Corn, beans and squash are up ... and wildlife is moving in

The Three Sisters Garden is up and flourishing: each mound has 4 corn plants, several bean and squash plants. Fat, healthy sunflowers divide the mounds. Ms. Lane's class planted this garden and help construct the bamboo tee-pees for the purple yard long beans.

Increasingly there are signs of life in the garden - the tiny violets and violas are the host plant of this brightly colored caterpillar - I think this is a Variegated Fritillary Caterpillar. What do you think?








We have noticed more bird activity since we have a bird bath and bird seed back in the garden. A pair of mockingbirds have begun making a nest in a buddleia bush. They have started by laying several sticks parallel to each other - these are thinnish but long sticks, about twice as long as the bird was. You can't see it too clearly, but here is a picture of the beginning of the nest. The bird on the radio tower is one of the pair monitoring our activity in the garden.









Did you know butterflies are not the only insect whose life cycle includes metamorphosis?

This is the pupae stage of a ladybug, before it becomes a fully grown beetle.

Here is a coloring sheet showing the life cycle of a ladybug.

This website also gives tons of information about ladybugs.