Here's a garden curiosity. I had only dimly registered the existence of this plant, which grew by itself near our back garden bench. It's in a shadowy spot and even though it's a couple of feet tall and I have to brush past it every time I access the garden shed, I didn't give it much thought. Then Dave asked the other day, "What is that plant?"
I used my plant ID app on it and found that it's lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), which I think is also known as sweet melissa, though I might just be thinking of the song. Crushing up one of the leaves gives a powerful lemon scent.
Here's another volunteer -- a little pansy or viola in the weedy "wildlife area" behind the bench. It beats me where this came from. I don't think we've ever grown violas that color. Brought in by some bird, I guess!
Gardens are so mysterious -- how things just show up. Like our oregano, which is back again for a third year, and blooming up a storm. We never planted it and I haven't a clue how it got here.
We had our friend Warren over yesterday to give him lunch and reacquaint him with the garden, which he's going to water while we're away on our cruise. He's cared for our place before so he mostly knows the drill, and it's not as complicated now that we have no dog. (For the time being!)
Dave was going to cook for him, but the weather has been warm and he wasn't in the mood to whip up an elaborate meal. So he bought some charcuterie and we had a simple lunch of cold cuts, cheese, raw veggies and crackers, with some summery gin drinks. We sat out in the garden and were once again visited by the meat wasp:
Almost as soon as we sat down, this critter flew in, carved off a piece of the charcuterie and flew away with it. We set aside that particular slice of meat for its consumption, and it returned over and over. It was mesmerizing to watch. Afterwards I had a jolt of concern that lunchmeat might be bad for it somehow, with added salt and preservatives. But Google assures me the wasp will not be bothered.
Here's another find from a recent walk. Apparently it's a halogen oven? I've never heard of such a thing, but someone was trying to give it away so who knows how well it works. I didn't take it, but I sent a picture to Dave, my resident cooking expert, who pronounced it "BS."
Lemon balm makes a good tisane..
ReplyDeleteOK, good to know! I'm not much of a tea person but I'll keep it in mind if I develop a cold!
DeleteLemon balm is great! You can use it in salads, for instance, or crush a few leaves slightly and put them in a jug of cold water as a very refreshing drink on hot days.
ReplyDeleteHow considerate of that wasp to stick to what you set aside for it! I have tried that strategy many times, offering the wasps something apart from our table, but they always, always come straight back to the table. And especially annoying (and dangerous) is it when they start flying around my face. What ARE they looking for there?!
Yeah, you don't want them carving bits out of your face! We left the meat on the table but the wasp seemed to know exactly which piece to go to. I suppose they have a very accurate internal guide so they can return to food sources again and again.
DeleteMeat wasp (yellow jacket) at the table, I’d be back in the house. Every time I’ve been stung, that’s what it was. And the fourth time was the charm with me ending up at the hospital. So, I stopped teh video. I had never heard of a halogen oven. Now I’m all read up.
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn't know it was the same as a yellow jacket. I knew it could sting, but fortunately it hasn't happened to me (yet)! Maybe if I keep feeding them they'll treat me right?
DeleteI have wallflowers in my side bed, not a plant I like or planted, I've left them there, birds often eat seeds, which they don't digest and then dump them around the garden. I'm bust taking cutting of plants I do like.
ReplyDeleteI do like wallflower, but I'm not sure we've ever had it grow from seed. Yes, birds are very efficient seed-spreaders!
DeleteSo Warren, did you have a good time over at Steve and Dave's place?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I guess.
What did they give you to eat?
Just some cold shit from the fridge. Meat and cheese and lettuce. That kind of shit.
And what did you do over there?
Most of the time we were watching a meat wasp!
Hell no, you watched a meat wasp?
And you'll never believe it. Freakin' Steve filmed the entire frigging show on his phone!
No way! Those guys really know how to have a great time!
Ha-ha-ha!
Ha-ha-ha!
This is probably way more accurate than I'd care to admit!
Deletelemon balm is great but it seeds freely...
ReplyDeleteGo to town, lemon balm! I'm ready!
DeleteI have never heard of a meat wasp. But then Mitchell mentioned "yellow jacket". That's what it looks like to me....and the sting is potent!
ReplyDeleteWell, I should clarify that it's not officially (or even widely) called a "meat wasp." That's just what I'm calling it!
DeleteYou treated your visiting wasp very kindly. Maybe s/he will return with friends.
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, not TOO many friends. Or maybe the rat will eat them? We're developing quite an interesting garden.
DeleteOur heat is sticking around this week and next so we're taking to the mountains for the weekend to find some cooler temperatures.
ReplyDeleteA charcuteries board and a couple of margaritas may be in our future.
Charcuterie really is a good summer meal option! (And margaritas are a good anytime option!)
Delete"Sweet Melissa" is going to be my earwig for today now.
ReplyDeleteI think I have heard the term meat wasp before but never really knew they existed. I'll have to do some googling.
My daughter had an easy bake oven that worked off of a halogen light bulb and back in the day, we used halogen bulbed lamps to keep new born piglets warm when born during the winter. I can assure you a halogen bulb will get warm enough to so simple tasks like bake cookies though it takes quite awhile compared to an electric or gas oven.
I'm just calling it a meat wasp -- I'm not sure that's really a term. Apparently all wasps are omnivorous and they like high-protein foods like meat to take back to their brood. They eat carrion in the wild.
DeleteYeah, a halogen oven just seems impractically slow.
Lemon balm is a hideous pest in my yard. It arrived years ago and I'm endlessly trying to pull it out because it chokes everything else. I give it in handfuls to friends to cook with. It smells wonderful but it's too much of a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI toss all kinds of seeds around so I don't always know if flowers came from there or passing (!) birds. The sweet William I got all excited about arrived that way, who knows, and there's a cosmos now growing at the gate right where it's going to get squashed. And the red rose planted by birds.
Well, we have a lot of "pest" plants like that -- the green alkanet, the stinking iris, the ragwort. I guess the lemon balm can now join the party! Yeah, sometimes volunteer plants grow in not the best places.
Delete