June 2025

S M T W T F S
1 234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Friday, September 15th, 2017 02:35 pm
Complaints follow.

So, the poison ivy that grows 70' up the trunks of a dozen plus yellow pines. Yeah, i should get rid of it, yeah i've had irritations from little starts where i weed whack and mow, but, you know, it's actually a good bird food. (Admittedly, that's part of the problem and why it spreads.)

And the ticks. Ticks are terrible vermin, vectors for awful illnesses. But they are manageable, and seasonal. Dress right, be vigilant, etc. Give the pets their flea and tick treatments. Keep the grass mown. And if we got Guinea hens or chickens, they'd hunt those ticks down.

The spiders. SHUDDER. I really don't like spiders. But something happens here as autumn hints at an arrival: blam, the big orb weavers really get going. And webs across the driveway and the doors... shudder. And there's one of these three inch long Carolina Writing Spiders in bold yellow and black with her gorgeous web out at the compost pile. Uuuuuggggghhhhhh. I give her very wide berth. She's been there DAYS. Then there are always the wolf spiders. I'm getting pretty ... calm in negotiating access with them. I swear one was observing me as i was planting in the garden, waiting to see if i was going to get too close. She scurried away another two foot with her egg sack. But the spiders are the enemy of my enemy. And birds eat them.

I don't mind the few black racers and other snakes i've seen. My understanding is black racers will take on copperheads, so they're on the list of allies. Christine is very distressed by snakes, but she's coming to terms with them just as i am coming to terms with spiders.

But now, now.... [much swearing] fire ants. At least they aren't the invasive South American fire ants, just native red stinging ants.
Friday, September 15th, 2017 08:48 pm (UTC)
Chickens will solve your bug problems.
Tuesday, September 19th, 2017 12:34 pm (UTC)
How do you mean "prey creatures"? You mean eating the chickens? We don't do that; we let them live (and lay eggs) until they die, then they get a burial. Or a cremation, possibly.
Saturday, September 16th, 2017 11:01 am (UTC)
I love the spiders. There have been a lot of mosquitoes lately, and I've caught a few in the house. I think since I'm taking the dog out so frequently they sneak in, but some large spiders have been hanging around the kitchen door, so I'm grateful for them. I had to rescue a wolf spider who got into the kitchen.
Sunday, October 1st, 2017 09:48 pm (UTC)
I do forgive myself for when-necessary web destruction by saying that I *am* part of nature, and therefore, natural selection - other spiders will not build webs where I can't avoid them, and thrive. (I don't kill spiders for making webs, but I have no hesitation in tearing down the webs if it seems necessary.)