I thought Jean's plant looked like one that someone identified for me as Asiatic False Hawksbeard (Youngia japonica)

Lin, that was my first thought, too. I have that stuff all over my yard. But I think the leaves look a little different to me. And it seems like the flowers fully open on the Hawksbeard while they don't on the other one. Maybe Jean could tell us if the flowers open like the Hawksbeard or which one she thinks it looks more like. They are pretty similar.

I am so bad at comparing photos for identification. I'm not even sure if my weed that was ID'd as False Hawksbeard is correctly identified.

Jean, Love those free range chickens! :greengrin:

Elaine, Lovely Caladiums. I just rec'd 30 bulbs from Caladiumbulbs4less and need to get them planted or potted soon ... more than likely I will pot them all or I'm sure our dog will eat them. It's been difficult for me to keep plants alive the past two years since we've had the dog. The yard is full of so many different types of weeds and it's impossible to pull them all. We don't want to use chemicals on the lawn because the dog is always grazing in the lawn and wanting to eat plants. He walked up to a palm tree one day and started gnawing on the bark!

I swear our Golden Retriever "Boeing" (Bo for short) is part goat ... he thinks any plant or lawn is his salad bowl. The first photo is when he was 8 months old and the second is more recent (he will be 2 next month). Something in a neighbors yard caught his attention but I think the blade of grass is visible hanging out of the side of his mouth.

Yup, I see that blade of grass Lin. He sure has turned into a beauty. Not that he was homely @ 8 mos. but he hadn't matured.

Elaine, when we lived in Hobe Sound I left my caladiums in ground & they never suffered. Hobe Sound is not too far south of you so I imagine yours will go for years. I think what happens down there though is that eventually the summers take their toll on them & you have to replace them. The sand of course allows for great drainage so they don't rot in the winter.

I was out in the yard today and noticed the pot of Nuns Orchid (Phaius tankervilliae) which has been stuck amidst some shrubs for a few months; the foliage looks pretty ratty but it's full of buds!

Very nice, Lin. Mine are in bud, too. But they do take their time getting around to opening, don't they.

Those leaves look just about like mine do, except . . maybe a little bit pale? A shot of fert and they'll look like they came from the florist!

Elaine, The light was off with the camera and they aren't quite as pale as they appear in the photo but they definitely need a shot of fertilizer and some water! It's been real dry here and I've been so busy lately that I haven't watered regularly.

My Nun's Orchid leaves got nipped in last freeze but all the buds seem fine. I do need to get her fertilized in the next couple days. And I'm thinking she can use a new pot. Last year mine started blooming the beginning of April.

Today I'm answering questions at the MG booth at the Farmer's Mkt. Finally a market with good weather. Hoping for a good turnout.

Tomorrow thru Wed I'll be out "living" in the yard again. Need to get the veg beds finished & get the tomatoes & cukes in. I think they have tripled in size in the last 3 days. Then let it rain Thur-Sat!!!!

I've been to 2 garden centers this AM collection dirt & amendments for the new veg beds. Now I'm filthy and the bags are all out of the SUV.
Best part of the day thus far - I stopped at the car wash & the SUV is once again dark green & not off green w/yellow rippled stripes!!!!! Hopefully the 2 trees that produce that pollen are about pollened out & the car will stay clean for a few days.

Now a quick lunch then out to fill beds w dirt & get the tomatoes into their new homes. I have a Sweet 100 & plan to put it in one of those upside down grow bags. I've had one for years & never think to use it till the plants are too large...

My friend is returning w his tiller this afternoon to clear the walkway thru the backyard. Everyone complains the stepping stones are too far apart - they work fine for my 34" inseam gait!!!!! So I'll re-do it so everyone else can use it. Then I plan to lay about 10 pieces of St Aug sod in the 1 bare spot.

Tomorrow I need to decide how I'm going to trellis the cukes & get them in the ground.

I need a day off!!!!

I'm taking a day off! MOSI yesterday was a lot of work. Fun, but still tiring. My new volunteer is gonna work out really well, I think. But having someone else around can slow me down because I get to talking and explaining and well, there goes an hour! Plus, it's way too hot for March. Tampa broke a record last week! But the butterflies were certainly active. I even saw my first Polydamas Swallowtail and they're usually the last ones to emerge in the spring. Maybe those record temperatures got them all confused.

We found lots of Sulphur caterpillars (Cloudless and Orange-Barred) and some Monarch caterpillars, too! I met a family from KY with a 2 year-old boy who loves butterflies. They have a butterfly book and one of his favorites is the Orange-Barred Sulphur. Luckily, I had one in the flight cage so his mom took pictures. I also brought out the caterpillar and with his dad's help we gently petted it. The father also got to watch a Zebra Longwing laying eggs so that was cool.

The Renaissance Festival is happening next door to MOSI. They do themed weekends and I'm going to guess this was their St. Patrick's Day theme. It was the loudest weekend yet! I'm used to hearing bagpipes in the garden by now, and the occasional canon fire, but the crowd was so loud yesterday. Hope everyone had a great time.

I met a Russian lady who owns four florist shops in Russia. She uses Venus Flytraps in her arrangements and was really interested in our new carnivorous plant display. It's been getting a lot of attention. Also, I meet the most interesting people at MOSI.

The pollen has certainly covered everything and I hear the car washes are loving it. We've always hand washed our cars and Dad had to wash his truck twice yesterday, it was that nasty! My allergies are killing me! And there's no rain in the forecast. While you're watching out for pollen, I saw my first Tussock Moth and Forest Tent Moth caterpillars last week. I give my full permission to everyone to kill them at will. I certainly do. Try to avoid the insecticides and just squish them with a stick like I do. Don't want to hurt the good ones at the expense of the bad ones. Not that they're "bad" but they can become a serious pest in some years so I like to keep their numbers at manageable levels. Also, Tussock Moths can irritate and cause allergic reactions so use that stick and not your fingers! The cocoons also irritate so stick to using the pressure washer! Here's a pic of a Fir Tussock Moth (which actually eats oaks and cypress). It's the most common one in Florida. Know your enemy!

I guess looking like a slug must be a good predator deterrent!

Ron, many caterpillars do indeed try to resemble other things. There are slug mimics, snake mimics, alien mimics. Well, some of them just look so outlandish I make sure not to touch them until I check my book first! I haven't been stung yet and I have no plans on doing so.

Lol...

Melanie, you wrote:

Here's a pic of a Fir Tussock Moth (which actually eats oaks and cypress).

I thought I was supposed to be looking at a moth rather than a caterpillar. [It would be a caterpillar, of course, that would be eating the oak or cypress, not a moth, but I missed that technicality ]

Looking at the photo inline, I thought you must have accidentally posted the wrong photo. I actually thought it WAS a slug until I enlarged it. This was one really convincing mimic!

I never thought it looked like a slug until you pointed it out. I guess I'm too used to looking at caterpillars. I was showing my trainee some just hatched Sulphur cats yesterday and she was like, "How do you even see them?" I guess you just get used to it. Also, my optometrist hooked me up with some great contacts. My glasses are pretty awesome, too. Without them, I'd get lost in my house.

In plague years (as I call them), those Tussock Moths will absolutely cover the house with their cocoons. Oh, and the shed, and the trailer, and the boat, etc. Best to use a pressure washer but we can only do that at certain times of year since I get other caterpillars that like to build on the house. Usually, it's the Monarchs. Plus, we use a bleach solution and I think some kind of detergent and I don't want that near the caterpillars or plants. My dad and brother just washed the house a couple of weeks ago. I told them to do it then or wait all year because I will not put my caterpillars in harm's way!

@plantladylin I have 8 pots of phaius which I bring inside when we get here in December or January. It is a pain to haul them inside, but I love to be able to enjoy them in the house.

@rocklady Jean, Wow 8 pots?? I bet your home is beautiful when they are inside and in full bloom! I only have the one big pot of Phaius tankervilliae and I know if I brought it in the house the dog would eat it. We have a dog who I swear is part goat, he grazes on the grass and tries to eat palm trees and shrubs.

New daffodils blooming for me today!
Narcissus Sweetness

plantladylin said:@rocklady Jean, Wow 8 pots?? I bet your home is beautiful when they are inside and in full bloom! I only have the one big pot of Phaius tankervilliae and I know if I brought it in the house the dog would eat it. We have a dog who I swear is part goat, he grazes on the grass and tries to eat palm trees and shrubs.

We don't have pets any more so the plants are safe. Driving back and forth is hard enough without having pets although I miss our cat and dog, but not the iguana, Mynah bird, parakeets, finches, fish, newt, rabbit, and hamsters.

@plantladylin -- I know you're as careful as you can be with your dog enjoying the plants as munchies. There have been a few documented cases of dogs (smaller than yours though) getting so sick and ended up dying before the owner's realized it had been chewing over a period of time on a small palm. Unfortunately, a great number of plants we grow here in Florida are toxic to pets; not all fatal of course, but can make them pretty sick. Perhaps if you were to sprinkle some cayenne powder around the rim of your pots it might discourage him. If he's such a chewer; I'd make sure you don't have this "palm" in your yard.

Here's what I found:

The ornamental Sago palms (which are really not palms at all) that many people use in landscaping and as indoor plants can also cause the death of your beloved pet. The Sago Palm, also known as Coontie Palm, Cardboard Palm, Cycad or Zamia, is in the family Cycadaceae, which showed up on our planet before the dinosaurs. They contain a very potent toxin called CYCASIN. Two other toxins occur in the plant but cycasin is found in the highest concentration and is thought to be responsible for the life-threatening clinical signs and death. These ornamental plants, once found primarily in Florida, California and Texas, are now being sold as indoor decorations all over the United States. Thus the number of Sago Palm poisoning cases has increased nationwide over the past few years. Unfortunately these plants are not sold with warning labels so buyers often don’t know that they can be deadly if ingested. Many dogs, cats, horses, and a plethora of other animals find Sago Palms delicious. The entire plant is toxic but the seeds of the plant have the highest concentration of toxin and are, unlike the spiked fronds, easy to ingest. In fact, some veterinarians think that dogs are particularly drawn to these deadly treats.
The poison in these plants is so toxic that dogs have died after ingesting a single seed. Once a pet has ingested and absorbed the toxin, death can occur in just a few hours. If you think that your pet has eaten ANY part of a Sago Palm, no matter what quantity, you need to seek emergency treatment immediately. This toxin can quickly take the life of your beloved pet.

Off subject a bit; but this is what my son's boxer chewed on when I left the house for a couple of hours. I doggy day care her, with my two (a Shih Tzu and a Toy poodle) - they have access to the doggy door so can go outside. She's done this three times now; destroying the little ones' beds - not hers. She knew she'd been bad when I walked in as she ran straight for her crate and went in.