A few days ago (when there was a break in the weather) I went and cleaned up the areabehind the shed. That is the messiest part of the yard where clippings, leaves, branches, and other yard debris get piled up. The shed rests on a large concrete slab. There is about six feet x twelve feet of concrete behind the shed that I plan to make into a little seating area/patio. I had a black box composter sitting there, so a few days ago I moved it to behind a cluster of trees that will hide it. I swept the area and put a couple of rustic containers in for colorful plants. Moved the little grill to this spot too. Next thing to get is one of those fire pits (metal ones you can buy at Lowes, etc) and a couple of chairs. This area faces part of the flower garden and the tiny veggie plot, which may be made into a flower garden in a couple of years (if the front veggie garden goes in and does well). CMK

/TPH. I like the white caterpillar photo a lot! It's kind of neat when we import plants and yet local arachnid camouflage still works fine. /Mike. Awesome caterpillar! He looks about ready for a hookah. We saw a giant mantis roaming around on the front window of the pub last night and it looked so brilliant highlighted against the golden backdrop that I really should have taken a picture. I guess it was looking for prey, but it was a bit odd to see it in such an urban environment. Although I guess if they live on Quinn's ceiling that's evidence that they are city proof.

We have had these bugs nesting near our patio in a hanging "chime" for a few years now, that has horizontal metal tubes. They plug up the middle of the tube with grasses and close down the entrance so they can squeeze in- and plug it up completely in the winter. They seem to be a solitary insect- 1 bug per tube entrance- although we do have a few living in this chime. I too have seen them resting on trees- and vertical plants in the garden- and I believe the males are much smaller- shorter, thicker and more bronze/sheen black colored- who knew they were hard to find- maybe I should bottle one up and make a call next time I think I see what I think is a male- they do not appear to live long- I doubt I will see one again this year- although momma can be seen tending the nest early in the cooler morning temps in the hot weather. I believe they live longer than one year- as it sure seems to be the same creature we see every year for the last few years. They are frightening to witness- but we have never had any trouble with these bugs- they generally keep to themselves and have never shown any aggression- and actually seem to prefer privacy and solitude. Bonus that they like grubs! I was concerned they might be harming trees. I hope you can put your concerns to rest soon and maybe even appreciate them for their fearsomely odd appearance-

Thanks! Most of the things in the front were there already, I just trimmed some back to allow others to take over more of the spotlight. The hostas have been subject to several harsh trims in order to let the iris and bleeding hearts show through. The shrubs in the background were also harshly pruned so they stay back in the background as I do not really like shrubs but the owner said I had to keep them. I did tear out several large shrubs and bushes though, making open spaces, it was all overgrown. I also added mulch, which made them pop more, I think. I went out today and trimmed the large bushes up above my head, I got sick of getting a face full of bush when mowing under them (the hydrangea and lilac). Unfortunately, they are all being eaten by a wood boring pest that my landlord refuses to acknowledge, so this will probably be their last year, then they will have to be taken out or at least severely cut back to the ground. Hopefully I have found a nicer, more rural apartment by then. :) I do feel like I have improved this one, though, so I am staying positive!