Alice. Because of a not so great camera and not so great eyes, I really have trouble telling whether really close-up shots are in focus or not. I could solve the camera situation but not the eyes. I am doomed to post out-of-focus photos.

Wow, Lots of beautiful posts already in June. I'm going to a bee sting class at the Extension tomorrow. I hope that is as interesting as it sounds.

Jim

Will you be a volunteer, Jim?

Ken, your Vandas are beautiful and I love that Spanish Moss! Looks healthy!

Lindsey, such gorgeous blooms. My Goldenzelle always blooms in the Fall, maybe you get two flowerings out of your plant!

Jen, that is a very cute Epidendrum, no wonder it caught every one's eye here!

Hope you have an epi-pen handy. What on earth is a bee sting class?

The best part of living a Vanda-free lifestyle ..is I get to enjoy everyone else'! Love that yellowy-orange one Ken!

I probably should attend...I dug up a patch of invasive Mexican petunias and something got me ...over and over and now I have giant red, itchy welts about 2" in diameter .

I hung my little V. St. Valentine out in a tree and forgot about it. I had decided I was not ready to commit myself to daily watering so it had to make it on its own or, well, not make it at all. I no longer run the irrigation system so all it received was rain if and when we had some. There were several very dry weeks in there. I happened to check it yesterday and there was a new leaf and several new roots. This was one of those that had been sold in the glass cylinder and it never did have very long roots like the ones you all picture here.

Maybe you need the epi pen Lindsey. Be careful.

I'd like to hear about that too. I'm supposedly allergic. Was told many years ago, next time, get help fast. Since then I've been stung by bumblebee (he got me three times) right above the eyebrow, and got a closed eye, but no allergic reaction, and been hit by honeybees twice while driving with the window down...no reaction. Could be out grew allergy? I'm told that doesn't happen. Bumblebee different enzymes? Honeybee hit, not pumped into me? I have worked among the bees all of my life, and do encourage them in my gardens. As long as I don't bother them, they don't bother me. I have to admit that those Africanized killer bees do worry me a bit though, as they are in this area.

Lindsey, that sounds like Bumblebees. They nest underground, and get really irate when disturbed. Or it could be some type of wasp.

I was thinking spider...as I didn't see any flying activity..in fact..I didn't realize that I had been bitten until several hours later when the intense itching set in. It's only around my ankles though..not on my hands or arms..and I was hand carrying the debris away...so who knows ? When I worked at Lowe's I had been bitten by brown recluse spiders a couple of times with similar results... next time I think about reducing the size of that petunia patch , I'll reach for the flame thrower first!

Didn't those spider bites get ulcerated?

Sounds like ants to me. My wife got stung twice while walking in the garden last Saturday and the next day I got stung in the same local while watering. Big mistake on the part of the wasp. I stood my ground and visually scanned the closest plants for signs of activity. I spotted them making a nest on a stromanthe leaf and got the wasp/hornet bomb out of the garage. Nothing left but a cloud of insecticide. I put one in a zip-lock bag and will ID it tomorrow at the Extension.

As for the bee sting class, I'm sure they will make a case for the poor misunderstood bee and how we should be more careful and how valuable the bees are and all of that. I still hope to glean some useful information out of it.

Jim

I do that with the paper wasps we have here. I chase them off the hummer feeder with a spray bottle of water, but they have short memories. When I find the nests too late for water.

Lindsey your bites could also be chiggers. They are notorious ankle-biters when you are wading around in the foliage, and make big welts that itch like crazy. Tiny little bugs you can hardly see.

I spray with soapy water once in a while around the areas that I walk through. Seems to take care of them pretty well. Soapy water will also knock down paper wasp nests, if you can spray them from a safe distance, in the evening when they're not active.

If it had been fire ants you'd have known it right away, same with wasps.

Elaine, I bet you are right...about the chiggers...after your suggestion, I read up about them and the delay response, is spot on! Now I know to wash up right after working outside and to keep some Calamine (or similar ) on hand.
I have a friend posting a photo on FB of this orchid from the Island of Dominica...anyone care to take a wild ID guess?

Hi everyone...everyone has some nice looking plants and flowers for June.

Lindsey, I am thinking Arachnis.
Not sure about the species, flos-aeris has a bit different banding, but one could look around which one has the closest pattern.
Surely it is similar in shape to my "flower"?

Ursula... Is this made out of metal?..
It is beautiful!...