Monthly Archives: January 2010

Butterfly Babies

Posted by Lesley on January 30, 2010 4 comments

Hello world! 

Two and counting…and from what I hear about children, rearing butterflies seems somewhat similar.  They don’t like you to sleep or shower.  I woke up to the formerly impatient caterpillar, who is pictured on the bottom.  And when I got out of the shower, the one on top had just emerged. 

I’ll have to let them go when the weather clears up tomorrow, but I’m open to name suggestions anyway.  The butterfly formerly known as the impatient caterpillar is definitely showing personality.  He’s a little bugger!  His buddy hadn’t even dried his wings before he was up in his face giving him a wing-bump.  They’re definitely bro butterflies – scent glands are present on both.  Only one chrysalis is still hanging on.  I expect he or she to emerge the minute I sit down to eat.

Lamenting over Lizards?

Posted by Lesley on January 29, 2010 5 comments

It’s official.  I’ve turned some sort of corner and deep inside of me I am all Floridian.  I can’t believe I’m about to say this or that is it even possible to feel such an emotion, but I think I miss the lizards.?  I add the question mark because I’m still questioning it myself it’s so weird.  A native New Yorker, I once hurled a lizard across a room on an iron because it freaked me out that much – I just wanted it out of my hands!  Another time-and this one is really terrible, I feel bad enough and was very young and living in my first apartment by myself, so please don’t judge or send this link to PETA-I jumped on top of my bed with a mini ShopVac, threw the hose over the back of the bed where the lizard was, and shook it around until I heard a thwoop.  I told you it was terrible, but the residual guilt may be leading to the fuzzy feelings I’m experiencing now.  I have been actively seeking out lizards.  I look for them every day and can always find one, but that’s it.  I was bizarrely elated this morning to spot one without having to search.  She was sitting on the brick pathway but hid behind a croton as I neared.

She’s a brown anole – a common lizard throughout Florida.  Usually they’re everywhere around here - peeking through the windows, sunning on the pathways, and way too often creeping under the doors.  There’s normally one perched on the mermaid’s head but not today.

There have been various articles written about the cold snap affecting Florida’s wildlife – reports on floating fish, bobbing sea turtles, huddling manatees and even falling iguanas but not much on the lizards.  Exotic iguanas falling from the trees in Miami are bound to get attention, while the poor little lizards in our gardens are being ignored.  Hopefully, they’re still sleeping and not…the other thing.  Cold temperatures cause iguanas and lizards to fall into a deep sleep, and they lose their grip causing them to drop from trees, roofs, etc.  The only article I could find directly related to lizards was about a woman from Pompano Beach blowing a hairdryer on a couple of lifeless lizards on her porch; they perked right up…if only I had known!

Notes from a Nervous Mommy

Posted by Lesley on January 28, 2010 None comments

By far, my favorite saying to come out of seven years of social work is ”The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  When I saw black spots on my newly relocated chrysalis, it was the soundtrack running through my mind.  The day before, I was hovering over the little pupa taking great care not to drop him or even jostle him too much during the move.  But as much as I tried to keep the chrysalis steady, for a brief second, he tapped the tip of my pinky finger.  The black spots had me thinking maybe the oils in my hands had poisoned him somehow.  But when I went to check on him before bed, he was starting to show the first clear signs of transformation from chrysalis to butterfly!    

Right on schedule, it’s been ten days since he first cocooned.  My intentions were worthy; I’m just a nervous mommy.  I’ll be watching all three very closely over the weekend.  I’d hate to miss the transformations again. 

Chrysalis Relocation Program

Posted by Lesley on January 25, 2010 3 comments

My grandmother always said, “Haste makes waste.”  It’s true for anyone, even a caterpillar.  The last two caterpillars roamed for over a day to find their perfect spot, but this first one anchored under the first leaf he found.

I use he because the female Monarch population is dropping but also because only a man would be so impatient and impractical!  The leaf had been gnawed down to a stem and dried up within days.  It had just about snapped off when I rigged the chrysalis back up with some thread.  But again it didn’t hold in place.  The future wings were resting on the stem of the milkweed, which didn’t give him enough room to spread ‘em on emergence.

He needed more space.  Here’s his upgraded digs – the handle of a planter pot.

Bouquet Recycling

Posted by Lesley on January 22, 2010 None comments

$10 Publix flower bouquets are great; they last close to forever.  But it is nice every once in a while to get a bouquet from a florist that has one more zero in the price.  The flowers smell better, and each stem is always perfectly placed.  This is the bouquet John brought home from Beneva Flowers – one of the best florists in Sarasota – on New Year’s Day.

The flowers are Gerber daisies and green Cymbidium orchids.  Visually, they are a knockout match but endurance-wise – not so much.  Orchids are long-lasting while Gerber daisies are quick to wilt.  This was taken a week later.

There’s no reason to trash perfectly good and rather pricey flowers because their playmates are tired out.  It was time to ditch the droopers and downsize.

Then there was the vase; I love the extra touch a florist adds.  Of course, I could simply wrap leaves around the inside of a vase, but I never actually do.

The green filler still looked good too.  It seemed a shame to dump them either, so instead I paired them with a thrifty $10 Publix bouquet.

Here’s the result:

Not bad, right?  I finally had to throw everything out today.  But after a 22-day stretch, I feel satisfied that John got his money’s worth.

Phillippi Farmers Market

Posted by Lesley on January 20, 2010 5 comments

No more waiting until the weekend for fresh local produce – the Phillippi Farmhouse market is now open Wednesdays from noon until dusk.  It was supposed to open in November, but the county-sponsored market violated a county law – oops!  The county changed the law, and the market opened last Wednesday.  Oops again, I forgot!  I remembered today as did half the city.  It was packed – there had to be seventy-five cars in the parking lot with a constant stream of traffic coming and going.  Here are a few of the reasons why locals were slowing traffic on US 41 today:

My Sarasota strawberries are soaking in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar as we speak…mmm…vinegar and berries…weird and delicious!  I bought them from Bayside Farm – a family owned and operated Sarasota farm.  They were also selling sweet corn, bell peppers, green onions, and cabbage.  The tomatoes and avocados are from Brown’s Grove.  Although these aren’t them, Brown’s grows and sells heirloom tomatoes.  Look for those around May.  I went a different route with my tomato and lettuce buying today and bought some seedlings from Vision Horticulture.

The recent cold snap lightened their inventory, but they were able to save the Roma and grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce and collard greens.  Here are my two picks – romaine lettuce and grape tomatoes.

The seedlings were probably the deal of the day – 3 for $1.  But maybe not…my bag was pretty full for having only spent $10.

If you can get over there, definitely check this market out.  If you can’t, there’s always Saturday’s market downtown and Sunday’s market in Siesta Key Village.  For more information on the downtown farmers market, check out my latest article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

My Three Pupae

Posted by Lesley on January 19, 2010 3 comments

All three have shed their caterpillar selves and settled in for the next 10-12 days – one on the milkweed plant, one under the windowsill, and one on the plastic pot holding the milkweed.  It seems they only prefer wood but will anchor anywhere.

The transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis is faster than the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly.  I missed all three!  The world was so cruel before YouTube.

Moving Day

Posted by Lesley on January 18, 2010 3 comments

The caterpillars are finally full.  They’ve reduced the milkweed to a couple of twigs in a pot and are on the move.

I’m just happy they don’t require any more milkweed.  That’s what got me into this adopt-a-caterpillar situation in the first place.  I found one little caterpillar to raise.  As I brought him in sprigs of milkweed, I must have also been bringing in eggs.  Before I knew it there were four caterpillars, and I had to buy a whole new plant to sustain them.  The cold snap claimed the runt of the group, but the other three have fattened up nicely.

They seem happy to me.  This is a terrible picture, but at least you can see where they started a few weeks ago.

So far only one has settled.  The others are still roaming the countertop, planters and windowsills.

Orange You Glad I Used Grapefruit

Posted by Lesley on January 14, 2010 None comments

It’s grapefruit season again.  As long as the freeze didn’t do too much damage we’ll be eating grapefruit for the next three months.  It’s a real treat to have a food source like that in your backyard.   The juice is my favorite.  When they’re really ripe, it only takes two grapefruit to squeeze out an 8-ounce glass.

But how easy it is to forget the joy of that sweet, tangy juice when it’s your two-hundredth cup.  Getting rid of so many grapefruit can actually get tedious.  This is our third season with the tree; it’s time to move beyond the basics of juice and sugared grapefruit halves.  Our first dinner of the season was Honey Orange Grapefruit Chicken served over a Grapefruit-Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Poppy Seed Dressing.

We all loved it – even John, who (gasp) doesn’t like grapefruit that much.  The dressing cut the tangy bite of the fruit, and the chicken had a tasty sweet and sour flavor from the blend of honey and grapefruit.  The original recipe was printed in Woman’s Day Magazine and is also delicious.

Honey Orange (or Grapefruit) Chicken

  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
  • 2 tsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated orange or grapefruit peel
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange or grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Mix flour and salt in a plastic food bag.  Add chicken and shake to coat.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook, turning once, 5 minutes or until golden and meat is opaque at center.  Remove to serving plate.

Put peel, juice, broth, honey, and garlic in skillet.  Boil 4 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in parsley; spoon over chicken.

Poppy Seed Dressing

  • Juice from 1-2 grapefruit
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
  • Salt and pepper

The Aftermath of a Week-long Florida Freeze

Posted by Lesley on January 13, 2010 2 comments

The weather was slightly warmer today – standing in the sun, it was even nice.  Lukey and I took a long walk avoiding the same shady trees we normally linger under.  It was hard not to notice the change in colors.  Floridians may not experience fall colors, but everything is ten shades greener in winter.  Not today.  Judging from the yellow and brown tints to everything, the Arctic just may be a smoker.  It looks like he put back a couple cartons and exhaled this way. This was my giant Gardenia:

Thankfully the Gardenia was so big that the outer leaves protected the rest of the plant.  It needs to be cut back but will survive.  Other survivors include the mums, crotons and roses.  Don Juan is too red hot to freeze:

Our grass is not.  It’s normally as green and lush as golf course sod this time of year.  Now it’s looking more like scattered hay on a farm.

Here’s the newly rusted Ixora.

And of course, the sad sack succulents. The picture speaks for itself.