Have You Ever Laid Back In A Field

Bob Bauer

June 14, 2019 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 1 minutes

June 14, 2019

Have you ever laid back in a field of tall grass and noticed there were no insects? After you remain still a few moments they creep back around from the other side of the stalks and you marvel at how many there are. Flea beetles, ants, gnats, spiders and ticks have all hidden from you in fear. It's the same in the garden. Your approach triggers their immobility or hiding instints and you don't see many. If you sit for awhile you will be amazed at how many there are because they begin moving again. There is a little black and yellow wasp that visits me every day in the garden, and hovers in front of my face with wings blurred but body perfectly still..

I've seen him since second grade on the playground so I feel like we're old friends. I can't tell the difference between a mud dauber wasp and a paper wasp but I enjoy the way their legs hang down. Little leaf hoppers make me smile. I don't know why but they feel friendly. Have you seen the way they lean back and forth to get a better look at you? Makes me want to say "Howdy"..

June 16, 2019

The Swiss chard that went to seed and got cut back for mulch has gone to seed again. It forms thick celery like stems that are heavy enough to hold tall grass or Creeping Jenny down. I'm using it on the outside perimeter of my squash plants where they have grown past the surrounding circle of straw. Using garden waste as mulch has increased the diameter of the circles around the artichokes too, which looked a bit disconcerting when I cut the plants back..

It initially looked as if it was a big waste of space but I grew to understand that if it wasn't there, weeds would be. Recycling plants and weeds by using them as mulch has been a rewarding learning experience, and I tend to think it will become the standard for future gardeners..

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