Crop Inspectors

One of the joys and one of the demands of gardening/farming is the endless job of inspecting the crops..........

It is such an important part of the whole planting and growing cycle.......

I am from an agrarian part of the country so crop inspection was a big part of what I am familiar with...it was a coveted summer job around our county...I remember my brother getting this grand job one summer ..he was mainly inspecting the peanut crop....watching out for snakes was a part of the job too....

But anyway, I go out every morning and look around my yard.....almost all of the cultivated areas of our 2 acre plot.....I can spot any activity by critters that are not welcome and if I take care of it right away, the damage will be minimal....but if I let this part of gardening slide, well, the results can be less than desirable...I am an organic gardener so that means no chemicals.  I rely on  crop inspection and hand removal to keep everything right on track.....I usually spot the very first June Bug or Japanese beetle...even kudzu bugs earlier this year....and I can kill them right then...instead of leaving them to chance....and to multiply..

So, this morning was no different....there was a lot to see....and lots of critters....another part of the job is knowing which ones are ok and which ones are damaging...

The camera captured some pretties this morning....

safe landing spot

butterfly on zinnia

maybe it's harmless

glad to see the bees

a very harmless critter...my Bo

I was taking a picture from squatting position and he came and plopped down between me and the flower..LOL

dahlia

July garden

??  from my Daddy's yard

and THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

June Bug

I spotted this June bug happily sleeping among the tomato leaves.....he is NOT welcome......

Writing all of this is kinda thinking out loud about how we need to know the condition of our crops...or herds..or families.....we need to inspect the crops we are growing...are there some critters that have crept in and are not welcome?  or causing damage that needs to be taken care of?   If we just let situations continue without being checked, it has the potential to destroy the whole thing.....I believe everything starts out in seed form...and then it grows and grows until it can be seen by the naked eye.....

One of the most awful bugs in my whole garden are flea beetles...they live in the dirt and I cannot see them and they don't bother me UNTIL  I put an eggplant plant in the garden...and they magically appear and will destroy that eggplant almost overnight if I don't intervene......that is the way life is, until a situation arises..an opportunity......
a mean spirit can lie dormant for a very long time....but given favorable circumstances, it WILL make an appearance ....

July 4 celebrations are important for family gatherings...so maybe it is a chance to check yourself and your family and see if there are any flea beetles just waiting for the opportune time to destroy a healthy plant in your garden.....

Thank you for sticking with me til the end.....I appreciate each and every one of you...

Happy Fourth.......

Mona