Gardening With Confidence™

Reposted from my team blog at Beatiful Wildlife Garden:  Daddy longlegs – the Harvestman

There has never been a time I didn’t marvel at a daddy longleg.  Even today, I took the time to check this guy out when I saw him in the beautiful wildlife garden.

Perhaps it’s from sheer amazement for this creature — with out-of-proportion legs to their little bodies.  I often imagined alien craft for SyFy movies used these guys as design inspiration.

Even with a life-long fascination for daddy longlegs, it wasn’t until today that I actually learned about the harvestman.  As I began to research this critter, I soon realized there were many qualifiers to understand.  The quick solution, contact a credible source for help.  As such, I turned to my friend Debbie Hadley who has answered more than one questions for me about insects.
In fact, that is exactly who she is – About Insects

So I addressed my question to Debbie.

Helen – Debbie, I see there is more than one spider referred to as a daddy longlegs.  Can you please tell me what I have in the photo?

Debbie – You do, indeed, have a daddy longlegs, also called a harvestman. People use the name daddy longlegs to refer to three different bugs: harvestman, cellar spiders, and crane flies. The harvestman is an arachnid, but is not a true spider. It belongs to the order Opiliones.

There are several differences between harvestmen and spiders. First, the harvestman’s body is fused together into one section. Spiders have a distinct separation between the abdomen and the cephalothorax. The harvestman has just two eyes (visible in your photo as a tiny pair of black dots near the front end), while spiders have eight. Harvestmen do not produce silk, while spiders do. Perhaps the most interesting distinction is that harvestmen males have penises (spiders use an indirect method of sperm transfer, and don’t have penises)!

Worldwide, there are over 6,400 species of Opilionids living in all kinds of habitats. Many are omnivorous, feeding on small insects, bits of plants, and even fungi. Some scavenge decaying plant material, dead insects, or even feces. Many people believe that daddy longlegs are highly venomous, but have fangs too short to puncture human skin. This is entirely false. Harvestmen are not venomous at all, and can do no harm to people or pets. They’re quite beneficial arachnids, actually.

Thank you Debbie for your help to identify and learn about daddy longlegs.

Check out these two stories by Debbie on daddy longlegs:

What Is a Daddy Longlegs If It’s Not a Spider?
Is a Daddy Longlegs Venomous?

You can follow Debbie Hadley on Twitter @Aboutinsects

I have found that a quick tweet to Debbie with a photo resulted in answers faster than Google!

Thanks Debbie!

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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On a swing-set located in a suburban backyard, two little children, Lily and Aster, play.  They have great adventures on their swing-set. Each day after school, time is spent with each other; often, they are joined by their wildlife friends.

There are bluebirds and cardinals and a black-capped chickadee.  The robin dances on the ground looking for earth worms. A bumble bee’s bottom is all they can see with her nose so deep in the flower.   But today was extra special. It was almost missed.  Lily and Aster spied a box turtle (genus Terrapene) chomping her way through the compost pile.

The visiting box turtle was unmistakable, with her domed shell, hinged at the bottom.This hinged bottom allows the box turtle to close herself off from predators.  Lily and Aster remember reading on the internet about the box turtle’s life span lasting a average of 40 years.  They wonder if this visiting box turtle  has been in the garden all this time.

While Lily and Aster reel in delight, they bestow a name on their new wildlife friend, Boxy.  They know a box turtle can easily be confused and not know where they are.  They know not to touch the box turtle, remembering that even though they’re cute, they are a wild creature.  Too much handling by humans and being re-located can cause too much stress for the box turtle.

When box turtles are young they eat meat.  Their enhanced ability to see and smell, helps them find their favorite foods like snails, insects, fish and frogs.  Aster worries about the frogs he has in the fountain basin, but Lily reminds him that life abounds, all around and Boxy needs to eat too.

When box turtles get older, they tend to eat more fruits, roots, and flowers.  They also like tomatoes.

As Lily and Aster watch Boxy, they relish this time together.  Even keeping a box turtle for a short period of time is not healthy for a box turtle.  They understand and respect this.  As with so many of their wildlife friends, their “pets” run and fly free in the garden.  Each day bringing a surprise of who may stop by for a visit.  As they run off to share the new of Boxy with their mom, Lily and Aster hope Boxy will be back tomorrow.

Book of Six© Six Garden Pest a Box Turtle Eats

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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I was honored to be apart of this great group of native and conservation gardeners for our picks of the Gold Metal Native Plants.  How many on the list do you have?

National Wildlife Association Gold Metal Native Picks

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Gardens Illustrated, the highly respected international magazine, read in over 70 countries worldwide, asks designers and writers what they see as the hottest new design trends.

Here’s what  says Annie Guilfoyle, KLC School of Design says:

Wildlife and teaching gardens are a really hot topic – we will see more of a change in the way that children connect with nature. It’s very exciting and encouraging for the future.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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After many hopes of a snow day in Raleigh this season, one finally arrived.  At first light, the neighborhood kids convened in the cul-de-sac with hats, gloves, Uggs, pants, coats, beanies, and of course, sleds.  We pulled our sled out of the shed in anticipation of the snow.  The third time so far this year.  Now it gets used.  Even the moms and dads are eking time on the sled; each making an excuse as to why we need to have a turn.  No doubt, others too excused with needing to show their kids how its done.  As we live our personal episode of Twilight Zone’s Kick the Can on a sled, we remember it’s their turn now.  It’s time for our southern offspring to build memories to relive with their children one day.

Lily taking the hills of Raleigh

Helen loosing it.

Helen in a moment of some control

Our friend and neighbor taking Lily for a spin

In addition to readying the sled, more was done in anticipation of the snow. Yard toys were cleared for an unobstructed view of the garden covered in snow. This, of course, is necessary for taking better photos.   A path, half finished, was completed just in time to give the kids an clean run as they dash every inch of the snow covered space so as not to miss a moment.

Let the play continue….here are some scenes from Helen’s Haven™ in the snow:

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Helen’s Haven Wildlife Habitat

The birds take flight as I walk down the garden path; otherwise I\’92m alone. Light is low in the morning hours with scents in the air to attract me and the wildlife.

My garden, Helen’s Haven, is enjoyed by me, my kids, the wildlife. Helen’s Haven was designed with all in mind.

A garden full of color, scent, flower, texture, and wildlife is a way of life for my kids (8, 9, and 13); they don’t  know any better. Often, they will ask why other kid’s from school don’t have gardens that are flush with flowers, why they aren’t luring lizards, or chasing fireflies in the cool of the early summer evening. It’s all in a days adventure with the Yoest family; we wouldn’t have it any other way….See the full story please visit Carole Brown’s blog post:  Helen’s Haven Wildlife Habitat

Copy and photos by Helen Yoest

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening With Confidence Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her Facebook page, the Gardening With Confidence fan page. Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.

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This is truly amazing. Hummingbirds are such tiny, wonderful creatures.\
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Remember, protein makes up 60% of a hummingbird’s diet. The source? Soft bodied insects. Think before you use pesticides. Then put your spray away.\
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The Birth of a Hummingbird\
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Helen Yoest\
Gardening With Confidence

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In the words of Edwin Way Teale: “You can prove almost anything with the evidence of a small enough segment of time. How often, in any search for truth, the answer of a minute is positive, the answer of the hour qualified, the answers of the year contradictory!”\
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Helen Yoest\
Gardening With Confidence

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Bronze Fennel

Name: Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’
Zones: 4 to 9
Size: 4 feet tall and 18 inches wide

Conditions:F ull sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil.

Bronze fennel is grown in my herb garden for one reason: as a host plant for the Eastern black swallowtail butterfly. The plant itself is very lusty looking. Bronze color adds interest in an herb garden that can be heavy on green. The feathery foliage looks good all summer, as long as it is not allowed to go to seed. To avoid this, feel free to cut it back during the summer, or just let the larvae do it for you. Invasive in some areas.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™
Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.
Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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If you are going out to pick parsley and find this instead -\’a0don’t panic.\’a0 Plant more.\’a0 My garden is looking bare of parsley this time of year, but the butterflies are plentiful.\’a0\’a0\’a0We’re happy.\’a0 So are the Tiger Swallowtail larvae.\’a0 Just in case you’re wondering, there are plenty of other parsley plants around for these larvae to finish growing on.\
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Helen Yoest\
Gardening With Confidence

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