Saturday, October 17, 2015

frost/freeze in the forecast.

It seems like winter is creeping in....we have temperatures below freezing in the forecast.

I used to have several houseplants that I would set outside for the summer and have to bring them in when the night time temperatures started dipping down.
They were mostly big plants in heavy pots (including a couple of big spiny cactus).
I even set up lights on a timer in the basement for them, since I didn't have places for all the pots near the windows.

I finally decided I had enough of lugging those plants in and out (and asking my sons to help) and late one summer, I sat them out by the road for free (one at a time).  They all went home with new owners.
Except for one particularly hateful cactus which I abandoned set free in a grocery cart in the Kroger parking lot...shh!

So now life is simpler, but I did bring in some of this purple heart vine so I'll have a start next summer. Usually it will come back on it's own if we have a mild winter, but not always.


I also potted up some of this oregano to bring inside. Lonnie's son brought it up from Florida earlier this year and I have no idea if it dies out over the winter or not.  I don't care for it for cooking but I like the shape and leaf texture of the plant. It's good for filling in an empty spot in the flower bed.


The only other thing to come inside is a small Carob Tree. It really isn't very attractive but I am attached to it because I grew it from a seed pod that I picked up off the ground in Israel many years ago.
I don't believe the tree has ever been happy here and no matter when I bring it inside, it drops it's leaves and makes a mess. 
That's it on the left.



A couple of days ago, I saw the weirdest caterpillar I have ever seen...


It doesn't even look real, does it?  Sort of creepy looking - sort of comical looking. 


I looked around online and I believe it is a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly in a stage just before it pupates.


It seems like a strange time of year for a caterpillar, though. I will have to do more reading about this one.







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