by Karley
The market is starting to pick up with all this warm weather. Tomato plants and ornamentals are available, and you'll be able to get some fried pies early in the morning. They go quick, so don't dally! Barbecue and baked goods aplenty are there, too. It sounds like the makings of a fantastic weekend picnic.
Is anyone else wondering what happened to spring? The arugula and some mustards we planted came right up and promptly bolted, which tells us they think it's been way too hot. Our creek branch has already right up, leaving some slimy green algae where the cool, clear water was just a week ago. I've seen our resident banded water snake sunning itself on a rocky outcropping, and twice I've almost stepped on the big black snake that lives around the garden.
Last year that black snake got tangled in some netting we were using as a deer deterrent in the garden. The netting was cutting into the snake's skin, so we very 
carefully had to snip each little strand of plastic to free the snake. The netting left scars, so it's easy to identify that snake. We're now very conscious to not leave materials in the garden that might be harmful to our non-human neighbors.
Black snakes eat rodents, and we've been told that they'll keep poisonous snakes out of their territory. Black snakes are totally harmless and nonvenomous. If you find that you have a black snake sharing your yard with you, please don't kill it. They pose no threat to you, your family, or your pets, and they are far better mousers than most fat house cats.
The bugs are certainly out in summer numbers. I've already been bitten by ticks and mosquitoes. I refer to the hour and a half before the sun goes down as “bug thirty.” If I've got long sleeves and pants on, they bite my face and ears.
We've already had an outbreak of Imported Cabbageworms. That started a couple weeks ago, so we're fairly sure they just never died since the winter was so mild. After daily hand pickings and spraying with soap every other day, I think we've almost got a handle on them.
Another bug that pretty much anyone who has ever tried to grow a plant outside, whether ornamental or edible, is familiar with is the aphid, or plant lice. These teeny tiny little sap suckers come in all colors—green, white, black, and red. They congregate in masses on the underside of leaves and where leaves and stems join. They feed on plant juices by piercing the stem or leaf and sucking out the moisture. They excrete excess moisture as a sticky “dew,” which ants love. That's why you frequently find aphids and ants together.
Each variety of aphid produces both winged and wingless generations. The first generation of the spring hatch from eggs laid in the fall. This first generation consists entirely of female aphids. These females give birth to live young without being fertilized by males. As their numbers increase and the masses of aphids begin to crowd each other, a generation of winged females is produced, and these take flight to spread their siege. Those winged females produce many more generations of wingless females. As their population density increases and the temperature begins to drop later in the season, a generation of true females and true males is produced. These are the aphids that will mate and produce eggs to be hatched next spring.
Since aphids reproduce throughout the growing season, they are a garden pest that 
pose a constant challenge. Fortunately they are fairly easy to deal with, and gardeners get a hand from the aphid's many natural predators. Lady beetles are avid aphid eaters, as are lacewings and some flies. Lady beetles lay hard, very tiny yellow eggs on the underside of leaves. If you find them, leave them there to increase the population of your allies. It's worth looking up what the lady beetle larvae looks like, as it's not even remotely similar to the shiny black and red-to-orange small beetles we're all familiar with.
If you find an aphid infestation on your plants, as long as you get to work quickly, you probably won't sustain major crop losses. Hitting the aphids with a strong jet of water effectively knocks them off the plants. If you already have an appreciable number of the little suckers, knock them off with a soapy spray and then rinse the plant with fresh water. You can also add garlic and onion to your spray to deter further feasting. Keep up with your spraying for a couple days to get their numbers under control, and then check on your plants regularly.
Plants with curly leaves that provide the aphids places to hide can be more challenging to reclaim from the scourge. Be sure you check every nook and cranny. According to Rodale's Color Handbook of Garden Insects, if all the descendants of a single aphid lived and reproduced, there would be over 5 billion aphids by the end of summer.
Aphids are common pests in greenhouses too, so keep an eye out for them on your tomato and pepper seedlings. You can discourage aphid damage to curcurbits like squash and cucumbers by placing aluminum foil on the soil around the base of the plants.
Keep your eye out for those abominable aphids so they don't get the upper hand on your garden this growing season!
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