I looked out of the kitchen window yesterday to see that the one lonesome flower on our strelitzia plant was lying broken and forlorn on the ground. I stormed outside to do some detective work as to which possible culprit had slain the noble bird of paradise... marauding dog or swashbuckling son (though I was pretty sure his days of doing battle with our foliage were long over). Close examination of the remaining stalk showed that a much smaller beast had been at work - some bug had munched it's way from one side of the juicy stem to the other and caused the heavy bloom to topple. Relieved that I wouldn't have to confront anybody, I stuck it in a bottle and spent a happy hour or two painting it. Having heard a scary report on the radio about how insects are fast disappearing from suburban gardens, with far-reaching and disastrous consequences, I decided to leave the bug in peace as well. Munch on, little gogga!Sunday, June 1, 2008
Fallen bird
I looked out of the kitchen window yesterday to see that the one lonesome flower on our strelitzia plant was lying broken and forlorn on the ground. I stormed outside to do some detective work as to which possible culprit had slain the noble bird of paradise... marauding dog or swashbuckling son (though I was pretty sure his days of doing battle with our foliage were long over). Close examination of the remaining stalk showed that a much smaller beast had been at work - some bug had munched it's way from one side of the juicy stem to the other and caused the heavy bloom to topple. Relieved that I wouldn't have to confront anybody, I stuck it in a bottle and spent a happy hour or two painting it. Having heard a scary report on the radio about how insects are fast disappearing from suburban gardens, with far-reaching and disastrous consequences, I decided to leave the bug in peace as well. Munch on, little gogga!
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4 comments:
golly that works well as a vignette against the white background of the blog! (normally i don't like white backgrounds on the computer for watercolour as i find these blast away the finer tones & the power of white in a watercolour... but here as a vignette, i'd say a definite goer
re-bugs dying out in gardens, i was reading in the Royal Horticultural Soceity's (UK) magazine, that vast studies are being made & that UK gardeners are going ecological & that this is the future protection for many bugs.... not quiet the Kugger Park but every little helps.
Sunlight was coming in from behind (backlit), so I left the background white and yes, sort of blasted, good word... is really just a quick study rather than a finished painting.
There is a lot more conciousness here about eco-gardening, spearheaded by Strilli Oppenheimer who has transformed part of their vast family garden (see http://www.brenthurstgardens.co.za/welcome.php) back into an indigenous state. Trouble with smaller gardens is all the neighbours have to do it too - not much use for one little gardener to give up spraying! And we with our mosquitoes and creepy-crawlies have wreaked havoc with all our insect repellents too...
Ah lovely to see this, Catherine. So beautiful. I remember a stunning BLUE backdrop too - the Indian Ocean stripe flung behind a solitary strelizia in a friend's garden in Nahoon, East London. And the huge display of them at HJM's memorial service comes to mind too.
Re. the bugs - am I supposed to feel more compassion for the underground pests that have eaten half of my potted petunias?
Well, now at least you have the memory fo always..a beauty that reminds me of the SA sun! Beautiful Cathy!
ronell
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