Blue Flax, Spittlebugs, and a Gardening Magazine

 Blue Flax

The blue flax (Linum lewisii) is one of my native plants.  It's a short-lived perennial, but it does  naturalize, the seed pods ripen and scatter the seed.  Mine grew as both part of the Dollar Tree's boxed Wild Flower Blend and 25 cent packet Perennial Blend.

They don't bloom their first year, at least mine didn't, staying a low rosette that lasted through the winter.  

Now it's flowering, and it's such a pretty flower.

The stems look droopy, but that's just the way they are.  The flowers open and their stems become rigid, so the blooms don't sag.  

This bloom is finished, and its stamens with anthers are sticking out.  Maybe a last ditch effort to get pollinated?

 

Spittlebug

Spittlebugs, or froghoppers, don't give me a lot of problems.  Usually I only find them on the woolly apple mint, which isn't mature yet.  I have been finding a few on borage and a penstemon in the Pollinator Garden.  They don't really cause damage, even if they suck plant sap, but I don't like the look of the spittle!  Of course, it isn't spittle, it is produced by the nymph's other end!   That black insect has no relation to the spittlebug, it's just a flying insect that got caught in the foam.

If you can get past the ick factor of the foam, spittlebugs are actually quite interesting!  

The spittle is formed when the nymph adds air bubbles from a valve on the abdomen, moving to foam up the liquid it secretes.  Then, they use their hind legs to hide in the spittle.  The foam not only hides the nymphs, but it keeps them from dehydrating, and regulates their temperature.    

Spittlebugs hatch from eggs left over the winter in leaf litter.  As helpless as they look, they are able to crawl.  They crawl up stems of plants looking for new tender growth, where they set up their spittle nests.  The nymphs go through five stages (instars) before reaching adulthood in about five to six weeks, changing from orange to yellow to pale green. 

My particular spittlebug is the Meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius). I am glad it isn't a type in Africa that is so large, and secrete so much spittle that it drips out of trees!  

You may read they are well hidden, and hard to find.  That is NOT true!  

Not if you are willing to wipe the spittle off with a finger.  It's easy to find the nymph, and flick it away or in early stages just rub it away with your fingers, it's soft.

Do I feel the least bit bad about killing spittlebugs?  A bit.  But, I don't want snails in my garden. Or aphids, squash bugs, earwigs...  

This photo of an older nymph was taken a few years ago.  Not quite as cute, is it?

Once adults, the spittlebugs leave to live out the summer, usually in grasses.  They have hard brown bodies, and are often mistaken for leafhoppers as they jump.

Gardening Magazine

Desperate for reading material while the library is closed (and I haven't reached the rock bottom that is eBook!) I bought several old gardening magazines on eBay.

This one came yesterday, and I am thrilled with it!

Never mind it was published in 1996, after all gardening is ageless.  I don't think the magazine was read when new, it is in that good a shape.  

In the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge (going on now, but only W-Z left) my K was for Knot Gardens.  Not an easy thing to find information about, even online.  But, this magazine has a Knot Garden feature, six pages!  

 Hmmm... someone isn't too happy I'm looking at a magazine instead of her!

 "You will NOT read this article." 

The only things that gives this magazine away as old are the two ads on the inside front and back covers.  Both are for cigarettes!  

The past for days have been less than lovely, so it's great to get up to a sunny, warm, Sunday!

Keep well.  Keep inside or Keep to the Garden.