ESPatch

“Stop Larking Around”

ESPatch Apr 16, 2013 8 comments

I don’t know why but I seem to have more than my fair share of strange goldfish escapades. This latest one had me scratching my head, something this goldfish could never do, because this goldfish had been…

…been…

…decapitated!

It also had had it’s tail removed. Brrr.

This cold blooded (ahem) murder was made all the stranger due to the fact that I located the corpse on the side of this bird bath that was looking particularly unattractive being full of post oak catkin sludge, and now apparently a random fish part.

Now I know Kumo has a fondness and a reputation for finding and lodging the odd rotten fish-bit around his collar, but this time I am quite sure he had nothing to do with the crime.

https://www.eastsidepatch.com/2012/04/exploding-goldfish/

I know this as when confronted with something and he is guilty, his expression morphs into something like this:

Not that I really thought he could catch a fish, expertly filet it’s head and tail then position what was left strategically on the side of my birdbath.

Gollum I can only assume this is Gollum’s handiwork, perhaps he was looking for some water to wash the fish down?

Moving Along:

Seedpods from my stargazer lilies…talk about bizarre.

What did you expect?

Lots of firsts this week in the Patch.

The first tropical bloom from this butterfly iris.

The first croaks and visitations from our Gulf coast toads,

and the first flowers on my lizard’s tail,

Saurusus cernuus

also called breast weed as it has historically been used to treat inflammation of the breasts and other portions of the body.

As the greenish seeds develop, the “tail” takes on a wrinkled appearance, hence the common name.

Lizard’s tail has distinctive heart-shaped leaves and a curved raceme with many white, inconspicuous flowers.

lizards tail

The flowers have a sassafras aroma to them very similar to Hoja Santa.

A great pond plant but keep it in a container as it spreads aggressively by rhizomes.

This ‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper provides some great shade color,

with its eerie iridescent purple-pink flowers.

Larkspur are also just starting to open up this week.

I recall shaking some spent larkspur plants over this bed last year, no shortage in here now!

African hosta,

Drimiopsis maculata

has enjoyed our recent rains.

I divide these every year and dot them any place I have space.

More inconspicuous flowers.

This plant tolerates part sun, light shade and even deep dark shade.

Here is my first line of porch-defense against mosquitoes this year:

Lemongrass.

I am interested to see if this deters them.

Critters observed in the Patch this week:

Bee-Fly

Bombyliidae-Hemipenthes eumenes?

And to finish a very small Mygalomorph hiding under some leaves I was clearing out, perhaps a baby tarantula?

Stay Tuned for:

“Bare-Bones”

All material © 2013 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

“Darkness Returns”

ESPatch Apr 8, 2013 9 comments

Yes…finally some dark skies and rain arrived in central Austin this past week.

When storms like this blow through the Patch all hell breaks loose. Post oaks groan, giant timber bamboo culms clatter together like 70ft wind chimes, banshees scream and baskervilles howl. A few minutes before a front hits I prepare a beverage and sit on my back deck with a Mexican blanket at arms-reach (it is all in the preparation) to watch the show.

As the rain starts, so does my smile…though it is not my public smile, the one reserved for normal people, oh no, this is my real smile, a smile not encumbered by the social norms, a smile so demented that I do not want to witness it.

The harder the rain comes down the more Jack Torrance it becomes,

and this time I had a lot to “smile” about.

My decomposed granite pathways turn into rivers as water runs down my side granite driveway into my back garden – which is just how I like it.

And if you catch it at just the right moment…

The water flow reaches about 2/3rds of the way back into the garden and it will sit there until the rain subsides before draining into the planting beds. This latest rain picked up a bunch of plastic eggs left over from our Easter egg hunt.

“Don’t let the giant catch you with that…and go clean your fingernails.”

This water flow does not move the granite, in fact after an hour or so of draining the only remains of a gully washer are some tide-lines of organic debris that are scooped up and thrown into the adjacent planting beds.

I unfortunately once caught my real “smile” in the above mirror one night when I was standing at the top of these steps.

It was perfectly timed, the white flash of the lightning highlighting my face as I marveled at the downpour.

With the water receding they quickly got to work,

for it was the time of snails.

Drool Lori.

Moving Along:

Cream De Mint™ Dwarf Mock Orange,

Pittosporum tobira ‘Shima’

getting slapped in the face by a holly fern, oxalis filling in the scene.

Jerusalem sage,

Phlomis fruticosa

look like “Mogwai” at this time of year with their inquisitive ears flapping around in the wind.

Loquats are ripening fast, the ones in arms reach get harvested almost immediately by little fingers.

These shiny insects are appearing all over the place right now, they seem particularly fond of citrus, clustering and clambering over themselves on the leaves.

Largus nymphs? Why do they huddle like this?

I moved fast when my daughter pointed out that this common house spider was right next to my hand as I moved a container.

ron-weasley-POA-ronald-weasley-11413914-400-266

Unfortunately I damaged it’s web.

I hope it will re-build as I want to keep an eye on it,

hey, you never know.

Stay Tuned for:

“Stop Larking Around!”

All material © 2013 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

Inspirational images of the week:

‘Floating ripple vases’ by oodesign

Shaped like ripples in water, the vases by oodesign allows users to place flowers into a
PET formed resin void. The plants change their position within the container with the slightest breeze.