Posted on 09/01/2025 4:39:33 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I get a sort of "mini-effect" like that under my (now huge) Opo plant. :-)
If I'd planned it better from the start, I could probably have a 15' x 15' area with nothing overhead but Opo plant.
The process started, so I had my cell phone camera rolling. It took several minutes for the little lady to come all the way out.
Here she is almost fully emerged.
She had a good afternoon, pumping her wings and letting them dry. We are having rain tonight, so we will see if she’s ready to leave the habitat and make her way in the real world.
Wifey chastises me for keeping a couple trash bags of used 2 liter soda bottles. But, today, to take a break from computer headaches, I made a quite decent “one month plus” chicks’ feeder out of nothing but a cut up 2 liter soda bottle, a ~2-1/2” deep “saucer” on clearance from Wally World for 25 cents, and a few dabs of hot melt glue.
Note: Normally adhesion of hot melt glue to PET plastic, and similar “low surface energy” plastics is poor. So, where you want a joint (weld), hold the two pieces together and punch a hole through them with a 1/8” cheapest-you-can-find soldering gun tip. Keep the pieces held together for a full minute. This will tack the two pieces together. Then come back with a hot melt glue gun and run a LITTLE hot melt glue through the hole, filling it, and creating a bit of a cap on either side. This will create a sort of “hot melt glue rivet”, but unlike a metal rivet, it won’t corrode / rust. Clip off any excess if need be, but remember you are making a sort of “rivet” for a “permanent” attachment.
If you want to hang the feeder, you can make a couple hot melt reinforced holes, 180 deg. apart, near the top of the feeder.
Use a fairly high temp hot melt glue gun if possible, but with care. The high temps will get you better adhesion than might be expected — I suspect by activating the plastics’ surface not unlike a flame treatment. The trick is to not melt your parts TOO much! :-)
Given the time involved, this is not cost effective, but, as a sort of “craft” (or “prepper?) project, it is rewarding - esp. when the chicks get used to their new feeder and excitedly gather ‘round at feeding time!
NOTE: The “cap end” of the bottle becomes a “cone” at the bottom-middle of the feeder, to divert feed to the openings into the saucer. Use as much of the straight sided portion of the bottle as possible, to hold feed. Once the chicks get 6” tall or so, they eat a lot...
How is your lemon verbena doing? I decided I needed to harvest mine today to make some liqueur. I hope it will turn out. I didn’t have as many leaves as it called for in the recipe I used.
The funny thing in the recipes I looked at, there were varying amounts of leaves to use. They went all the way from 1/2 cup packed, to 3 cups packed, with everything in between. I used about 3/4 cup packed for 750 ml vodka.
I made this a few years ago, and while I enjoyed it, not many others did. My favorite way to enjoy it was to add it to unsweet tea. I’m looking for other uses, but sipping it straight is nice, too.
Yes - pretty amazing, eh? My youngest brother was an avid moth and butterfly collector* in his teens, and "hatched" out quite a few from chrysalis and cocoons, including some VERY large Cecropia moths. (One was within 1/4" of being a State record.)
He had, by age 13, a collection that amazed even the etymologists at the large university near us. They said it might be the best one in our end of the state!
I am in awe of this amazing process. I guess I’ve had other things to pay attention to, but this year, my milkweed patch was so large that I saw Monarchs there every day for weeks, which turned into hundreds of caterpillars out there. I only “rescued” the last 35 of them, and only because we had that cold spell in the evenings for 5 or so days. They already have enough trouble making it through. I figured I could at least give them a temporary home.
I pay more attention to birds and flowers than butterflies, but the metamorphosis is a stunning event. I’m glad I’ve gotten to see this.
French Breakfast Puffs / so much deliciousness for so little work.
Heavenly quick-fix breakfast puffs coated with cinnamon and sugar.
Ing 1/3 c shortening 1/2 c sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 c flour 1 1/2 tsp b/powder 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 cup milk, Coating 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 c sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted
Method Grease 15 muffin cups, 2 1/2x1 1/4". Mix well shortening, 1/2 c sugar, egg. Stir in flour, b/powder, salt, nutmeg alternately w/ milk. Place in muffin cups. Bake golden 350 deg 20-25 min.
Final Roll hot muffins immediately in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Serve hot.
I was just looking at my ‘sprawling’ lemon verbena yesterday morning & thinking next year, I should plan to make liqueur. I actually cut back some of the branches that were crowding my little lavender. Based on the amounts you gave, I would have plenty of leaves; however, the leaves aren’t as nice now because the plant is going into fall mode. The plant obviously liked the raised bed environment & did well, so I will plant again next year & plan on making liqueur.
Finding lemon verbena might not be easy - I ran across it at a nursery in the spring where we bought our first 4 Little Missy boxwoods. The Farm Bureau, Walmart & the country market just down the road (lots of flowers & some herbs) did not have lemon verbena.
It’s not easy to find, so I saved the tops of the plant to try to make starts for next year. I have no idea if that will work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
What else do you do with them except love that amazing aroma when you touch it? I have to look around for more ideas.
As much as I dislike BUGS in general, their life cycles are miraculously fascinating.
I can see where people would want to go into that line of study/work for a living.
Not sure if it’s due to the early, way-too-much rains we had, but I’ve seen more Katydids than I have in decades - and there are a lot more grasshoppers around, too.
They blend in so nicely!
I am constantly amazed at how camouflaged so many things in the natural world are.
Hide well or be EATEN, LOL!
I don’t really do anything except enjoy the scent. Looks like I need to get more creative plus read articles like this:
35 ways to use lemon verbena
https://cnz.to/ingredients-fine-foods/35-ways-to-use-lemon-verbena/
You’ve done my homework for me! I was going to start looking, but you’ve beat me to it. Hopefully these starts will work out over the winter for planting next spring.
I’m also getting basil started for ongoing use over the fall and winter. So far, so good.
Foodie beard: -1.
Foodie beard: -1.
Foodie beard: -1.
Foodie beard: -1.
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