A couple of evenings ago I went out to the house in the country and was greeted by a person who is working there, with the warning that the "processionary" was around the corner and to absolutely not get anywhere near it because it is very dangerous. I, of course, said "what?"
So I went around the corner and sure enough there was an odd looking row of caterpillars slithering along on the pavement, nose to tail. Fortunately I was warned or I would surely have gotten down on all fours and stuck my camera in their faces, and would have been very, very sorry.
Now that I've done my research I am even more worried and don't know exactly what I am supposed to do. They can cause severe allergic reactions in humans, even blindness, and can be fatal to dogs and cats. They look harmless but they are not and they are indeed called the Pine Processionary caterpillar.
Piu` tempo passo in giardino e piu` mi rendo conto di quanto conosca poco il mondo della natura che mi circonda.
Un paio di sere fa sono andata alla casa in campagna dove una persona che sta lavorando li` mi e venuto incontro per avvisarmi che dall'altra parte della casa c'era "la processionaria" e assolutamente di non avvicinarmici perche` e` molto pericolosa. Naturalmente io ho risposto "come?"
Quindi sono andata a guardare e, in effetti, c'era una strana fila di lombrichi che strisciavano sull'asfalto, naso a coda. Per fortuna ero stata avvisata perche` altrimenti mi sarei messa carponi per schiaffargli la macchina fotografica in faccia e me ne sarei pentita, ma proprio tanto.
Adesso che ho fatto le mie ricerche sono ancora piu` preoccupata e non so esattamente cosa fare. Possono provocare gravi reazioni allergiche nelle persone, persino la cecita`, e posso essere letali per cani e gatti. Sembrano innocui ma non lo sono e si chiamano infatti La Processionaria del Pino.
OK, next. A few weeks ago I planted seeds in trays in a commercial organic soil mix straight out of the bag. The trays were given to me by a garden center and were previously used. Anyway, in one of the trays clusters of tiny yellowish beads appeared that look like some sort of egg. They started out about the size of millet and some are now a little smaller than lentils. Anyone have a clue as to what kind of creepy thing this could hatch?
Avanti il prossimo. Qualche settimana fa ho piantato dei semi in semenzai di plastica usando del terriccio biologico comprato in busta. I semenzai mi erano stati dati da un vivaista ed erano usati. In ogni caso, in uno dei semenzai sono apparsi dei grumi di piccolissime palline giallognole che sembrano delle uova di non so che genere. All'inizio erano della misura del miglio e adesso alcune sono un po' piu` piccole di una lenticchia. Qualcuno ha un'idea di quale strano animale potrebbe sgusciarne?
The next mystery item is much sweeter and prettier. The flowers are about half an inch long and have a fragrance that is reminiscent of Sweet Alyssum. The leaves are about 5 inches long.
Il prossimo oggetto misterioso e molto piu` dolce e carino. I fiori sono lunghi circa 1 cm. o poco piu` ed hanno un profumo che ricorda l'Alisso. Le foglio sono lunghe piu` o meno 12 cm.
One more. The tree with wicked thorns. I know because I've tangled with it, trying to liberate it from the strangle-hold of ivy! I'm not even sure if it's still alive, but Spring has sprung so I will soon know.
Ancora uno. L'albero con le spine malvage. Credetemi, mi ci sono scontrata piu` volte cercando di liberarlo dall'edera che lo avvinghia! Non so neanche se e` vivo, ma lo sapro` presto perche` me lo rivelera` la primavera.
This, I hope, is a Jonquil (go ahead and correct me if I'm wrong), wild and fragrant. FREESIA
Questa, spero, e` una giunchiglia (correggetemi pure se sbaglio), spontanea e profumata. FRESIA
As I was writing this the song It's a Wild World by Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, popped into my head....
Mentre scrivevo questo post mi e` venuta in mente la canzone It's a Wild World di Cat Stevens, ora Yusuf Islam....
4 comments:
My goodness, you have a number of mysteries in your garden, Anna Maria. Here I am, a gardener, and the only question I can answer is that the last flower is most like a freesia. Have a wonderful week and stay away from those caterpillars!
Christine, I think you are right, and it was the only one I thought I knew. They've been popping up on their own in that spot for 30 or 40 years!
A friend on FB has told me that he believes that here in Italy I am obliged by law to call exterminators for that caterpillar. I'm looking into it.
I could be wrong, but I believe that the yellow flowers in your fifth photo are of comfrey. This plant makes a great mulch and fertilizer if it is indeed comfrey!
Cynthia, you are right. I have found out since then that they are Comfrey, but a different variety from the larger leaved ones I was familiar with in the US, so I used some of the leaves in my veggie patch and in the compost pile and will keep doing that. I imagine that all comfrey should have the same mulching and composting qualities.
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