written by Staff member Margret Taylor
The heat is raging on as August moves forward. Weeding continues as does more planting, staying on top of harvesting and getting rid of pesky bugs. The Japanese Beetle, Colorado Potato Beetle and Tomato Hornworm in particular have been making tasty treats for the chickens this year.
Bright yellow aphids have been catching our attention as they take over some of the milkweed plants in the field - we leave patches of milkweed plants in the field for once endangered monarch butterflies to enjoy. The aphids feed on the sap of the milkweed and secrete a liquid called honeydew. This honeydew is loved by ants, and some species of ants have been known to herd the aphids on to these plants to later feed off of the honeydew they produce! Ants are farmers too!
