Aphid and Ladybug

Appears this ladybug is having an aphid breakfast. I suppose having ladybugs in a garden is a good thing.

Aphids (in a friend's garden)

I was visiting a friend's garden and he had a problem with aphids. He allowed me to take a photo or two.

Unusual attacks on garden 2010

Everything that goes wrong in my garden is my fault one way or another. I take full responsibility. Now here is a new one for the books.

On the other side of my fence is an open field. No harm in throwing "bad" tomatoes over the fence, one would think. One would be wrong. A few weeks ago something began eating the tomatoes off the vine. Ripe and green tomatoes alike. Some bite marks looked huge. Some tomatoes were totally eaten others only partially. One day my wife said she thought she saw a RAT. I said no-way but set out traps just in case. The first night I bagged three large Norwegian rats. The following nights one each and none since. What I am thinking is they found the ones in the field and came looking for more. Live and learn. I am keeping the traps out until I am sure all of my new tomato fans are gone. And no more tomatoes thrown into the field.

This weekend I am doing something I have never done before. I am pulling up my garden and replanting it. The garden looks soooooooo sad. It is the only thing to do.

Small brown eggs

Found these small brown eggs on the top side of a squash leaf today. Most likely, these are the eggs of the Leaffooted bugs I have been finding in my garden.

Leaffooted Bug

These guys show up every year about this time. According to Dr. Mario Villarino they are Leptoglossus or Leaffooted bugs.

Leaffooted nymph

Here is one of the buggers up close.

Leaffooted nymphs in Tomatoland

Okay so the Owl, rubber snakes and pinwheels worked. The birds left and stayed away. Good new right? WRONG!!! When the birds left the bugs came. I should have seen that one coming but I didn't. I am posting photos of some of them.