There was a caterpillar on Red Cinnamon apple. Wasp said “mmm” and flew off with it…gone from my orchard.
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Looks similar to my orchard as well except on flatter land.
I even have an apple tree that has same slingshot crotch.
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Its just been a ‘front yard’ as far as i can tell for well over 100 years…maybe 150. It gets very good bird and bee and all kinds of other predator traffic. Both sides are mountains so i am in a valley. Lots of habitat for just about everything. Im hoping to see snakes make a comeback. I have seen several garter snakes this year nothing else. Lots of frogs hatched in my little pond and they are eating bugs.
I havent seen any bats yet… they usually are very thick here in the evenings.
Hummingbirds arent messing with my feeders… they are eating little bugs now probably feeding babies.
I saw a handful of baby praying mantis yesterday…several assassin bugs…lots of new wasps that i havent seen before.
My dogs are becoming of age and have been shredding my woodchips and manure and finding voles… yay.
I got a wheelbarrow of woodchips a few days ago and dug into it and the largest lizards i have ever seen came out of the pile like 5 of them…they were eating ant eggs.
I am a hobby entomologist… i get so fascinated with bugs and the things that eat them… and the bugs that those bugs and on and on.
I am getting a new respect for wasps. I saw some little mean ones all over some tiny bugs on my berry plants.
Spiders are tearing it up now too… ive been watching their webs inbetween the limbs and in the berry bushes. They eat alot of bugs for sure.
There is alot going on with insects and i lose all kinds of time watching them… its great.
Even though my trees are young…life has changed in the ‘yard’. It seems to invite life of all kinds… its becoming an orchard and a habitat.
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Ok this was a kind of bad idea. I finally got my corn planted in late May… the clover stayed in full bloom and got very thick and red and the bees absolutely loved it…
It hasnt rained at all… and i will likely have a poor corn crop… i have started hosing down what i can but i wish i would have gotten my corn planted much much earlier. Some of the corn wont germinate due to lack of water…and i cant keep what i have planted watered well enough.
Mistake on my part… Wrong.
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I really enjoy reading about your orchard. I could visualize the valley and clover. Good job at painting a picture. Even the struggling corn ha.
I accidentally posted to the wrong thread. I meant to comment here.
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The old timers were the smart ones.
In my orchard the sun arrives about 1.5 hrs after where they grew their food. Likely why it was a yard.
My valley is tight and obviously the trees werent as thick 100 years ago.
Its a blessing sometimes and a challenge other times.
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I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken…
I missed this thread earlier. Great pics Kris.
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Well played! That got an audible laugh out of me!
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