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red devils

10/26/2014

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Does anyone dislike pine squirrels as much as me? The photo may look cute, but don't let it fool you. These angry rodents (often referred to as "Red Devils") are pint-sized terrorists pumped on adrenaline. They are fearless! I have seen them aggressively chase bigger squirrels, deer, rabbits--whatever is in their way.  I worry they'll come after me one day! My black dirt pile is close to their home base. Their incessant chatter and scolding whenever I get close gives me visions of them flying out of the trees and landing on my head and attacking, so I'm always wary. This time of year they are wired even tighter than usual, frantically leaping and running around burying walnuts.

They seem to wreak havoc wherever they go. One morning it took about five minutes to get to my car due to a pine squirrel standoff. The squirrel thought the garage was its territory. They made a nest in our garage (recently removed) and they chewed the wiring on a pickup truck my husband once had, leaving it inoperable. $$.
An adult squirrel's incisors never stop growing, and they must gnaw on things to keep their teeth short.  I don't care if they chew on stuff, I just don't want it to be at MY house.

Pine squirrels weigh between 1/3 to 2/3 pounds. They are very territorial and will protect their territory as a pair when they are mating.
The pine squirrel usually has an average of four kits per litter. The northern squirrels usually have one litter per year. Natural enemies of the pine squirrel are bobcats, domestic cats, owls and goshawks. Let me add cars to that; just last week I saw the crows feasting on pine squirrel roadkill.

This tough little rodent has proved to be quite adept at adapting to their environment. I guess I'll still be digging mini-walnut trees out of my flower beds next year and for years to come.

(I didn't take the above photo -- it's 'borrowed' -- there's no way I'd get that close to a pine squirrel.)
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the ever-perfect schnickel fritz

10/19/2014

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In 2014 "Schnickel Fritz" won the prize for the "Star Performer" in my garden.  This daylily was hybridized by David  Kirchhoff and registered in1996. Schnickel Fritz started blooming on June 29th and put on a spectacular show until last week when the frost got it. There were two re-bloom scapes full of buds ready to bloom...no more!

What's not to like about this daylily? It's most definitely on my 'Top 10 List.' One-hundred+ degrees? Schnickel Fritz looks beautiful. Fifty degrees?  Yep, looks great. It consistently blooms double and always wide open no matter what the weather conditions are. It's such a clean, pure, ethereal near-white with just a touch of peach and lemony-green. It's small in stature (24" tall) which makes it perfect for the front of the border. This dormant has blooms that are 5" in diameter. Schnickel Fritz is planted in a very prominent location at my house where I see it from my dining room window, rain or shine.

A perfect Wisconsin daylily -- a "gotta-have!"

FYI - The word "schnickel fritz" is a term of endearment of uncertain Germanic origin. It means something akin to 'rascal', 'scamp', or 'little chatterbox'. The word is usually used with children, but can also be used between others who are close with each other.
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vader's garden...and don't mess with it!

10/12/2014

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Vader came to live with our friends Sandy and Lud just about a year ago. Lud, being German, of course had to have a German Shepherd. Vader's heritage follows the West German show lines, which is the most popular type of German Shepherd dog in Germany. The "look" of this type is most commonly a black and red saddle back. He's big, too, REAL BIG!

Sandy and Lud live on the top of a beautiful bluff with lots of acreage for Vader to run and play. I'm pretty sure they do not need to actually use the locks on their home as long as Vader is around. He is quite a guard dog! Nothing gets past him. But present him with a tennis ball and he melts...there's nothing he likes better than to race around chasing his tennis ball. Does he ever get tired? I don't think so.

Vader loves to spend time outside with Sandy while she gardens, protecting her from all evil. And although they roam everywhere, the deer are not a problem. They very wisely steer clear of Vader's garden.
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what's in a name?

10/5/2014

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PictureDaylily "Arrogant Bastard" (Hybridized by Curt Hanson)
On a rainy evening last week I was able to spend some guilt-free online time checking out some daylily forums.  I came upon an interesting topic -- people discussing whether they would or would not purchase a daylily dependent upon nothing more than its name. Forum participants definitely had strong opinions. Many disliked Satan names, sexually suggestive names, or plants named after famous people, while others didn't care for religious names. 

Of course, some folks voiced completely opposite views saying that a name would never deter them from purchasing a gorgeous plant. One person simply didn't like really long names because it was hard to fit long names on plant tags - okay, good point.

After taking a quick look on the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) Database, here are just a few inventive daylily names I came upon:

  • Backseat Debutante
  • Boogie My Woogie Baby
  • Burnt to a Crispate
  • Coburg Fright Wig
  • Iwanna Piranha
  • Long-Legged Lap Dancer
  • Nekkid Woman Paddling a Canoe
  • Oom Chuckalucka
  • Radiation Biohazard
  • Riot on the Kindergarten Bus

With more and more cultivars being hybridized each year, coming up with a registration name becomes challenging. By the end of 2013, 77,329 total daylilies were registered on the AHS Database. The rules say no two names can be the same. This calls for great creativity!

So far, a name hasn't yet deterred me from purchasing a daylily I really like.
And if the name makes me smile, better yet!  What do you think? Would you purchase a daylily named "Arrogant Bastard?"

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