Season of fireflies nearly here

The season of the fireflies is almost here. The second week of May has now arrived. The days and nights are getting warmer as we move further into the month of May. We can look forward to and expect the arrival of the fireflies or their other name, “lightning bugs” as they were called by my mother and grandma. We hope this will be a bountiful year for them. They are unusual insects with a light in their tail. Some years they are more abundant than they are in other years. We believe their numbers depend on how warm the weather is as we move into the first weeks of May. Warm days are when their eggs hatch out and produce the population of the season’s fireflies .A previously cold and hard winter could be a factor in the number of fireflies we will enjoy in the spring and summer of 2020.

The humming birds are now in full cycle. The warm and sunny days of May send a message that the season of the humming birds is now in full swing mode. Many spring flowers are not in bloom yet and that means hummers will be heading to the feeders in search of nectar. Keep feeders half full during the first half of the month of May to check how much they are consuming every three days. If they consume most of it, fill the feeders completely full. You can purchase envelopes of powdered nectar that you mix with water or ready-to-use nectar in half gallon bottles. You can also make your own with a half-and-half mixture of water and sugar with a few drops of red food coloring. Change nectar every three or four days and also clean the feeders.

Moving the Christmas cactus outside. All of the Christmas cactus have wintered over in the sunny living room since mid-October. Now with the warm temperatures of early May, they are ready to be moved outside to the front porch for spring, summer, and early autumn. The warm sun prepares cactus for a bloom season in mid-November. They enjoy a semi-sunny location on the front porch and a drink of water once a week and a shot of Miracle-Gro liquid plant food once a month. Cactus don’t like direct sunlight and their foliage will turn red if they receive too much sunlight.

Adding cactus potting medium to Christmas cactus. When moving Christmas cactus outside for summer, add extra cactus medium to the containers. You can purchase Miracle-Gro cactus, citrus, and Palm potting medium in eight quart bags at Home Depot and Lowe’s for less than seven dollars a bag. It is in an orange bag and formulated for effective drainage which cactus need.

You can start Christmas cactus from cuttings. You can root cactus from cuttings and share a Christmas cactus with friends. As the Christmas cactus cascades over their containers, pinch off a stem of foliage about eight inches to ten inches long and place in a clean plastic or glass bottle of water and in a few weeks it will start to develop roots. When the cactus grows several inches taller, transplant it into a container of cactus starting medium and use a plastic drip tray for the container. Water once a week and feed with Miracle-Gro liquid food once a month.

The season of a Blackberry Winter. As the month of May moves along, we can enjoy two or more weeks of “Blackberry Winter” and some uncomfortably cool nights as the wild blackberries begin their season of white blooms. There are plenty of blackberry vines along county lanes and fields, meadows and roadsides in Stokes and Surry county and all across the Piedmont. We just came through “Dogwood Spring,” a period of cold at April’s end and now we have a few weeks of “Blackberry Winter.” After these cool days, the nights and days should both be consistently warmer.

A pickle of a cucumber idea! May is here and the nights are getting a little warmer each evening and in about ten days or so, the soil in the garden plot should be warm enough to sow seeds of cucumbers. A great idea for all of you who love to make homemade pickles. You can make your own supply of dill weed that you can produce in the same row or bed in which you plant your cucumbers. Purchase a packet or two of dill seed at the hardware or garden department. Your hardware can weigh you out a half ounce for less than the price of two packets of seed. If you sow enough dill weed, you can also make several pints of dill vinegar to improve the flavor of collards, kale, mustard greens and mixed greens. You can also dry the seed for seasoning and of course, use the dill weed itself for dill pickles. If you sow dill in the cucumber bed, sow it in the outer rows on each side.

Making dill vinegar. To make dill vinegar, add a cup of chopped dill weed to a pint of vinegar, add salt, sugar, pepper, and hot sauce (to taste). Boil the mixture and place in sterilized pint jars, seal and process in hot water bath canner for five minutes. Dill seed in small spice bottles can be purchased at supermarkets if you would like dill seed in your pickles.

Avoiding powdery mildew on impatiens. In the past few years, impatiens have become victims of a fungus that causes powdery mildew that hinders the colorful and long-lasting blooms of impatiens. Here are several preventive measures to remedy the powdery mildew problem. Always start your impatiens plants in a well-cleaned container or hanging basket. Fill the container with fresh new potting medium. For an organic preventive measure, spray each week with a mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda to one quart of water. Use a spray bottle like glass cleaner comes in (or any type sprayer bottle). Spray a layer of mist over the impatiens once each week on a sunny, warm day. Feed with Miracle-Gro liquid plant food or Miracle-Gro pep sticks (two per container once a month). Water the impatiens every day.

Almanac for the month of May 2020. The full moon of May was Friday and was named Full Flower Moon. Mother’s Day is today, May 10. The moon reaches its last quarter on Thursday, May 14. Armed Forces Day will be Saturday, May 16. The new moon of May occurs at sunset Friday, May, 22. Memorial Day is Monday, May 25.

Making a dish of apple fritters. These apple fritters will melt in your mouth and are easy to prepare. You will need two beaten eggs, one cup sugar, one cup sour cream, four apples, cured and cut into quarter-inch cubes, one teaspoon apple pie spices, one and a half cups self-rising flour, three fourth cup milk. Mix all ingredients together. Fry on medium head in Crisco oil. Dust with powdered sugar mixed with half teaspoon apple pie spices.

Hoe-Hoe-Hoedown: “Lucky Rabbit’s Foot.” Husband number one: “I carry a rabbit’s foot around in my pocket because its saves me a lot of money.” Second Husband: “I can’t see how that would save you any money.” Number one husband: “Well, every time my wife sticks her hand in my pocket, she thinks it is a mouse.”

“Mighty Hunter.” Game Warden: “You are under arrest. You are hunting with last year’s hunting license.” Hunter: “But I am only trying to shoot the deer that got away last year.”

“Full of worms.” “I’m not going fishing with my brother again,” Robbie said. “Why not?” said Bobbie. “Does he move around too much or rock the boat?” “No, he eats all the worms,” Robbie said.

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