an all 'round bug-filled day...

...that sort of makes me cringe to even think about it, much less put it in print for all the world to see. I am 'way more squeamish that I realized, since telling of all the living things I destroyed today makes me wince. The millipedes I picked up and put in the trash this  morning do not count, nor does the many legged centipede I had to get the broom and dustpan for before I left home (not at all willing to actually touch that one.)

We've had a good bit of rain in recent days, enough for me to feel it would be safe to transplant. Part of the problem is the fact that the clay here is too hard to dig, so you have to wait for it to get wet to be able to get the process underway. It's like trying to get a hole started in concrete unless it is wet. So rain encouraged me to want to go dig a couple of holes, and frequent thunder storms continue to bring enough to think my newly planted native azaleas will survive.

When I went out to get the pots to decide where to put the plants, there were at least half a dozen of those nasty, disgusting grasshoppers that got squished. A couple of them were married. They were doing something that should not take place in public, so it is obvious they have No Shame. I hope they all got their guts smooshed out before they had a chance to make or lay eggs that will hatch next year.

The other thing -even worse than grasshopper guts: a big fat green worm gnawing it's way along my tomato plant. I've killed two in recent weeks, one nearly decimated the 'Husky' grape tomato I was very optimistic for providing a bumper crop to add to salads. The other was just in the wrong place at the wrong time: on my tomato plant, so he died.

The one I picked off the tomato today (with purple gloves on) I just took off in the woods and tossed. There was some debate about amnesty versus shoe bottom, and that big fat disgusting horn worm has no idea how lucky he is today. I'd recommend going to buy a lottery ticket...