Photos - Sayonara Summer Game Results

Okay fine...you guys are no fun at all! Apparently Jeanne and Becca are the only other fun people around here who like to play games. So I'll go ahead and post the pics so that they will know how very close they both were with their guesses. I'm impressed by your Garden Knowledge ladies! :o) This summer we had lots of things growing and visiting our yard. I had been taking photos to share, but never got around to it. So I decided to just put them all in one post...hence the Friday the 13th game. So here are the answers and the full sized images so you can see each thing in its entirety. (You can click on the images to see them larger.)

1. Is a Turtle. The snippet was of his turtle shell.

2. Are Phlox Flowers. Well I call them flowers...some folks say they are merely weeds. But anything that is that pretty and colorful shall be deemed a flower in my yard. Actually they were right outside my yard behind the fence, but they still count.

3. Is a Dandelion...again outside the fence. As much as I love to blow on Dandelions and make wishes....we forbid them to grow directly in our yard.4. Is a Butterfly! This one was too easy!5. Is actually a Blossom from our Nectarine Tree. This tree is incredible. In the spring it is covered with gorgeous pastel pink and white blossoms that eventually turn into yummy nectarines. Unfortunately we never get to eat very many of them because the squirrels are a nuisance and they get them before they are ripe. And most of the time they won't even eat the whole fruit, they'll just come take one big honkin' bite out of an otherwise perfectly respectable nectarine, thereby ruining it for the rest of us. I have a majorly dysfunctional love/hate relationship with the squirrels in my yard.6. Is a Baby Fig. We have a really big Fig Tree and this is a shot of the Figs when they are young...before they turn all purple, plump and edible. Sadly, none of us really eat Figs, so it's just another food source for the squirrels.7. This is indeed a Mushroom. And although it looks fairly big in this photo, it was actually quite small. the top was probably no bigger than a nickel, so I used a macro lens.8. Ha...no those are NOT Spider Legs! Are ya'll crazy? Do you really think I'm going to get close enough to a spider to shoot his legs?! I don't want ANY photos of spiders thank you very much. A Spiderweb yes, even one with a small spinner type spider maybe...but NO regular spiders with long legs. Besides, this was way better...it was a really lovely and Colorful Dragonfly on the Nectarine tree.9. Interestingly, someone on my FB page guessed this as a tomato too. And I guess it does sort of look like one. But it is in fact, one of our newest acquisitions...my Persimmon Tree. And this is one of the only 3 Persimmon Fruits still hanging on to life. I have a BIG dream/goal for this tree. For if all goes right over the next few years...I will eventually have a real live 'Halloween Tree' in the back corner of my yard. If you want to see an incredible thing of Halloween-esque beauty, check out this old post about the Persimmon (aka The Real Halloween Tree).10. This is a Pumpkin Flower. I figured anyone currently trying to grow their own pumpkins would surely recognize this. And it's a good thing I photographed it....because it will be the only proof that a pumpkin plant ever took up residence in my yard after next weekend. Yes, these magical pumpkins sprung up this year from seeds that were dropped in our yard by party goers at our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party 2 YEARS AGO! But the pumpkin vine has taken over, grown out of control and has done nothing but tease and taunt us with the hopes of a baby pumpkin, only to have them dry up and fall off a few days later. I'M DONE WITH YOU Pumpkin Plant! I want my yard back!11. This is the most unusual thing I've seen in a long time. Well next to #12, which I've already blogged about previously. This is a 'Leaf Bug'. They come in a variety of shapes that mimic leaves. (Check more of them out here.) If you didn't look closely, you'd never recognize it as a bug at all....and that's the magic of this creature. His leaf disguise is his protection. I find them rather fascinating. Well actually, I never would have found him at all if the hubby hadn't called me out to the yard and pointed him out. I would have just thought it to be another leaf. Which is EXACTLY the point of this critter now isn't it?! Do you see his beady lil' eyes at the bottom, just staring at you? So freaky!12. This is 'Blade'! You may remember our pet Blade, the Giant Man-Eating Grasshopper from this earlier post. Isn't he colorful? Colorful and BIG! He is one Big Bad Grasshopper, and I'm happy to report that he is still alive and living comfortably in a 10 gallon fish tank on our back patio. But my gosh, he is the most BORING pet I've EVER had. In fact, I'm ready to release him back into the wilderness from which he came. So I think I'm going to tear a small hole in the screen on top, and tell my son that he chewed the hole himself and got away. Shhhh....13. And yes, this is a Baby Pumpkin and sadly it is as big as any of them have grown. I read that we may be having a pollination problem. Apparently we have some lazy ass bees around here who aren't earning their keep. And to correct the problem, we need to get out there with Q-tips and help our Pumpkin Flowers 'do the deed' by swabbing the male flower with the Q-tip and then 'spreading the love' over to the female flower. Well FORGET ABOUT IT! I am drawing the line at this. That's just not right! They need to take care of their own 'business'. That pumpkin vine is OUTTA HERE! Hope everyone has had a great weekend!All Images © 2004-2010 Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)