Buds & blooms

While we are back in the coolish weather, the buds are doing their thing! This is the horse chestnut tree:

lilacs

The trillium are in bloom in the forest. Tulips and Grecian windflowers are in bloom.

More good news, the lily bugs are awake. I shall have to dig out my bug collector.

The Forsythia is at its peak.

The pileated woodpecker is doing a number on the tree. I haven't noticed it but I have heard it.

Aster and a beginner's driver's licence! She drove part way home!

After the frost...

It was cold in the morning, but warmed up to 17 ℃ by the afternoon. I was watching carefully!

 Taking advantage of the sunshine, I had a new idea for cleaning up the fountain. This is how it looked before and after during. Usually, the algae dries up over winter and falls off. I've been scrubbing like stink. 

I tried a shower brush, (ineffective), then wire brushes (my dad's, better), and ran out of elbow grease. 

My t-shirt was covered in little green bits.  The videocamera wouldn't fit in my pocket and I figured out why. In another "don't tell the kids" moment, I realized I had my sundress on inside out.

The idea of the handy attachment for the drill popped into my head. I think the drill bits were my dads. There are three of them. I was bad to not clean the fountain before covering it up for winter, but you do the crime...  I bitterly regret not having a backup battery. I used to, but it pooched out on me. I worked until 4 and gave it up for the day. A shower was quite welcome.

I wanted to get an image, a reminder for the fall when I put it away again.

drill from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I went out to work during my second wind, and frightened Fred. He was poking around the wood tarp and scared me! He had an old burrow there, here is #1b, under the wood pile. I filled that one in.

I think they have a burrow in the middle of this garden beside the flag pole.

Can you see in the hole? There is a paver they have dug under, and I hope my hydrangea lasts. Now that we have two, I'll bet there will be more.

The little twerper has created burrow #5 in the garden! It's great and rather hidden. Burrow #3 has dried, it was filled with water, spring melt. 

Back out front, I found the first lily bug of the season. Oops, time to find the Neem Oil.

I thought I'd take a photo of my tulips. You never know who will take a liking to them! Both deer and cottontails like them. 

I tried a snazzy photo of the Lenten Rose, but it wasn't focused properly. It could have been great!

Barbara asked about 'Labbit' but it is just a name  Well, we still use pet names for critters. Back when we'd see a bunny, one of the grandies would call it Labbit. That term stuck. So cottontail or hare, they are all Labbits, but, as I've been told, not all bunnies are rabbits! Now we've two, I am sure we will have more fun.

@tz_garden asked about the deer fence. I ordered netting last year, and JB picked me up some stakes. It worked really well. This is what we can look forward to later in the summer. 

I'm TRYING to take it easy!

I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I love hard, physical work.  Trying to keep my foot elevated, and pacing myself, is all. Sigh. Hubby's been great, fetching dinners and being supportive.

I love working outside:  cleaning up the workbench, stacking the wood, throwing the rocks around the goldfish pond. However, I overdid it. I gave my left foot some tenosynovitis. I did it in 2011 to my right foot, where the sheath around the tendon swells and becomes painful. I have to learn my lesson, and slow down when the pain comes. Then: foot up, ice it, and take it easy.

DRS was in the pile
(Dratted Red Squirrel!)

I'm sure you know how hard this is! I have several piles of wood to stack, brush to move, and other chores.

Today, I figured out I could weed the garden sitting on my butt. I had a buddy, Daisy, and I met a blue-spotted salamander! That was fun.

It's important to stop and smell the roses! This tiny little creature, with delicate little toes, is such an important part of the environment.

The colourful flowers in the front garden are wonderful. I laud the previous gardeners at this house. I've added bulbs! Dorah had to give a big hug to the day lily, wrapping her arms around it, with joy and love of the season.  The dratted red lily bugs are out...

I ambled down to the pond with Annabelle. We spotted a bullfrog catching brunch. We sat on the upturned logs, and smelled the beautiful spring smells, inhaling the beauty with all of our senses.

I sat on the front porch, foot elevated, and watched the birds. (I'll post those photos tomorrow!) I could see the Trillium blooming. A sure sign of the turning of the seasons.

Goldfish are happy in the pond. Where the overflow comes in, they dance under the waterfall. One zoomed by, like an orange shark, fins out of the water. We're all happy with the changing scenery.We have 10 goldfish now.

It's lily bug season!

We've had a lovely few days of warm temperatures. Everything is coming up, coming back, or awakening!
Including our asiatic lilies and red lily bugs!

How do you get rid of lily bugs?
I've ordered Neem Oil, and spray it faithfully on the leaves of my lilies.

See the holes in the leaves?

They're back!

And another one!

If I can't see you,
you can't see me!

The lily bugs have been active. Those little darlings who love eating Asiatic Lilies, fornicating in great glee on the luscious leaves (see below!), then the larvae live in their own poop on the plants. The flowers that result are quite droopy, if you don't either catch them, drown them in soapy water, or feed the bugs to your ducks. They are really gross! 

I have been happy with the results of the Neem Oil. A simple, natural solution.

You can order it, if it isn't in one of your local nurseries. 
You mix a bit with water, and add some surfactant, and spray the plants every 5 - 7 days.

Our Guinivere and her lillies

More resources:

Lily Leaf Beetle Life Cycle from the U. Mass. They say, "This pest will only lay its eggs on true lilies and Fritillaria species."

Ottawa Orchid Society’s Fact Sheet on Neem