April's May

Tradescantia, or Spiderwort, named so to honor the English naturalists John Tradescant the Elder and the Younger. Who knew? I prefer the moniker Spiderwort, most likely named because its leaves resemble the legs of spiders. I did not plant this Americas native* in our front yard garden, but there it is. A little weedy; meaning it pops up here or there. It does not like the heat of a summer sidewalk, preferring a partly sunny, moist woodland edge.

Aphids on a gloriously green, 'New Dawn' rose. Hey, birds, come on back!

The geranium and the carpenter bee. A myth or maybe a children's tale?

*Americas native -there are several Tradescantia native to both North and South America. Mine, while unknown, is likely a cultivated native of the northeastern American continent -such as Tradescantia virginiana.

Unusual Light

No, it's that there are more things in bloom and leafed out than there usually are when the sun is at this azimuth.

 In that light, the species tulips glow. I always prefer them closed to open.

And much like the daffodils near the park, these are gaining aphids. With so little soft vegetation for all those winter-surviving aphids to tap, they've been found in the less than usual places. Chrysanthemum stems, daffodils, and now the species tulips.

The Aphid Trap 2

While the old broccoli continues to wane, the aphids appear to come and go. They are back now after what seemed a brief hiatus. Either way, they are only on these broccoli stalks, nothing else.
So I will continue to call this the aphid trap...except...soon its time to plant my fall broccoli!

You Know Its Frost Free Time When...

The Aphids come along.

I have three rose bushes in my front yard garden. One is a the climber, New Dawn. The other two are pictured here. On the left is Rosa "Knockout" and on the right is an old Tea Rose I ripped out of my grandmother's backyard before her house was sold. I pruned the knockout heavy this year. The Tea is about 50 years old.

The leaves and bud on the old Tea

As you can see in the above picture, there's not one aphid on the Tea. Whole plant completely clear.

The leaves on the Knockout

But the Knockout, literally 18 inches from the Tea has a good colony of Aphids on many of the young leaf shoots. Why do they prefer the Knockout over the Tea or the New Dawn? This isn't particular to this year either. I don't believe it has to do with the hard prune, but does it? The Knockout can handle it though, its one tough mother.