Re: hummingbirds NOW Tomato Hornworms

The part about 1992 made me laugh. I was at Home Depot today to replace some lopping shears, and I had to smile at all the people buying flowers for their yards. It was in the upper 70s today, but our last frost date is April 15. Two years ago we had snow on April 14. Admitedly it warmed right back up, but some people have shorter memories than I do. :-)
zem
zone 7
West TN
----- Original Message ----- From: "Daryl" <pulis@mindspring.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] hummingbirds NOW Tomato Hornworms


I'm so glad I don't live up north any more. We moved south in 1981, after a
couple of the worst blizzards and cold spells in the NYC/No. NJ area. I
haven't been back since.

It was 82 when I got home after teaching a landscape design class this
afternoon. The So. Leopard frogs are singing, and crickets, too. Most of the
birds that visited the waterfall on the pond did so in pairs. I'm enjoying it,
but also remembering 1992?when it was in the 80's for a week before we got a
foot of snow. gale force winds and 8 degrees. I think that was on the 13th.

Daryl
Zone 7a/Georgia
Gardening on Heavy Clay

----- Original Message -----
From: "Maria Olshin" <marolsh@ptd.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] hummingbirds NOW Tomato Hornworms


Tomato hornworms are members of the Sphingidae family, as are the
clearwing Sphinx moths that look so much like hummers. Manduca
quinquemaculata,  the Tomato Hornworm, is not a clearwing moth, and
grows up to be the Five-spotted Hawkmoth.

When I had a large buddleia in bloom, it was covered with the little
flying lobsters, as well as many other butterflies and insects. Alas,
buddleia is marginally hardy here, and I have seen few sphinx moths in
the last couple of years. The hummers always come back but since the
elevation here is nearly 2000 feet, they first show up in May, and
don't settle in until around Memorial Day.

Mud season is well under way here, and last week's three inches of snow
is disappearing fast. There was very little snow this season; my
driveway was plowed only three times, although there was plenty of
rain. The lake is still low and there won't be much snowmelt this
spring. This morning I saw several skeins of Canada geese flying
northward, and even though the lake is still 95% iced-over, there was a
hardy soul out in a canoe, exploring the edges.

Maria in NE PA, zone 5b

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