Hobo Jungle

[The Dirt]

Wayne, beautiful close-up!

I wonder the purpose of all the hairs,- are they sticky, and is this an insect-eating plant?

Here's a couple of pictures of one of the Redhead's hibiscus blooms...

[webenda]

I wonder the purpose of all the hairs,- are they sticky, and is this an insect-eating plant?

Pete,

Great hibiscus photo. It is interesting how many colors and shades of color nature gives us in flowers.

I never knew Texas Sage had hairy flowers until I took that photo this morning. (One more discovery made from a photograph.) I cannot see the hair with my eyes alone. Looking for an answer to your question I found, "Leucophyllum has the ability to burst into bloom before it rains. This is because these types of plants are highly sensitive to the degree of humidity in the air. For this reason, they are sometimes called barometer plants."



The above is believable, the plant burst into bloom on the 17th and now a thunderstorm is building up out back. As I type, it is starting to rain.

I also read the leaves and flowers have a silvery sheen because of the hairs. No other information found on the hairs. Testing for "sticky"--a shred of tissue held in tweezers slid over the hairs without sticking. Feeling flowers and leaves with fingertips they feel slick as moleskin.

How about a wild guess? The hairs help the plant survive in the desert by blocking some of the Sun's heat. Maybe?

[rogruth]

What about tiny bits of moisture?

[rogruth]

Dirt,

The type of Hibiscus seen in this area is apparently an annual.My wife used to plant them but the expense caught us.We try to plant perennials now.
Do your wifes Hibiscus come back every year?

By the way,my wife was a redhead but it is all white now with just a hint of red left.Most people think she was a blonde.Then they see her temper and they know she was/is a redhead.


Another by the way-----why "The Dirt"?

[The Dirt]

Wayne, wow! Judging by your picture, I thought the blossom was huge, and turns out it's tiny! I was wondering how you had never noticed the bristles. That's an even MORE impressive photo!

Simply amazing, that it can forecast rain. Fascinating!

Roger, it's a big plant in a big planter. It comes in over the winter, and out to the deck in the summer. It's in a lot of sun either way. It seemed to start to fail (which may have been her sporadic watering schedule ), but we cut it way back, and it took off again. She got it at Home Depot.

BTW, she's a redhead in bottle only, but it sure as hell fits the temperament.

Re: The Dirt...
I bought a varmint rifle to shoot groundhogs. My very first shot, I killed one, and measured it off at 112 yards with the help of my son and a long tape, because no one would believe me at work. Hev got to calling me "Dirty Pete" as a take-off on "Dirty Harry". It subsequently got shortened to "Dirtman", and then "Dirt". I love it because Hev gave it to me.

BTW, I haven't hit a groundhog beyond 30 yards since.

[hev52]

Yea now we might have to change it again to Dirty Dirt Man................ Love ya Bro..............

[The Dirt]

LMAO! I'd have better luck to sneak up on one and whack it over the head with the gunstock, as try to shoot it!

I was walking a lap around the grounds once, and came up on one, and it started running. I ran after it, it being actually slower than me, (must have been an old b*stard), and gave it a kick in the @ss and rolled it over twice, before it jumped up again and kept on going, at which point I let it go.

One MORE thing no one will ever believe.

[rogruth]

Dirt,

I believe those stories and I love them.

[hev52]

LMAO! I'd have better luck to sneak up on one and whack it over the head with the gunstock, as try to shoot it!

I was walking a lap around the grounds once, and came up on one, and it started running. I ran after it, it being actually slower than me, (must have been an old b*stard), and gave it a kick in the @ss and rolled it over twice, before it jumped up again and kept on going, at which point I let it go.

One MORE thing no one will ever believe.

That figures..............ya just had to let supper git away didn't ya.....................

[Mitch]

Sorry, Roger!

[rogruth]

Mitch,

You didn't use enough!

[Mitch]

That figures..............ya just had to let supper git away didn't ya.....................

Damn!!! That just cracks me up!!!

[webenda]

Mr. Jaws is gone. My wife noticed a pile of desiccated mosquitoes below his web, got the vacuum and asked me why all these dead mosquitoes were at the front door.
I pointed to Mr. Jaws as the source and before I could yell, "Noooo!", Mr. Jaws got sucked into the vacuum vortex. I emptied the vacuum, but could not find him.

RIP Mr. Jaws.

P.S. In case there are any arachnologists reading this, I know, Mr. Jaws was a female Pholcus phalangioides.

[rogruth]

Women are like that.
"Mr.Jaws" killed gooboos of mosquitos that bite people on purpose.
"Mr.Jaws"didn't bite people unless they were in the wrong place.
I'd rather have "Mr.Jaws" anytime.

In this part of the country snakes are treated the same way.
If a snake is in the road,run over it,back up and run over it again.
Repeat process several times until only a grease spot remains.

Great photoWayne.As usual.

[healey36]

Wayne - you need to get her one of those bug-vac's at the toy store. It's got a little canister that you can unscrew and turn the little varmints loose...kind of a catch and release program.

Healey