Above: These Ladybird Beetles (also called Lady Bug Beetles) have been having sex on the orange tree near where I'm painting the house. My finger for scale.
Below: A single Ladybird Beetle (Coccinellidae). I think they're attracted to the orange tree because of aphids. They are typically predators of Hemiptera such as aphids and scale insects. They are often brightly colored to ward away potential predators. These guys and girls are all mostly black with one red spot on each wing. I had paint all over my hands (and didn't want to get it on the camera) or I would have taken more photos.
Below: The house BEFORE I started painting. So far I'm only putting on primer. I can't decide on a color. . . so for now it'll likely be white. The orange tree with all the beetles is by the front door.
Below: During painting.
Below: After. It looks nicer already with just the primer. I am pretty sore. This is the most real physical work I've done in a long while. I'll do more tomorrow or the next day. I'm sure that some day soon it will start raining so that is motivating me to move on with the painting of at least the cedar portions of the house which are so brittle.
Below: Obviously it hasn't rained in a long while. The lake is about as low as I've ever seen it now. Temperatures are to be in the mid-90s again next week with no real chance of rain in the forecast. The next mention of tropical rains by the computer models is some 15 days away (late May).
Below: The sunflowers (Helianthus annus) don't mind all the sun. They're past peak now. I'm going to have to start culling them and planting a new crop. They require massive irrigation in this weather.
Below: The house kind of disappears into the sunflowers below. The pole in the center of the flowers is 12' tall.
Below: I like this mutation. It is making flowers with 14 heads. They last three times as long as a typical Russian Giant but are just as tall. This one is about 12 1/2 feet tall.
No comments:
Post a Comment