Despite the fact that I have been gardening in South Florida for over a decade – I still find many things in the garden that I think are weird! I was (sort of) overseeing some tree pruning..Sea Grapes get out of hand on an annual basis..and looked up to see this after noticing some buzzing.
Possibly a better image..
It’s not a termite infested mattress, it’s a dragonfly swarm. These are quite impressive in real life and the mosquitoes are decimated. And very difficult to photograph.
Soon after seeing the swarm, I looked down and spied pups – on the miniature pineapple!
A garden stroll revealed what I thought was a deceased mango – coming back from the ground. The bronze foliage is normal. I fear this might be a Turpentine Mango. Not known for their flavor, but their incredibly hardy rootstock that is used to graft more palatable varieties of fruit on top. I have never tasted one, but the name gives me pause. The more timid, but delicious condo mango, Pickering, that was grafted on top clearly is deceased. The Turpentine Mango is known for its long, narrow foliage..
The Abyssinian Red Banana has at least tripled in size since I planted it. It is still not very red, but looks more tropical by the day.
For those who follow IAVOM, here is my swallowtail caterpillar rescue update. They are getting bigger and I would say the population has reduced by half (.#$@ lizards) Here is Monday’s photo for reference.
I started some Roselles (Hibiscus sabdariffa) from seed and planted eight in a bed. The varmints left them alone, until they didn’t. Roselles are grown for their edible calyx, the bottom of the flower. These taste like cranberry and I was planning on making Roselle granola in the fall. Here is the rabbit proofing!
The rabbits used the purple cups in the background to climb up and eat the plants. I had put them around the stems. Fingers crossed for Roselle granola!
That’s my dose of Florida weirdness! Visit Jim at GardenRuminations to see more SOS
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
The good and bad of gardening. I’m always happy to see dragonflies reducing our mosquito population.
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Yes, same here. The mosquitoes are here!
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I would love to see a dragonfly swarm, and I would love to see them eat all our mosquitoes!
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It happens in the summer here. This was right before a storm.
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I thought for a minute that the dragonflies were drones. That would be worse. Question: I have houseplants that I put outside for the summer. I do not have a sprinkler anymore, and I am looking for a suggestion to keep them watered while I’m away for over a week.
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Yes, I have a jerky neighbor who buzzed my dog with a drone. I was wishing for a baseball bat. I think a timer and a sprinkler is your best bet. I have put plastic bottles with holes in the tops in pots but it is not that reliable.
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Thanks for the advice. I may have found a plant sitter. We’ll see.
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Did you notice Chris Mousseau’s ‘Country Gardening’ blog yet? You should see it.
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yes, we have been talking about the pineapples.
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Your red banana tree has grown so much! The leaves will never be completely red, but rather the pseudo-trunck, it will develop its beautiful reddish hues. You’ve inspired me to try growing roselle from seed again. I did it 3 or 4 years ago and had very good results, which even allowed me to freeze some for cocktails or herbal teas.
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I am somewhat fascinated by the banana. The Roselles are so easy from seed. What cocktail did you make with them?
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For example: 50g dried roselle flowers,
cane sugar, nutmeg, vanilla
2 tbsp orange blossom water
½ lime
10 cl white rum. Enjoy!
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thanks, sounds fantastic!
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The dragonfly swarm must have been so impressive! I’ve seen some dragonflies and damselflies around this year – hopefully we’ll get more once the pond is in place.
The pineapple looks really pretty! Hopefully you will get lots of fruit from it.
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Dragonflies do love a pond! I have never seen a pineapple do that!
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I’ve never seen a swarm of dragonflies before, here they seem to be loners. I thought they were giant mosquitoes at first. I didn’t know that dragonflies actually eat mosquitoes. A lovely little pineapple but turpentine mango doesn’t sound very appetising. As for Roselle, I’ve never heard of it. Cunning rabbits you have there.
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Dragonflies live on mosquitoes here. I am always happy to see them, there are many different kinds. My neighbor tells me turpentine mangoes are good, just stringy? we will see. Roselles are a peculiar thing.
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We get dragonfly swarms in the late summer, but sadly not the size they used to be a few decades ago. I was never able to get a decent photo, you did much better! Are you going to ditch the mango? ‘Turpentine’ doesn’t sound like a winner. 😉
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It is such an ephemeral event. I am going to leave the mango and see what it is, not all the rootstocks are turpentine.
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I’m wondering how the pineapple pups would get down to the ground if the whole thing was left to its own devices. I assume they would root readily as cuttings.
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I think the stems probably fall over. and hit the ground. Bromeliad pups are pretty easy to grow and hang on for a very long time. I have never had one do that, but I usually cut them.
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Oh no, rabbits! Good luck with the new protection, and I hope you will share some pics of your hibiscus flowers when they open – I have not heard of roselles before. The dragonfly swarms must have been pretty impressive!
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