Wife is getting down in the dumps lately

[vicrider 0]

She is one of those ambitious types that you drive by our house and say, "Wow, look at the flower gardens there". Last couple of years the grasshoppers have been so bad they are destroying everything before it can really bloom out. She's done major works in creating a yard and porch that has great curb appeal in the neighborhood (though we don't have curbs) and it really gets her down that the hoppers are so bad the last few years she can't keep ahead of them. She's tried some sprays and it kills the batch eating everything but they are replaced within a day or two by all their relatives who came to the funeral.

For years hers has been one of yards that goes into the monthly showing in the paper and it is sad to see her getting down more and more with the hoppers attacking every thing growing at ground level except the weeds which seem to have developed natural defenses over the eons against them. I have to wonder if it not one of those things that is part of the major loss of birds that would otherwise help keep them down. So many other insects we were used to in the past are just not here now, bird activity is definitely down, and even the moths that used to have hatches that were almost scary a couple of times a summer are more an oddity now then the clouds you almost had to tunnel through in the evening. 

I'm not big on gardening or even getting out of the house myself anymore but would hate to see her discouragement take away one of her favorite spring and summer loves that are such an important part of her life.

ps...Just talking to a friend about how birds used to squabble over their spot to sit on the power lines across the road. Now if there's two or three birds on the line it's a lot.

[mikechell 0]

I am not a fan of the "Climate change" brouhaha ... but the temperatures HAVE been rising/changing for several decades.  I don't believe that human input has caused it, but that it's a natural warming cycle.  Cold/warm cycles have been going on for the history of our planet, and we just happen to be in a warming trend.

That said, the warmer temps are causing wildlife populations to shift their ranges.  It's causing grasshopper/locust populations to expand, as their preferred environment is drier, hotter than many other creatures.

Sorry to hear your wife's hard work is being destroyed.   

I've heard before, the best way to make a pest species (flora or fauna) disappear is to turn it into a food source.  The fried grasshopper I had a few years ago was pretty good!

[skeet3t 0]

When I was in grade school in the 50s, they said the climate was cooling. But there have been drastic weather/climate hiccups in the past. 19th century England had a mini-ice age with very low temperatures. They predict the coming season of summer.We'll know in October.

[niveker 0]

2 hours ago, vicrider said:

bird activity is definitely down

Time to get some chickens, they love grasshoppers.  

[vicrider 0]

58 minutes ago, niveker said:

Time to get some chickens, they love grasshoppers.  

Bwahahaha... Right now we are trying to figure out a way to get rid of the roosters our squatter neighbors have brought in with them. Crowing any time of the day or night and one is super loud and the other crows like someone is choking it. No, chickens won't work. Unfortunately we live in a rural town ( and it's the county seat ) that has no rules on wildlife or zoning. For those who've driven through the south where you have beautiful homes and yards sandwiching tilting trailer houses with half a dozen non-running cars and trucks in the front yard that's Cheyenne. There are a few laws about real eyesore yards and homes but they are only enforced if they offend one of the old guard. Then they do something like they did on our opposite corner. Take over a disastrous mess of two dilapidated trailers and a falling down garage for taxes, send in a local crew to clean it up for $18K, then sell it to one of their kids for $3K. 

Oh yeah, we are also in one of those under 30% vaccinated counties also. There are a lot of good things about rural southern towns but it would take two generations of kids and grandkids staying here to become part of the "real" town. 'Course owning a double lot with a really nice house for $40K and a carport and 12'x24 ' new outbuilding and paying $96 a year in taxes is one of the good parts.

[richmce 0]

my wifes flowers were below par   so is surprised her by adding some real bright fake flowers from the craft store[ had to check out the new yarns anyhow] neighbors are really complimenting her  she justs says her husband has been helping.  

[DFoster 0]

16 hours ago, mikechell said:

I am not a fan of the "Climate change" brouhaha ... but the temperatures HAVE been rising/changing for several decades.  I don't believe that human input has caused it, but that it's a natural warming cycle.  Cold/warm cycles have been going on for the history of our planet, and we just happen to be in a warming trend.

That said, the warmer temps are causing wildlife populations to shift their ranges.  It's causing grasshopper/locust populations to expand, as their preferred environment is drier, hotter than many other creatures.

I'm 100% with you Mike.  We humans have been keeping climate records for about 200 years and the planet is billions of years old.  How arrogant it is of us to say what's normal.  12,000 years ago the north was under 2 miles of ice and now it's not and the fact is human activity didn't create the ice or it's recession.  "Climate change" happens on it's own and humans are powerless to stop it.  The inconvenient truth really is that "man made climate change" is the latest in a long line of boogie men crisis created to scare the ignorant for political reasons.  

[Steeldrifter 0]

Sorry to her she's down in the dumps. I know how she feels though. You've seen my bonsai/backyard, right now it is over grown with tones of weeds. They grew up during the 2 weeks I was gone on my fishing trip and now i have been so busy since getting back  I haven't had a chance to go get it back in shape so it's really a mess for the past month. Funny how something like a prized yard being in bad shape can make you feel bad, but it certainly can. I hope to tryin get mine taken care of this week if they rain stops.

[knotjoe 0]

18 hours ago, vicrider said:

For years hers has been one of yards that goes into the monthly showing in the paper and it is sad to see her getting down more and more with the hoppers attacking every thing growing at ground level except the weeds which seem to have developed natural defenses over the eons against them.

Native wildflowers usually do pretty well and are quite attractive while being pleasantly low maintenance.  That's how I groove with it, anyway.  Take note of what grows naturally when out fishing and birding, grab seeds after the bloom seasons and plant them at home.  If your spouse is the talented horticulturist you describe her as, this can open up a whole new realm for her to explore.

Some get munched...Butterfly Milkweed, Dill, and anything for butterfly attraction/propagation because that's it's main purpose.  Beebalms, salvias, coneflowers...there's a huge category of botanicals to work with here and they seem largely resistant to most insects.  There's something in Okie you can work with outside of what I suspect are attractive, yet very weak choices in marketed cultivars.

For what it's worth, my horticulture hobby started as a vegetable gardener (actually growing weed earlier in life😁) and evolved into a native pollinator gardener largely for the reasons your wife is bummed.   I'm no chem on herbicide/pesticide and it works great, but you gotta plant the right stuff.  My sister lives down in Okie and does great with the same approach, actually vastly better due to the awesome sun exposure and long growing season.  

Get out for a few hikes with a camera and take note of what's out there, nice to look at, and doing well in the conditions present.  A different look, but surprisingly attractive and very rewarding approach to playing in the dirt and growing stuff.  

[dogfacedoc 0]

My yard is all weeds, with native wildflowers in the flower beds propagating themselves. My next door neighbor mentioned the weeds last year "but y'all haven't lived there long enough to really get the lawn right." I'm waiting for her to mention it again this year so I can tell her she's welcome to spend her money on chemicals to kill plants that will just take over again when we are all dead and gone, otherwise she can keep that passive aggressive shit to herself. 

Side note - garden is popping off, noticed a bunch of habaneros fruiting today. The only sprays I use are neem oil and BT. Released a few thousand lady bugs a few weeks ago. I'm sure at least one has stuck around.

[niveker 0]

+1 on the advice from @knotjoe.  I've always enjoyed playing in the dirt, and I learned years ago that there's no better plant to have in the garden than the ones that grow wild on the side of the road.  Milkweed, chicory, wisteria, white hydrangea, foxglove, wild coreopsis, daisies, ferns, lilacs, rhodora, hibiscus, you name it, I've pulled it up.  If I find it growing on the side of the road or around an old homestead when I'm hiking, either the seeds or the root ball comes home with me.  Years ago I read a book, I think it was called 'Dirty hands' or something like that, where the author advocated this type of gardening.  One of her favorite ways to get new plantings was to visit the edges and compost heap of cemeteries.  She figured it the plant was hardy enough to escape into the wild and thrive, or grow after being disposed of, it was hardy enough for her gardens.  Kind of a gardener's version of dumpster diving.  

[Poopdeck 0]

Every now and than your going to have an off year. I’m like your wife, I like a nice yard and flower beds. Others can keep a crap hole if they like but I have to much respect for my neighbors and neighborhood to let “nature” do what it wants. I am fortunate that my neighbors feel the same way. My hats off to your wife for caring as much as she does. Next years she’s going to rebound in grand fashion. Since your rural perhaps guinea fowl is the ticket. They eat lots of bugs and won’t scratch up the flower beds. I guy I worked with use to raise and sell them and he swore by there effective bug control. 

[DarrellP 0]

I like the native plant approach. In the PNW we have so many vibrant plants growing wild that can be domesticated.  Even in the drought they are brilliant.  

As for climate change, the science seems compelling enough.  I personally think that alot of the problem with increased CO2 is loss of trees and phytoplankton in some areas. 

Trying to get people to change is not going to be effective.   Technology will have to come to the rescue.  The only way to fix any of this is to make it economically viable.  I don't mean by draconian taxes.  I mean by finding a way to make doing the right thing for the environment profitable.

Since I was a kid the population has more than doubled.  We are nearing the carrying capacity of the planet. We will see more catastrophies as we go.  I have been surprised and saddened by the anti-science and anti-vaccination crowd.  In my opinion if you don't want to get vaccinated that is your business, but you should not be allowed to burden the hospital if you get sick.  The same medical science treats the sick as made the vaccines.

The US tried to deal with pollution by sending those industries to places with no regulations.  We need to quit crapping in our nest.

As far as preserving the environment goes, hunters and anglers have been providing the vast majority of the effective solutions.  I am proud to be a "hook and bullet" conservationist.

Sorry for the rant!

[skeet3t 0]

On 7/6/2021 at 8:50 PM, vicrider said:

Bwahahaha... Right now we are trying to figure out a way to get rid of the roosters our squatter neighbors have brought in with them. Crowing any time of the day or night and one is super loud and the other crows like someone is choking it. No, chickens won't work. Unfortunately we live in a rural town ( and it's the county seat ) that has no rules on wildlife or zoning. For those who've driven through the south where you have beautiful homes and yards sandwiching tilting trailer houses with half a dozen non-running cars and trucks in the front yard that's Cheyenne. There are a few laws about real eyesore yards and homes but they are only enforced if they offend one of the old guard. Then they do something like they did on our opposite corner. Take over a disastrous mess of two dilapidated trailers and a falling down garage for taxes, send in a local crew to clean it up for $18K, then sell it to one of their kids for $3K. 

Oh yeah, we are also in one of those under 30% vaccinated counties also. There are a lot of good things about rural southern towns but it would take two generations of kids and grandkids staying here to become part of the "real" town. 'Course owning a double lot with a really nice house for $40K and a carport and 12'x24 ' new outbuilding and paying $96 a year in taxes is one of the good parts.

I was born and raised in Ohio and we had the same thing of non-running cars, etc. If you recall, Jeff Foxworthy said there are rednecks everywhere. Wife's uncle lived in Washington state and went salmon fishing in British Columbia. He told us that property taxes in BC were based on how well your house looked. Consequently, homes in BC looked like Better Homes and Gardens,resulting in lower property taxes. Our neighbor has his yard bush-hogged once a month. Downed trees have reclined in his front yard for several years with a nice shrub growing in the middle.