Scarlet and Green Leafhopper...

Never saw a bug like this before in all my gardening and backyard roaming days...but today I happened to be wandering by my goldenrods and saw two Scarlet and Green Leafhoppers on the leaves. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to figure out what they were (and thanks to the shared photo via Flickr, not taken by me, since I wasn't able to get my camera and get out there fast enough). The pictures online, though, don't do justice to how pretty the colors are...though they are a little more light blue than green, and the underbelly is definitely a yellow color.

Otherwise, I'm just looking for time to do things around here, more than anything...eventually, time will come. :)

Shrubs in...

shrubs in
Originally uploaded by southsideandy

Here's the new look on the west side of the porch.

I went and bought a big ol' ax and a bow saw at Menard's this morning, sawed off a good foot of what was left of the stump and beat the rest into submission as best as I could. I then buried most of it underground, so hopefully that will be the end of it.

The rhododendron, the bushier looking shrub to the left, is supposed to get to about 5 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide, while the Sutherland Gold Elderberry will get to 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide. I also planted about 10 ferns in the empty spaces between them and scattered a box of marigold seed mix all over the barren ground around them. We'll see how they do.

The rhododendron, it should be noted, has been one hell of a trooper. I got it from my mom last spring and never planted it. I just left it in the store-supplied pot and sat it out in front of the porch, basically where it is now. It survived and came back even with the hellish winter we had. Granted, I haven't seen it flower yet, but the fact that it survived was good enough for me. Hopefully it will now respond with lots of ground for its roots to infiltrate.

But I can't wait for the S.Gold Elderberry to grow -- it will be a phenomenal focal point for this side of the house, what with the dark brown facebrick as a backdrop. Much more interesting than the evergreen tree.

OK, name this flower...

mystery flower
Originally uploaded by southsideandy

Since I didn't get much feedback on my "Name this bug..." post, hopefully I'll get somebody who can help me find out what this is. I didn't plant it, and it looks like it's in an old garden area, so it could be a reseeded perennial...but we didn't have these last year, that I'm aware of.

It only seems to open in the morning, if that makes any difference...there's a wider shot of the whole plant also up on Flickr...any help would be appreciated. I feel as though if it's something cool, I can transplant it and save it.

Name this bug...

mystery bug
Originally uploaded by southsideandy

I don't know if it's a grasshopper or not...looks like it, maybe. Anyone know what "type" of grasshopper it is? I'd be curious.

Also, there are pictures up on my Flickr page of the latest garden developments, as promised, along with the major change in our curb appeal so far. Check it out!

Slow week...

Well, it's been kind of a slow week at the bungalow...but today, I took a big step and chopped down the evergreen on the west corner of the front of the house, where I plan to put the Sutherland Gold Elderberry I purchased. The stump proved really tough to deal with, and I actually have a pretty good scrape down the back of my arm, from sliding down the brick wall while trying to kick the tree, using the wall for leverage.

Also, lots o' flowers are blooming really well.

But, I went to the Sox game this evening, so I didn't have any time to take any pics, and I'm off to Utah for work for a little while, so you'll all have to be patient. :)

Have a great couple of days, and I'll see you all on the other side...

In case...

...you thought I didn't do anything this weekend...we did buy a new, much-needed microwave. Here's the before:And here's the after:
Have not, unfortunately, tested the new one yet. And yes, I understand that the most work involved in this before and after was lifting the microwaves to eye level as well as in and out of the truck from Best Buy. But hey, that's work too, you know! :)