Spiders Archives – Strength Of The Small

Ladybugs Spiders Insects Garden Decor Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Loving Warm Weather

By JM PerezMay 25, 20202 min read948 views

I do not know about the rest of you, but we are enjoying the warm weather here. This week has been really good and we accomplished so much around the yard. With most plants flowering all around my property at the same time, I am realizing that most of them are yellow. From Daylilies, Rose trees, Climbing roses, Gladiolus, Gopher plants, Silvery Cassia, Yellow bird of Paradise bush, Green Feathery Senna, California Poppy, to Scotch and French Broom shrubs, … etc!

Spartium Junceum, also known as Spanish Broom, Rush Broom and Weaver’s broom, is a medium sized shrub which produces clusters of abundant bright yellow pea-like flowers. Spanish Broom is closely related to the other Brooms, with the exception of the honey-vanilla scent that the flowers from the Spanish Broom emit. They are drought tolerant and deer resistant.
This evergreen shrub is self-sowing and due to its prolific seed production, has been classified as a noxious weed. The plant is poisonous to humans and livestock.

I love ladybugs and I love the fact that they are beneficial garden insects. They are a favorite to gardeners, as they help keep garden pests at bay. Some ladybugs are omnivores, feeding on soft bodied insects such as mealybugs, aphids, scale insects, spider mites, eggs of the European corn borer and Colorado potato beetle. Other ladybugs are herbivores, feeding only on plant material and fungi, such as mildew. Ladybugs lay many eggs and the larvae immediately begin to feed as soon as they hatch.

As the weather warms up, Black Widow Spiders come out.

I spotted a lone Green Stink Bug (Chinavia Halaris), also known as Say’s Stink Bug on a Daylily Bud.

Mosquitoes too, love warm temperatures. We had a pretty wet late Winter and early Spring, and along came mosquitoes. Click here to learn how to protect yourselves.

So far is it a good year for all the plants in my gardens. The amount of rainfall we’ve had since the beginning of the year has made a huge difference by giving everything a good start.

I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather while being productive and staying safe.

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By JM Perez

Spiders Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Beautiful Mimosa Trees

By JM PerezJune 10, 20181 min read710 views

This is the second year my Mimosa Trees have bloomed. Last year was just a test, since I only saw one pink flower the whole summer. I have heard from people that Mimosa is a fast growing plant; mine however, don’t seem to be growing fast. I planted them from seed four years ago and I haven’t had issues with them or heard a single complain about them. And no, the seeds do not germinate everywhere as some might think (at least not here in the High Desert).

I have a huge backyard and I purposely planted multiple seeds in the same hole (in different areas). They are thriving, growing at the same pace and hopefully will provide much needed shade from the sun as they get bigger.

The puffy soft pink flowers smell wonderful and hummingbirds, butterflies, birds and bees all love mimosa trees. Their leaves are very sensitive and fold at the touch and for the night (it reminds me of the Tamarind plant, Guaiacum Coulteri, Acacia, Averrhoa Bilimbi and Popcorn Cassia, just to name a few). I have heard that the seedpods as well as the seeds within are poisonous at all times, causing seizures and even death.

Crab Spiders are indeed fascinating creatures. I found one devouring a bee.

*Goldenrod Crab Spider Devouring a Bee.*

It’s a lovely day today and we are having a great time in the garden.

Happy gardening!

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By JM Perez

Spiders Insects High Desert

Cloudy Weather

By JM PerezFebruary 28, 20181 min read681 views

It has been raining a lot lately, mostly at night. It’s cold, the winds are insane and the weather is gloomy. Did I mention that it snowed quite a bit yesterday? Our weather is so unpredictable, making it hard to get used to.

Some fascinating creatures seem to emerge from hiding after a good rainfall.

Those gray clouds are moving slowly, but surely.

The gray clouds are getting thicker by the hour and the beautiful snowy mountains are now completely covered. Remember our Statue Reconstruction back in 2013? We finally completed it on New Years and placed her in the center of the backyard arch. She is absolutely gorgeous an graces the space.

Loving my Woodland Babies.

I am looking forward to warmer days ahead.

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By JM Perez

Spiders Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Cat-faced Spider

By JM PerezAugust 25, 20161 min read929 views

This has been a beautiful summer in the High Desert with Roses bursting all over the place. I took a morning stroll through the garden after dropping my babies off to school and it felt really good to walk among plants and enjoy nature’s beauties.

I spotted what turned out to be a cat-faced spider by the entrance to my storage shed.

According to Wikipedia, the cat-faced spider is a common outdoor orb-weaver spider found in the USA and Canada.They are considered harmless with a low-toxicity venom and are useful natural predators for insects. They make their webs near lights, closed spaces, and on the sides of buildings. They can also be found under wood, overhangs, or guarded places such as animal burrows. They come in varying colors but are easily identified by the two horn shaped growths on their relatively large abdomen.

Hoping you are enjoying your day, wherever you are.

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By JM Perez

Reptiles Spiders Birds Nature High Desert

Rescued Hummingbird

By JM PerezJune 25, 20161 min read717 views

This afternoon we rescued a hummingbird from the garage. The tiny bird went in while we were all busy in the backyard and some how couldn’t get out even though the doors were wide open. For almost fifteen minutes, it kept flying high hitting the ceiling and becoming distressed. It seems that these tiny birds would not fly low unless something gets their attention. My husband used an insect catching net to carefully rescue the bird. We made sure the hummingbird was safe before releasing it.