Ditto from me - it was a delightful story. It reminded me of when I discov=
ered the Gold Dust Day Gecko that was living in our plants/side of the gara=
ge. I felt honored that he showed himself to me one day and even more hono=
red that he's still living here 5 months later. Occasionally I give him a =
green grasshopper out of the garden.=20
=20=20
Aloha & thanks for sharing.
Stephanie
valeriezamora@att.net wrote:
Great storytelling, Dylan! I can't wait to find one just one one day. Tha=
nks for sharing, and send more stories when you wish. In the least, Lynn an=
d I will be appreciating every word!
best,
valerie
-------------- Original message from "Dylan Ford" : --------------
> Folks - Some thirty odd years ago I was messing about in the organic gard=
en
> I was growing at the time at my folks house. One of the family cats
> approached me - a curious, attentive, gardening enthusiast, a laid-back,=
> two black spots, except he seemed to be covered by a clear outer shell,
> sort of shaped like a helmet.
> Later that day, I took the insect - who changed color many times - to the=
> house of a naturalist friend who was as amazed as I was. But then he had=
> another visitor call who knew some entomology, and this man immediately
> identified it as the Golden Argus Tortoise Beetle. Some time later a coll=
ege
> professor of mine explained that the Golden Argus Tortoise Beetle feeds o=
n
> the foliage of only two plants: field bindweed and its cousin, the sweet=
> potato.
> Turns out that here on Long Island, where white potatoes were an importan=
t
> local crop back when farming was a reasonable venture, and where sweet
> potatoes were not commercially grown - and where field bindweed was a maj=
or
> and growing problem
> to the local farms, the agricultural extensions had experimented with
> raising and releasing the GATB to combat the weed. For several years
> thereafter I saw them quite regularly, (my gardens always had bindweed) a=
nd
> never failed to marvel at their color-changing ability, and the fact that=
> every hue they moved to was remarkably beautiful.
> Then there was a particularly harsh winter, which apparently killed most,=
if
> not all of them, and farming had given way by then to real estate
> opportunism, and I don't think I've seen one since.
> But to control bindweed, I'm here to testify, the GATB did the job, eatin=
g
> website devoted to an idea that could provide an avenue to address pollut=
ion
it
> is
> pesky! I'm hoping to get more calendula seed soon, but the mites might =
be
> something I need as well! Ms Muddy Toes alias Lynn from KC where we hav=
e
r
> response to my bindweed problem. I am thrilled to inform you that I a=
m
> in
> the process of acquiring these bindweed gall mites and will be a part=
of
of
