In Jo's Yard - 27 Polka Dotted Wasp Moth

COMING NEXT WEEK (Sept. 2, 2019) - Lots of photos - 

BEFORE / AFTER Jo's yard @ 1 YEAR

Not one leaf left on the Milkweed in the Wildflower garden.  The Milkweed by the heat pump on the north side of the house is recovering.  I haven’t been able to find even one chrysalis, although there were five Monarch caterpillars there on Oct 11 (2018). 

Not long ago (#20, July 8, 2019), I posted a picture of the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on my Facebook page.  A neighbor texted me that she had them on her oleander plant and sent a photo to me.  Although the two caterpillars look similar, the caterpillar in my neighbor’s photo looked like he had little “brushes” along his back, not “spikes”.  So after little research, I concluded that she had the caterpillar for the Polka Dotted Wasp Moth.  Now, low and behold, I see this moth in my yard.  How beautiful! 

The Polka-Dotted Wasp Moth is thought to be a native of the Caribbean.  They are only found in “neotropical areas”, so in Florida and sometimes as far north as Savannah, Georgia.  It resembles a stinging wasp, which keeps many predators at bay, however, it does not sting.  It’s consumption of oleander and devil’s-potato plants makes it poisonous to predators, so it has that two-pronged defense. 



                                         Polka Dotted Wasp Moth Caterpillar on Oleander
                                                           (Photo from Wikipedia)                 

                             

                                Polka-dotted Wasp Moth (Photo from Wikipedia) 
                                         

In Jo's Yard - 26 Mockingbirds

October 8, 2018, Hurricane Michael is in the Gulf and not expected to come this way.  On this Monday, it is windy and cloudy.  Just after 4 pm, there is a heavy rain shower.  I hope that this might lead to my first sighting of the Rain Lilies that are in my wildflower garden!  Maybe in 3-4 days, according to one website.  (spoiler alert – they didn’t come)

I have seen Mockingbirds in my yard – the Florida State Bird.  I often see them on neighbors’ roofs, but I think my yard is developing some attractive food.  The Mockingbird is known for mimicking the songs of other birds, but its own song is a pleasant lilting song that is both varied and repetitive. A mockingbird may sing all night long, especially under a bright spring moon.  It feeds on insects, weeds’ seeds and ripe berries.  I could definitely use the help with the weeds!  Mockingbirds reside in Florida year round and will fiercely defend their nests which are built in dense trees. 

I saw an amazing sight in my backyard that involved an Eastern Bluebird, a House Sparrow and a Mockingbird.  House Sparrows are described as the “number 1 enemy” of Bluebirds and Purple Martins.  House Sparrows will destroy the eggs & the young and even attack and kill adult bluebirds.  My neighbor had a Bluebird family in a birdhouse.  A House Sparrow claimed my birdhouse (although he didn’t have a mate or a nest).  The same neighbor had a palm tree that was home to a Mockingbird’s nest and young. 

One afternoon, I observed the House Sparrow sitting on my birdhouse that is among the privet senna, rosinflower and narrowleaf ironweed.  The Bluebird parent was on the roof of my neighbor’s house.  The Bluebird swooped off the roof and attacked the House Sparrow.  The two birds fell from my birdhouse to the ground, seemingly locked in “mortal combat”.  I couldn’t see what was happening but the pine straw was flying!  The next thing I knew, a Mockingbird flew from treetop to ground at the two fighting birds and apparently broke up the fight.  All three birds then flew from ground to three separate rooftops!  That Mockingbird was not going to put up with that behavior in his territory!  It was DRAMA IN THE BACKYARD! 

Here is a website I found that not only helps you identify birds, but has recordings of their songs.  I have cued up the Northern Mockingbird for you - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird



           Common Mockingbird-State Bird of Florida (photo from Florida State website)

In Jo's Yard - 25 Positive Feedback

I find I am spending about 30-60 minutes every morning weeding.  Each morning, I pick a section of the yard and start.  I carry my newspaper bag with me.  A lot of bending over!  The grasses seem especially stubborn.  One morning, 3 months after Phase 1 was planted, and after an hour of weeding, I was talking to one neighbor when someone she knew drove up in a golf cart.  He exclaimed “Here’s the woman in charge who I can ask about what’s going on here”.  So I told him I replaced all the grass with Frog Fruit – he didn’t think he’d ever seen frog fruit before, although it is in many public neighborhood places like Postal Pick-up areas and median strips.  He asked if I had to go through the ARC.  I replied I hired a professional landscaper for the design and got ARC approval.  The ARC's only stipulation / exception was that the plants (other than ground cover) had to be planted 3 feet from the property line.  I told him that within a year I would be only watering as needed.  He mentioned it was a different look from the usual rocks and stone landscaping and finished with “it shows imagination!”  That put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.  


          The front yard just 3 months after planting in July – the frog fruit has filled in nicely

In Jo's Yard - 24 Monarch Chrysalis & Butterfly

In Phase 2, I wanted to add more Milkweed plants to support the Monarch butterflies and caterpillars.  Now I have Milkweed in two locations – in the Wildflower garden in the front of the house, and next to the heat pump on the North side of the house.  I am so excited to find a beautiful jade green gem of a Monarch Chrysalis hanging from the vinyl siding just a few feet from the Milkweed on the north side of the house. It is 18 days since this Milkweed was planted.  I check it anxiously every morning.  Seven days after I first saw the chrysalis, I see that it is broken and now a silver color.  At first I am disappointed to have missed the butterfly, but then, I look over to the pine straw and see it – The Monarch Butterfly is drying its wings.  I am all smiles!  

                                Sept 28, 2018– find Monarch Chrysalis near the newest Milkweed plants

                                     Oct. 4, 2018 – A new Monarch butterfly is in the world!