Pests, Weeds, and Wildflowers

I've written before about how difficult it is to garden here...

I keep trying, though.

My echinacea patch is disappearing down these holes in the sand...

Nice big melons on dying vines, watermelons don't grow very good with no roots...

And these guys aren't much fun to have in the garden either...

Corn ear worms are eating my sandwich tomatoes... 

I guess I should stick to growing cherry tomatoes...

Everglades tomatoes... Supposed to be "invasive"... Let's hope...

 I'll just teach the bugs to eat weeds, and leave the crops alone... 

 Cucumber bug eating pigweed

the caterpillar from my last post...

manduca sexta caterpillar eating american nightshade (Solanum americanum)

goatweed leafwing caterpillar

 

Croton capitatum 

host plant for the above caterpillar (Anaea andria Scudder)

Sand wasp visiting croton flower

 

Partridge pea

Centrosema

snake cotton

If you can't grow veggies... Makes sense to learn to like the weeds.

Hawk Moths

When the hawk moths show up... Very excitin'!

These babies are huge!

Hawk moth visiting the 4 o'clock flwrs.

They enjoy the cleome as well.

The above sphinx moths are the Manduca Sexta, AKA the dreaded tomato hornworm...

 I found a tiny hornworm this morning...

Not sure who this smaller moth is...

Want to observe the show in your own yard?
These moths start diving into the flowers at dusk... Just about the time "jeopardy" comes on the tv...

I've observed them also visiting the datura blooms and the crinum... matter of fact, I saw one actually pulling the petals open on one of my crinums!

Seems like they'd be into the brugmansias also... unfortunately... I keep forgetting to check...

 They go all the way down in there!

 Occupado....