September 2025

September 1-5

We have multiple earthworm habitats throughout the gardens, but this one is designed for easy access to a handful of earthworms for observation. I salvaged a metal box that is large enough to hold our plastic worm composting bin, and Luis added hinged doors that can be latched. (Raccoons would love to visit this earthworm buffet.) The plastic inner bin is smaller than the outer metal box so surrounding air and added leaves or hay will help insulate this mini habitat in the winter. We will also add a blanket of cardboard over the inside surface of the soil and seal the plastic bin with the yellow lid.  For added insulation, the box is partially buried, and it is in a location protected from north winds.

September 9

The season for leaf collecting has begun. For the first time in months, I spied sacks of leaves available for the taking. And we do take them, as many as we can handle. Over the years we have learned what types of leaves fill the sacks at different locations in our community. They are usually clean (they don’t include trash or weeds), but we check each sack before emptying it into the middle of our Nectar Patches or compost bins. Adding leaves gradually from early to late fall allows them to settle and cover the ground in layers which works better for us than adding them all at once before the first freeze.

September 10

When I approached one of our two garden fruit plates to replace the fruit, I encountered a swallowtail waiting patiently for my arrival. As you can see the 2-day old banana and orange have been consumed by ants, beetles, and butterflies. (When racoons visit the plate, they take the fruit and leave nothing behind.) As fruits like bananas ripen, they undergo chemical changes that produce sugar and a sweet aroma. Pollinators sense the riper the fruit the more sugar it contains. Lots of pollinators are attracted to decaying fruit. The fruit rinds left behind can be cut into smaller pieces and added directly to garden soil or placed in a compost bin as a source of nutrients.

September 12

We finally added a Touch Table to our STEAM garden. It currently has fossils, petrified wood, an egg shell, a snake skin, a wasp nest, an antler, a geode, and plastic models of the stages of an earthworm’s life cycle. Specimens will be added and/or changed periodically. We also purchased bookmark-magnifying glasses that visitors can use while visiting the gardens, or keep for personal use. We encourage students to safely observe common things like leaves, flowers, wood, rocks, soil, aphids, snails, roots, pollen, and butterfly eggs.

September 13

Redwisker Clammy Weed (Polanisia dodecandra) looks like another plant with an interesting name – spiderflower (Cleome spp.). If your hands feel ‘clammy’ after touching one of these plants, you will know which one you touched! Also, when it flowers you can see the long red stamens do look like whiskers. I’ve heard people refer to clammy weed as a legume, and it looks like it would be a legume, but it is an annual herb instead. It is not nitrogen-fixing, but it is easy to grow, it self-seeds, and it produces nectar-rich flowers all summer and into fall.

September 14

This is a load of cedar mulch that has been through only one cut cycle. Finer mulch that has been cut twice, is more expensive and not always needed. Consider how you are going to use the mulch before buying a truck or trailer load. We use the larger cut mulch for walkways and around trees and shrubs. We use double-cut mulch around plants in our raised beds and in our black planter pots. When we see utility trucks cutting trees under power lines, we give them our contact info and offer them a free dumping site. We get lots of free single-cut mulch.

September 15

In the spring, I bought two porterweed plants from a farmer’s market.

When they bloomed, I was surprised by their beautiful red flowers.

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, or Blue Porterweed, is the species that is native to Texas. Stachytarpheta miniacea is red porterweed and it is native to tropical ecosystems. Red porterweed will not survive our Zone 8b winter temperatures, while blue porterweed can survive with lots of mulch. All porterweeds are strong nectar producers that support pollinators. Just a reminder, if you want your garden to feature only plants native to your area, check both the genus and species name before you buy.

September 16

From left to right we have three tubs of gomphrenas -- purple, red, and white. Globe amaranths (Gomphrena globosa) are non-native ornamentals that are non-invasive. It was first grown in Virginia in the early 1700s, and colonists carried seeds of this easy-to-grow annual with them as they moved west. This colorful plant produces nectar from spring to fall and birds eat the seeds hidden deep within the bracts. (Note the papery bracts are not the seeds.; they protect the seeds.)

September 17

Can you identify the chives in this photograph as garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)?

First clue, garlic chive plants usually have white flowers. Onion chives (Allium schoenoprasum) have pink or purple flowers. Second clue, garlic chive leaves are flat and look like wide-grass blades.  Onion chives have round leaves that are long and hollow like green onions. This photo was taken about a week before the first day of fall, garlic chives bloom in fall and onion chives bloom late spring to early summer. Guide garden visitors to be observant and to find similarities and differences between species.

September 18

We found this nest of mice pups hidden underneath a flat of old cardboard collected to block weeds. About three feet away, we saw the snout of an adult mouse watching us while hiding under a second flat. We left the nest untouched and came back the next morning to find the pups were gone, but the nest wasn’t disturbed. Mice can pick up their young and move them to safety like cats and dogs. We were able to use the cardboard, and we assume the pups are safe. These are the first mice seen in our garden! However, remember the snake pictures featured in the July 24, 2025 entry? The snake had consumed something about the size of an adult mouse. There are lots of food chains in a biodiverse garden.

September 19

We salvaged these tree rings from a burn pile, and they are a great addition to the STEAM garden. The cross-cut sections are stacked like rocks and/or bricks, to form a shelter for amphibians, reptiles, insects, and small mammals. Luis drilled 5”- 6” deep horizontal tunnels into the logs for tunnel-dwelling bees. Carpenter bees like tunnels that are ½” in diameter. Mason bees prefer ¼” or 3/8” diameter tunnels. We are calling the Mason Bee Tree a Tree Bee & Bee. It is facing south, which is the recommended direction for tunnel bee house entrances.

September 20

Plumbago is another non-native perennial that it is well-adapted to the climate and well-accepted for use in home gardens. This evergreen plant grows and produces its beautiful blue flowers even in partial shade. We have one growing near our below-ground fishpond. If you look closely, you can see part of it in the upper right corner of the photo. We use this plant in the STEAM garden to study bisexual flowers and evergreen plants. Also, its stems are an example of decumbent stems or stems that grow along the ground with their tips turned up. The stems don’t root, but they cover and protect soil from erosion.

September 20

Besides the horrific July 4th flood, the summer of 2025 has been hot and dry. The frogs in our garden are dependent upon us to provide them with a comfortable habitat. We find lots of frogs and froglets in and around areas that stay moist, like our fishpond, low-water receptacles, and propagation stations that get a daily misting. Even in times of drought, a garden can have frogs and toads if you create safe, shady areas that are consistently moist. It is also helpful to have a small pond with water so they can stay hydrated and lay eggs.

September 21

Look closely and you will see the skeleton of a lizard at the entrance of a fire ant mound (Solenopsis). Fire ants are omnivores. They eat plants, seeds, insects, and small animals like this lizard. If you live in fire ant territory, you know they are aggressive and they have a very painful sting. They grip their prey by biting and then use the stinger on the tip of their abdomen to inject venom.  This is different from many stinging ants that bite, release, and then spray acid on the bite. Unfortunately, fire ants can sting multiple times in rapid succession.

September 22 - October 2

My husband and I traveled to Iceland with friends who are also involved in various forms of education. Iceland is truly a land of fire and ice and hot and cold water! As you can see from the photographs we visited spectacular waterfalls, lava fields, geysers, ice bergs, ice caves, and lava tunnels. (I wasn’t sure I was going to make it out of the lava tunnel!) We fell in love with the people, flora, fauna, and geology of this amazing country. I’m just sorry we missed the Atlantic puffins. They migrated south a few weeks before our arrival.