Bugs, good and evil

I think I have a squash bug problem:

I dispersed them with soapy water, but they have the military might.  There are honey and bumblebees rolling around together in the funnels of the squash blooms.

It’s true what they say about bees loving Echinacea (coneflower).  I’ve found them NOT easy to grow, though, so I’m very pleased to have some mature, and even better, for them to be established in a perfect place in the garden (that is not always a given – too close, too sparse, wrong height – lots of ways to put plants in the wrong place)

I have some that grew from direct seeding last year, and I painstakingly got a few seedlings started this year that are still very small, not blooming.

The blooms are glorious, and popular!

This Tonello bean has ambitions:

Just past 8′.  Its friends wer happy to turn the corner.

Ah, the honeysuckle is happily established on my garden shed.  I hope, long term, that it turns out to be a good location:

The tobacco is blooming!  This one in the greenhouse is about waist high.  The others, outside, have not got so big (yet):

This is a sad pepper plant.  Chickens think pepper foliage tastes great, and they are a major threat when they get into the greenhouse, especially when the peppers are smaller.  There was an incident…but the peppers recovered.    This one by the door the chickens stretch their necks through to pluck what they can reach.  

By the way that snow fence on the door instead of screen has been a pollinator lifesaver.  I did have screen with gaps for the insects, but they still would often get trapped.  This year, I’m seeing almost zero dragonflies and bees getting “stuck” inside.  The key is the orange colour that draws them, so they go right to the door whether going in or out.  But it lets air throurgh and keeps chickens out, except for their little necks.