spray and dispatched them when it grew dark, but I've decided to just see if we can both "co-exist" for the rest of the summer.
I will leave an area of roughly four square feet surrounding the hole unmowed. They can live out their normal lifespan and contribute to a healthy ecosystem in my backyard. Everyone gets to live.
I'm starting work today on a new project, a press release on a new upscale subdivision (house lots up to 20 acres) and over 80 acres being donated to local land trust. Waiting for a callback from someone so I can ask a bunch of questions.
I did a load of laundry and it's hung out to dry on clothes racks in my driveway. Yesterday I planted lettuce and broccoli rabe. I made another batch of three bean salad with beans from the garden as well as pesto sauce, using my basil plants.
Here are a few hypertufa pots i made and planted recently. They are meant to look like centuries old concrete. They are fairly lightweight because the cement they're made from is mixed with peat moss and perlite, which also give it a mottled, crumbling effect. I also want to try growing moss on them to accentuate the "rustic" look.
The hyptertufa is the one on the left. I used a plastic garden pot as the mold; it has some nice vertical lines on the sides which you really can't see here.
Here's a round one; I think like the square one better.
For this one I think I used a plastic popcorn bowl as the mold.
I didn't make this one but I love it just the same!
I FOUND the hornets nest, Part II and hypertufa photos
August 7th, 2012 at 02:21 pm
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