I truly do not enjoy weeding! It needs to be done. I understand that, but let’s not overdo it. What makes it frustrating at times for me is looking at a green thing and wondering is that a future weed or a plant I want. For instance, penstemons are plants hummingbirds and butterflies love. What’s this little green growth? Is it a penstemon and wanted by a bird or butterfly?
After studying the shapes of the leaves and entering a photo in iNaturalist app or its website, it is a penstemon … eventually a Parry’s beardtongue. My identification of that plant is improving as is brittlebush, an important erosion-control plant, which I do not destroy. One must know the early growth of a plant or everything will be weeded!
But wait! Then we have a colorful, strange growth as seen here:
My guess was a slime mold since we had plenty of rain and everything was super wet in our mulch-filled water basins around our home. This is commonly called scrambled egg slime mold or dog vomit slime mold. It’s found worldwide so some day you too may see this slime mold!
Of course, my eyes and ears are always tuned to birds, but just as exciting are caterpillars! We spend all this time having a wooded area or garden so bees, butterflies, birds and other critters have a place to call home. Here was the caterpillar stage of a future queen butterfly!
Thank goodness there are other living things to look at while I pull weeds. Otherwise it really is a boring task, that needs to be done, but enjoyed more when I can be distracted! Plus, I learn and can appreciate what is living in my yard! Have you looked closely at what’s in your backyard?