I see these millipedes frequently when working outside, not outside at my house, but doing field work in the forests. At first I was afraid to touch them because their bright yellow stripes and legs seemed to be a warning that they might not be something fun for a predator, or a lady with a cell phone, to tangle with. But, now I know that their only defense strategy is to excrete some cyanide from their glands, which makes them smell just like maraschino cherries. Yum!
I'm pretty sure they don't taste like cherries, but now that I know they smell like cherries when they feel threatened I like to harass them buy picking them up and taking a sniff. It's fun to coax other people into smelling my millipede too. Everybody tries it, even if they think I'm crazy and they can't stand to put a creepy bug next to their nose.
Despite my neglect, the garden is growing and growing. In the photo above is the thyme in the foreground, the oregano in the mid ground, and the purple blooms of the sage behind Helen. I planted basil, dill, and rosemary in the same bed, but they aren't worthy of photographs yet.
Beets!
The surviving peas, that didn't get eaten by chickens like the rest of their kind, in front of the ever growing garlic.
And an entire bed of kale. Sigh. Kale is good for me. Kale is healthy. I like kale. I repeat this mantra the entire time I pull weeds from this bed. I think it's working, sort of.
Only two Swiss chard and five heads of lettuce. I got a really early start on the greens this year and most of them didn't make it. It's amazing how much greens you can get from just a few plants.
The hops are out of control! The wimpy supports we made would have worked for last years hops, but this year they are bending the boards they are so heavy. Mmmm... beer plants. What a great idea.
I'm getting strawberries too. The chickens are jealous, and I think they spend most of their spare time plotting how to break through my strawberry chicken wire fortress. Bad chickens.
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