Dear Readers,

The Desert Garden blog has shut down.

Thank you to all who have read and commented over the years.  We had loyal readers not just in Arizona and the desert southwest, but from as far afield as the Middle East, and London, and even the little island of Curaçao, which just added to the fun. 

To no surprise, people who are trying to garden and grow things tend to be awfully nice people, and I greatly appreciate all the kind and often funny comments over the years – two loyal readers stand out in particular: Kim from Mojave and Luvkuku.  But you have all been wonderful.  Except for that guy who called himself "The Voice of Reason."  I don't think that was his real name anyway.

As a writer, I find it interesting to see what was most important to readers, as opposed to what I thought would be important to readers.  It turns out that the article on ants eating eggplant plants was far and away the most-read article, gaining literally thousands and thousands of reads and hundreds of comments. Perhaps then that is the most useful thing to have come out of this blog: you are not crazy, those ants really are eating your eggplants, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I am glad to have been of help,

Tyler

PS: I am continuing to write and edit with contributions to a journal called Hearth & Field; some of you will find it interesting: hearthandfield.com.

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Spring is Here

Two Lady Beetle larvae at different stages of pupation, together on a single pine needle of the Italian Stone Pine here at The Ranch. The upper larva is still recognizable as a mature larva, and has just recently attached to the needle, probably within the last day. The lower one is nearly done pupating and clearly looks like an adult Lady Beetle. These appear to be Ashy Gray Lady Beetles, noted for their voracious appetite for consuming other insects, and appearing in very high numbers on the Stone Pine this Spring. Interestingly, the upper larva has attached itself head-downwards; perhaps finding its progress blocked, it just settled in where time and circumstance dictated.

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