My Polka-Dot Wasp Moth

Posted on by rhondacarrier

This lovely visitor, Syntomeida epilais commonly called the polka-dot wasp moth or oleander moth, is sitting on a Christmas cactus on the patio. I hadn’t seen one before, so I took the photo and then researched to see what it is. I learned it is unusual in that it emits a sonic sound to attract mates instead of attracting them by releasing scent and it is active during the day not at night like most moths. (see An Exception to the Rules and Oleander Caterpillar)

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Now that I know what it is, I realize I saw one of the caterpillars, orange with black bristles, a few weeks ago sitting on a leaf of an oleander plant (see image). At the time I thought it was a Fritillary caterpillar (see image) which is also orange with black bristles. A few of the polka-dot wasp moth caterpillars can strip an oleander plant in a few days. They eat the entire leaf and not just the underside of the leaf as many caterpillars do. The oleander is a common plant in Florida and not always valued when planning a garden,  but I enjoy the deep pink of the flowers just off the patio. I don’t want to lose them, so I’ll have to keep an eye out for larvae.

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Compost Container Vegetable Gardening

Posted on by rhondacarrier

It has been a good week for gardening with warm temperatures and over an inch of rain. I wondered how my tomato plants in the compost bin would do, but the experiment is a success. A week ago, see Compost Gardening Experiment, the plants were just at the top of the chicken wire compost container. This week they are twice as high and have small green tomatoes and many blossoms. Besides growing in fertile soil in the compost bin, an added benefit is the chicken wire compost frame which will be useful for securing a tomato support. The wire frame is also helping to keep the squirrels away from the plants. They don’t seem to like climbing the flexible sides of the frame. I had to repair damage from squirrels digging around the okra plants in a near-by raised vegetable bed, so I am happy to keep the squirrels away from the tomatoes plants.

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Compost Gardening Experiment

Posted on by rhondacarrier

In two posts, Make Compost Like Yoghurt and  Chicken Wire Compost Container, I described a compost method I am trying. The purpose is to set up a compost pile that matures quickly to be used as a vegetable garden base. The master gardener who recommended the method said to leave it for 3-4 months and then to plant vegetables directly in it. Although not all the hay was converted to compost, the mixture had matured with a rich layer of compost under the top layer of hay.  I added a small bag of purchased top soil, mixed it with the remaining hay and compost and planted two tomato plants. I left a layer of hay on the top to act as mulch.

Possible Problems: My concern is that there might still be enough active decomposition that the temperature could become too hot for the tomato plants. Although the plants are thriving, I’ll continue to monitor the temperature. Another concern is that there might be too much nitrogen for the tomato plants due to the rich compost. By adding the topsoil, I added structure to the mix to hold moisture, reduced the direct contact each plant has with the nitrogen in the compost while still providing the needed nutrients. The plants had nearly doubled in height in a week and have many flowers. Hopefully, we’ll have tomatoes soon.

tomato plants in compost pile