Onions 2012

Onion buds

Onion buds and Chard

Two of the seven hives

Checking old hives and siting new

Blossoms 2012

Sage, backed up by Chamomile, Garlic Chives and Nasturtiums

Cucurbit Island

Welcome the Cucurbit Island.  We have Watermelons, Chantenay melons, cucumbers and Summer Squash planted in a mix of old dirt from the SIPs, bunny poo and compost.  I let them sit for a few weeks in the rain to pre-spout weed seeds… and bonus!  One of them is sprouting EDIBLE WEEDS.  It’s like a salad in a box.

Garden Glamour Shot May 5, 2012

these puppies is 6-8 feet.

Aneides lugubris - Arboreal Salamander

Found these little guys under the Recycle bin on Trash day.  Salamanders are exquisitely sensitive to harmful chemicals, so if we’d sprayed the weeds in the cracks or used too much fertilizer anywhere they would never have come near. 

Male Arboreal Salamanders have triangular heads, so I think this is a male and a female.  They may have been mating, these are one of the few salamanders which lay their eggs in damp soil instead of big bodies of water.  They like sycamores and oaks, which we have not 50 feet away from the picture,  and just to the right of the pic is a pallet of concrete building blocks that would be perfect for egglaying, so hopefully this is part of a permanent population!

I think the presence of this pair of young adults means that the biosphere is balancing on this property.  We’re finally starting to see some diversity and complexity come back onto our land.  YEAY!
Fun Fact: Some salamanders exude toxins for defense.  Don’t pick them up or pet them or let your pet walk where they were unless you can absolutely 100% identify what kind of Salamander they are. 

They sure are pretty, aren’t they?

Garden Glamour Shot 2012 03 06

 Fun Fact: Just had a male turkey walk down my front patio.  No pictures, sorry — was too gap-mouthed in WHOA COOL to find the camera.