Last week I turned over a rock in a sidewalk treebed and this little earwig scuttled out looking for a new burrow.
Earwig
Runner Bean Flowers
Late blooms on the scarlet runner beans planted in mid-summer.
Morning Glory Color
I love the intense colors of the morning glory assortment outside my office.
Purple Cayenne Peppers
I love the deep purple hue of these cayenne peppers, still abundant as the autumn harvest from my garden draws to a close.
Persicaria
This plant blew into the garden from somewhere a few years ago and is now well established. It appears to be a member of the Persicaria family, probably P. maculosa, “Lady’s Thumb,” a member of the knotweed family.
Some sources report that P. maculosa produces a yellow/green dye (with an alum mordant), although one source says red/brown.
Mixed Tomato Harvest
Harvested a bunch of tomatoes off my windowsill planters.
Evening Primrose
Cheery yellow bloom.
Silver Ragwort Returns
I had initially thought that silver ragwort (aka “Dusty Miller”) was an annual, but it turns out to be winter hardy, and several of the ones I planted last year survived our gentle winter and have continued to provide an unusual bit of contrast in the garden this season.
Spotted Lantern Fly Alert
I just killed a second Spotted Lantern Fly less than 24 hours after the first, so I’ve nailed its carcass to my garden gate as a warning to others.
(Well, that was my original plan, but I switched to tape because I don’t think a nail would’ve worked very well.)
Daffodil Invitation for Neighboring Buildings
Nominally, anyone can perform tree-bed care activities — such as cleaning, cultivating, watering, and planting — on any sidewalk in New York City.
However, it seems to be generally accepted etiquette that the people who live in a building have “first dibs” on the adjacent tree beds, and thus I am loathe to do much digging unless it’s clear that the people who live or work in that stretch have no interest in doing so.
In hopes of mustering some buy-in from my neighbors, I’ve posted letters in a couple of nearby building, inviting them to join me in planting daffodil bulbs in their tree beds.
