Nature Archives – Page 9 of 11 – Strength Of The Small

Ladybugs Insects Weather Nature High Desert

Ladybug Hunt

By JM PerezMarch 22, 20132 min read1.3K views

Today being an awesome day, we spent the whole afternoon Ladybug hunting. It was such a fun activity and the kids enjoyed it. These are some of the tools we used:

– Opened Jar/Trimmed Plastic Bottle
– Hammer and Nails (to pierce the lead for air, if you don’t want them to fly off right away or die)
– Small Branch (to watch them climb)
– Magnifying Glasses
– Lots of Patience

They started the search and once the kids had one on sight, they would carefully catch them, put them in a container, admire them for a little while and then release them back into the wild. They enjoy using their magnifying glasses and often end up finding/collecting a lot more than just ladybugs.

Spring 2012 (Ladybugs Hunt). — *Spring 2012 (Ladybugs Hunt) at Lake Gregory, CA.*

I have always known Ladybugs to be beneficial Garden bugs until a few months ago, when I found a few articles while looking for Vegetable Garden Ideas. I was surprised to learn that some species of these beauties are voracious pests themselves and the easiest way to figure out which is which is by counting the number, shape, and placement of the spots on their wing coverings.

Many species are beneficial to gardeners as they eat plant pests such as aphids, Cochineal, mealybug, mites, ground pearls, pit scales, cottony cushion scales and other scale insects. On the flip side, we have the Epilachninae, a different species of Ladybugs, which are herbivores, known as crop pests and are selective feeders (turnip, broccoli, cabbage, maize, beans, cotton and much more).

Before releasing Ladybugs in your garden to fight the good fight for you, make sure you are releasing the predators and not the herbivores. Click here to learn to identify the different species of Ladybugs.

Are Ladybugs in your home? Learn how to get rid of them here and here.
Click here to learn about Releasing Ladybugs in The Garden.

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By JM Perez

Insects Nature Gardening High Desert

Garden Pest: Stink Bugs

By JM PerezFebruary 3, 20131 min read456 views

Stink Bugs! They are green or brown and they got the name ‘shield bug’ from their shield shape and the name ‘stink bug’ from the odor they emit when threaten or when squished. On Monday afternoon, while gardening, I found a Green Stink Bug on a dried Rose bush leaf, probably busy laying eggs on my Rose bushes. They enjoy feeding on tender growth and for that and much more, they are simply a nuisances.

Green Stink Bug on Roses Leaf. — *Green Stink/Soldier Bug on Rose dead Leaf.*

Stink/Shield/Soldier Bug. — *Image Source: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.*

As Spring is nearing, you should start inspecting your Rose bushes (especially on the underside of leaves or along stems for eggs) and other plants as these bugs enjoy new growth. You can use a hard spray of water from the hose early in the morning to eradicate them (add 1 Tablespoon of soap in the sprayer), you can buy some Helpful Garden Insects, or you can use organic pesticides.

Click here to read more about Stink Bugs.
Click here, here and here to read about Rose Pests and how to control them.

Here’s a Book on Roses which I recommend: The Ultimate Rose Book.

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By JM Perez

Parenting Children Education Family Nature

Beautiful Cloudy Day

By JM PerezJanuary 23, 20131 min read480 views

I have never liked cloudy days. Today, however, I am content with the dreary weather.
We are spending the afternoon in the Patio. The kids are multi-tasking (watching TV, drawing, Crafting and writing me letters full of hearts). My daughter is busy looking at the Toys R Us toy book and making a list of all the items she wants for her birthday. Oh, the joy of Motherhood! I love my babies to pieces.

Today was Parent Conference day at my son’s school and we met with his wonderful teacher. She told us what we already knew, that he is Academically Advanced. The drawback of him knowing so much at his age is that he easily gets bored, wants to help everyone around him and doesn’t always follow directions when asked to. I will work harder at encouraging him to listen more and allow others to do what they need to do.

In an effort to prevent broken pipelines due to aging and sudden burst, the City’s Water Pipeline Division has been carrying out water main upgrades by replacing water mains and hydrants to upgrade existing deteriorating water mains. Today was our turn and it was interesting watching these hard working men complete the task.

I am off to work on our next Craft. I will share, I promise.

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By JM Perez

Nature DIY: Projects Gardening High Desert

Primitive 3 Legged Plant Stand

By JM PerezJanuary 16, 20132 min read912 views

This is the first year I have raked leaves in January. Usually by mid-December, the leaves from every tree in our property are completely gone. Fall went by so fast that the leaves from certain trees didn’t get a chance to completely change colors and fall off. Thanks to the erratic weather we’ve had the last couple of weeks, the last of the leaves from our Sweet Almond tree finally fell off. Many people are also experiencing Fall rather than Winter as their trees are barely losing their leaves. Thanks to a warm and lovely weather this morning, I was outside raking up the fallen leaves and working on a few projects. When Nature surprises me, I seize the moment.

Last month I wrote a post on Rabbits and the damages they cause in the garden. The picture below is one of the four barrel planters they ate from. Today we build four plant stands for the barrel planters using dismantled pieces of wood and slabs we kept from the demolition of an old Stall a couple of years ago. I was not interested in anything fancy, just a simple plant stand, high enough to prevent the Rabbits (and possibly squirrels) from eating the plants. All you need is three pieces of wood, cut same size (the height is up to you) as well as a square piece of wood. You gather your three pieces standing up, making sure they form a triangle and then you place the square piece at the top of your triangle and screw them in (each screw must go into your individual pieces).

Once you’re done, you can decide to paint your finish product or leave it as is.

The final task of the day was to lay Chicken Wire around our Daffodils, Stella D’Oro Daylily and Hyacinth beds (we used tie-down stake to anchor the wire into the ground).

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By JM Perez

Construction Snowfall Weather Nature High Desert

One Erratic Day

By JM PerezJanuary 10, 20131 min read575 views

Today has been the most erratic day of the year with a mix of strong/high winds, really low temperatures and very light rain, which gave us a light blanket of white powdery snow. Once the rain stopped and the sun came out, we found ourselves with a nice clear blue sky and a cold, windy atmosphere (the type that literally gets down to our bones and reminds us that we’re still alive). Even the lower Mountain elevations which are normally spared were covered in snow.

Though Gratitude should be expressed and applied on a daily basis, it is during days like these that we are truly grateful for having a roof over our heads and for having people who love us enough to care about our well being. I can only pray for everyone’s safety and for this erratic weather to end.

On a positive note, the construction on the La Mesa & Nisqualli Road Interchange is progressing and we have been driving on some of the new constructed roads that are part of the overpass. This is very good traffic wise as it will tremendously help reduce the congestion on Bear Valley Rd and Palmdale Rd.

Click here to read more about the La Mesa and Nisqualli Road Interchange, Victorville (on Interstate 15).

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By JM Perez