Chad Norman » Gardening

A Lonely Mushroom in the Woods

Chad Norman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:05:25 +0000

Over the weekend, the boys and I were at our favorite old climbing tree near the observation tower at Palmetto Island County Park. That day we were joined by this little red mushroom, who was pretty happy to see us. Anyone know the species?

Our Banana Spider of the Year

Chad Norman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:39:26 +0000

We love our resident banana spiders, and each summer we chart their progress as they move around in search of the perfect spot. Back in July, a giant female setup shop in a vast expanse of empty space near the marsh. She built her web about five meters above the ground and is still there as I write this. She attracted 2 males and a female, who together patrolled a giant swatch of our backyard airspace for the better part of 2 months. I’ll miss her when she runs from the cool temperatures to come, so today I made sure to take a photo of our banana spider of the year.

I See You Little Mantis

Chad Norman — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:31:42 +0000

We always seem to have praying mantises in the yard, which makes me happy. Last night while I was fixing the Sirius antenna, this friendly guy kept checking me out. Eventually, he jumped onto my shirt. I gently set him down, got my camera, and came back out. He then crawled right onto my hand for a few pics – what a trooper.

Previous blog posts about praying mantises living in my yard:

The Ins and Outs of Bamboo

Chad Norman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:15:35 +0000

We often bring home pieces of bamboo from the large, wild stand near the Sullivan’s Island playground. I recently was able to get a large, fresh, green piece that looked rather interesting next to a dried piece that had split down the middle. Original resolution on Flickr.

A Walk in the Weeds

Chad Norman — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:14:21 +0000

There was a cool, low-hanging sun hitting these grasses at Palmetto Islands County Park, so we stopped to check them out. I know my son enjoyed the tall crunchy plants as much as I did…you gotta love Fall in the Lowcountry.

An Oak Leaf Hydrangea’s Last Gasp

Chad Norman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:45:41 +0000

These Oak Leaf Hydrangeas have been a great addition to the yard, and produce leaves that are amazing all year. I’ve blogged about the blooms before, but there’s even something cool about these leaves as they fall off. The fact that the leaves are bigger than my head make it all the better.

Strange Garden Shot

Chad Norman — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:37:59 +0000

I bent down into one of the beds the other day, and came up with a spattering of chigger bits. I also ended up with this weird shot, where the wide open 1.2 aperature delivered some unexpected goodies. This is a like some kind of bizarro bokeh.

White Star

Chad Norman — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:08:03 +0000

I love these hardy, succulent perennials a neighbor have us years ago. I just keep dividing, and they just keep blooming. If you know what they are, lemme know in the comments.

16 Blooms in 16 Minutes

Chad Norman — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:06:21 +0000

Have you walked around lately? Flowers are everywhere this time of year, and my yard is blooming like it’s going out of style. On Sunday morning, I took a short walk around the homestead. Below are 16 of the flowers I saw, all shot within 16 minutes of each other. I saw dianthus, coreopsis, guara, hydrangea, oleander, verbena, lantana, society garlic, and a few veggies. Enjoy!

Ahhhh, Termites Floating in the Wind

Chad Norman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:37:23 +0000

I had a moment of food chain serendipity while playing with my boys in the front yard, which was followed by a sight both creepy and presumably moderately rare (vague enough?)

My youngest son was fussing after the cats, who were attentively stalking the mockingbirds, who were feasting on the hundreds of insects wafting up from the street garden. We naturally moved closer, and saw a light fuzzy area near the mailbox. It was moving…moving a lot.

It turns out that it was a swarm of reproductive termites flowing out of the mulch, then fluttering into the stiff breeze. Once we stepped back, we could see the termites in the air like snow. Hundreds of them, haphazardly being swept down the street in the wind (thank god!).

In the end, I think these guys were getting out because the garden became inhospitable. Let’s hope so…at least for the termites.