Some hummingbird eggs hatch in less than two weeks, and can fly three weeks later. About six weeks ago, Mrs. ricepad and I watched a mother Rufous feed her fledglings in a tree for about half an hour at Annie’s Annuals in Richmond.
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Awwww! How long does the hatching process last? Do you know how long the fledglings hang around mom?
I keep saying I am going to drive to Annie’s, but still keep ordering online. I am expecting an order from their last sale right now!
I don’t know how long the hatching itself takes, but from being laid to leaving for good is something less than three months, I think.
The nest at Annie’s was in a fruit tree (plum?) growing adjacent to a potting area (I think that’s what it was) toward the left after you enter the main entrance, at a surprisingly low height. IIRC, I could see into it, which means it was not much more than 5’ off the ground.
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Ooo! A poblano? That seems early!
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Very. I should’ve pruned this off when it was tiny but I failed.
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Why did this pepper make me think of Jessica Rabbit??
Izzat a giant apricot, or…………???
Small hands.
#MarcoRubio
What do you all think is taking the leaves off my gooseberry? Caterpillar or a flying insect?
I can’t see any caterpillars around. There aren’t any slugs or insects on the leaves at 5:30 pm EST.
This could be a poll!
I say caterpillar, or similar leaf chewing wormy thing.
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I agree with shrinkrap. Many caterpillars are active after dark. It’s also possible the caterpillar(s) has matured and pupated. Look for small cylindrical droppings on the ground, under the chewed areas.
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Tiny garlic… again 
.
… and I have already bought more for planting this fall. At least there were no onions maggots. 
( Still) pretty tomato plants.
BER on some of the first ones.
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Argh! Time for some calcium foliar spray (e.g. rot stop), after the sun goes down.
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Hmm… I wonder if the soil temperature is too high. Bulbs generally prefer a cooler soil than air temperature, so the metabolism of cells in the bulbs is slower. This allows more storage and growth. If sunlight is hitting the soil during growth, maybe a white, reflective cover (with holes cut for the plants) can help cool the soil.
Another possibility, if soil nutrition is kept high, is to plant a weakly-rooted plant between the garlic to shade the soil, something like coriander/cilantro, corn salad or miner’s lettuce (Claytonia). The garlic will mostly root below these and will tower above them, so it won’t get shaded. Near harvest, you may need to let these “cover crops” dry out.
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My battle with earwigs is unprecedented .
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Lucky you don’t have a vehicle parked under their overnight roosting spot!
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Hmmm; Glad to hear that works! I usually just wait for it to pass, although I don’t recall what’s happening with those first fruit, or why some seem more prone than others. I’ve read about the “plum shaped” ones being more prone, but for me, some of the oblate ones seem prone as well.
I am writing yet another article about tomatoes, and was wondering about tomato leaf shapes. Husband says no one else is, so I am not writing about that.
Here are a few different ones from this year.
