You all know about my two completely adorable and wonderful garden helpers, but I wanted to show you some of my other helpers that don't get as much recognition around the garden, but I still value :)
At the top of my list? Ladybugs! I love ladybugs! Not only are they super cute, but they also will quickly take care of any aphid problems one might have and make sure they don't return. Thankfully, they LOVE living in my corn and I found lots and lots of them the other day.
I even found a red one with no spots and a black one with a red spot! So much variety in one cute little bug...
Next up, lizards. I know, most ladies don't love lizards, but these have been working hard around the clock to make sure the other bugs in my garden don't go crazy. I was worried they would take out the ladybugs too, but that hasn't been much of a problem, it seems. I think a Texas Spiny mama must have had some babies close by because they started out little and have gotten progressively bigger and there are always a few each time I go out there...
This Green Anole is a new addition to our backyard and I'm not sure where it came from, but he is certainly welcome also. It particularly enjoys living in our peas. I also saw him trying to impress a lady friend the other day, so I'm guessing we'll have more at some point.
I suppose this last one doesn't quite qualify as a garden helper, but I do love to check on him/her periodically throughout the day and see how big it has gotten. This is the same Black Swallowtail caterpillar I wrote about in my last update, he's getting huge! I really hope he makes his chrysallis somewhere close by and I can find it, but these caterpillars are apparently known for going far away to do that, so I'm not holding out a lot of hope.
What's missing? The honeybees...I have had them in past years and we even had some this winter hanging around our rosemary, but it's been a long time since I've seen any and they are very dearly missed. I sure hope some find us soon!!
