Thank you for the replies. I did check out the link, and found a couple companies I want to try. I'll check on the iris. I have day lilies, some, I just planted this year, and they haven't bloomed yet, and the larger kinds of iris. The bed I want to put them in will have lots of annuals, too, so they should be small when the early bulbs are blooming. In my other beds I have some crocus, grape hyacinths that get covered by perennial geraniums, daffodils, that take forever for their foliage to die, that I plant annuals around, and a few tulips here and there. I also have a clump of arum that my son informed me prefers shade that I may move. I had another, but it died. When I bought the arum bulbs, I had no idea what they were, and they are kind of cool, with their arrow shaped foliage, and their little balls that turn red. That made me wonder if there were other plants out there I haven't heard of that the foliage dies back sooner for. I'm sure there are plants I'm not familiar with, but thanks for letting me know I'll still have foliage to deal with. I paid 5.98 a piece for the Lycoris. I wouldn't have if I'd realized they were Surprise Lilies. I don't know if they are the pale pink like I've seen, or a brighter pink like the tag shows. Are there different kinds of these? Thanks again, Sue

The green iridescent bug - with a pointed back - may be a lacewing. It's larvae - the ant lion eats ants, and it should be encouraged. Planting things that attract "good" bugs is a plus. Right now, I have broccoli that is flowering (bolting) and is covered with bees. In turn, newly planted things like peppers, tomatoes are flowering and hopefully, the bees will pollinate these. Also, coriander/cilantro is also flowering - and attracting wasps that are also beneficial. Many birds will eat ants - encourage also. We also have lizards that eat their share as well - thank heaven, because this area has lots and lots of ants - which in and of themselves aren't bad - but their cows - the aphids need to be controlled - they will kill young plants by sucking juices. Bejay

Wasps would have two reasons to be around lettuce. One reason is water (for mud/paper nest building), but wasps would normally gather water/mud from the ground, not the plants. The second reason is that many wasps eat caterpillars; If your leaves have any holes in them, caterpillars are around. Wasps can "smell" damaged/chewed leaves from a great distance and it is possible the watering makes tiny fractures in the delicate lettuce leaves. The wasps would be fooled into checking it out. Wasps spend the entire summer bobbing up and down at our vinyl roof gutters. They do this by the hour, to no apparent benefit. So your lettuce-leaf wasps may be barking up the wrong tree also.

Yep, Red-tailed Hawk. Dark head, pale breast, dark belly. -O-