(lets out a barely audible snort)

Remember these tiny light bulb bugs devouring this paper wasp’s wing that I posted about some time ago?

Well I came across some more of these shy insects at the base of my cut back Mexican fire bush of all places and courtesy of http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/02/08/heteropteran-nymphs-resemble-red-light-bulbs/

who successfully identified them, I can now safely say they are:

Heteropteran Nymphs

(full-on snort) Largus species or Bordered Plant Bug.

Many phyophagous Heteropterans or “True Bugs” apparently scavenge dead insects in their immature stages. I struggled to get a good shot of them as you can see…very shy creatures!

Here is what the adult versions of them look like:

These bugs are the only ones I regularly see in my garden at this time of year, they are everywhere!

Moving on…

This week the ice melted and some intermittent warmer weather returned.

My fish remained very still in the deep dark icy waters of my stock tank, seemingly skeptical of the temporary warm reprieve.

Its warm, its freezing, its warm, its freezing…the three consecutive days of freezing temperatures this past week has taken it’s toll in the ESPatch :

Casualties have collapsed everywhere…aloes, agaves, (particularly agave americana),  and star gazer lilies, all look decidedly ill , some plants have even ruptured!

“Ach ESP Ye had tae say it, didn’t ye”?

Err, sorry William?

Yes I said ruptured.

This wounded agave was apparently trying to heal itself with the most amazing amber sap.

MEDIC!

The same agave (different leaf) had buckled so far over a split had developed in it’s flesh,

leaving it bleeding and bubbling from an open wound.

CLEAR!

I swabbed,  sprinkled on sulfa powder and swabbed some more but could not stop the bubbles.

In the end I had to give up, leaving the dying agave bleeding in the leaves that I should have picked up already, ruthless I know.

The prize for the most remarkable sight from the frost though, has to go once again to…

my Mexican lime tree.

The frost bitten foliage of this tree now shimmers like dragon scales.

A mammoth leaf drop is pending, a pity, as I rather like the way it currently looks.

Finally:

The fireworks exploding on this China berry,

and the massing plastic crowd, signified that today was

an impromptu race day.

“They’re under starter’s orders…

…and they are off”…watch out for that notch in the plank, I mean hole in the road!

Co-pilots plotted their course,

the cars sped past some sad foxtail ferns and screamed around a massive celosia trunk.

The winner of the race was reportedly a local gal…

who celebrated her victory in her favorite Austin Tex-Mex restaurant with a lemonade and a cheese quesadilla.

Stay Tuned for:

“Tickling Leopards”

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