Saturday, August 13, 2016

ivy and poison ivy


On the side of our screen porch is a big patch of  Ivy. It all grew from a cell pack of eight small plants that I planted after the screen porch was built.
It grows well there...a little too well sometimes, and starts spilling over on the decking and climbing up against the screens.
It's easy to cut back - once a summer is usually enough.  I have to be careful what I do with the clippings. I don't want it to get a start in the woods and spread all over.

I trimmed the edges and weeded out some honeysuckle vines, small grape vines, and apparently...some poison ivy.



This is looking back the other way. You can see how the ivy pushes up against the screen.
I will have to put on Lonnie's boots to wade in there to trim that part.

That tall stump is from a cherry tree that died.


I came across this fellow as I was trimming. A preying mantis. We instantly feared and disliked each other!  They are just too creepy when they swivel their head to look at you.



Now here is my poison ivy rash just beginning to form. And it itches.
 I put some expired ( in 2010)  Calamine lotion on it. That seemed to help.



We've been seeing a few of these empty bug shells around (exoskeletons). 
I have always called these locusts but the almighty internet tells me that locusts look more like grass hoppers. 
These are Cicadas.    



They are really loud in the trees every evening. It's hard to believe that such small creatures can produce such a big noise!





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