A Hill of Very Long Beans

My new gazebo garden gave me more fenced-in space this summer, so I just had to try growing a few new veggies, one of which was the Chinese Red Noodle Bean.

Chinese Red Noodle Bean (banana for scale)

This impressively-sized bean is also commonly known as the Yard Long Bean, Chinese Long Bean, Snake Bean, Asparagus Bean, and Pea Bean.  The botanical name is Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, and this legume is not actually a bean at all.  It is a variety of cowpea and in the same family as black-eyed peas.

The heat-loving vines did wonderfully in my sunny front yard.  I planted the seeds in June, and two months later they started producing beautiful, fragrant flowers followed quickly by the beans.

The vines are vigorous and indeterminate (which means they keep growing and growing), ending up around 9 to 12 feet tall by the end of summer.  Once they started producing, they didn't stop.  I think I planted 8 seeds, and I ended up with crazy amounts of beans.  I gave away piles of beans, as there were far more than we could eat along with the other veggies from our garden.

one harvest of Chinese Noodle Beans

The beans were definitely better picked before they got too long and overly mature, before about a foot and a half.  I enjoyed the mild flavor.  Many think they taste more like asparagus, which is probably why a nickname is Asparagus Bean.  This is a great bean for a stir-fry.  It is highly nutritious, a good source of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folates, and other nutrients.

So were these plants incredibly productive?  Yes

Were the beans delicious? Yes

Would I grow these again?  NO, because of...

THE ANTS.

Yard Long Beans have extrafloral nectaries right below the flowers.  These nectaries secrete a sweet, carbohydrate-rich food that attracts ants.  In return, the ants protect the plant from predators that want to eat it.  Like me. 

several ants on this one

I don't know if it was just my ants or what, but they were very good at their job.  Every time I tried to pick a bean, the ants went crazy, racing up and down the bean.  Imagine me, a vertically challenged woman who has to harvest these beans while standing on a step stool, trying to pick beans in this jungle of vines while constantly swatting ants off of me.  I only got bit once, but still. 

my hard-fought pile of beans

Online others have said that they would just shake the bean and the ants would run away or fall off, but that didn't work with mine.  I must have the extra-special guard ants.  It is too bad, as these were great, productive beans.  If anyone has a solution to fight off the ants, let me know.

Until then I will be sticking to my more regular pole beans.

It's a Trap!

Everywhere we turned last Sunday, there was a trap.

Sarracenia hybrids

We were at what was probably the most dangerous plant show on the East Coast - the annual Carnivorous Plant Show put on by the New England Carnivorous Plant Society at Tower Hill Botanical Garden.  And what an amazing collection of plants it was!

15th Annual Fall Carnivorous Plant Show at Tower Hill Botanical Garden

The New England Carnivorous Plant Society prides itself on showing an incredibly diverse collection of carnivorous plants, and it shows.  There was far more than your average Venus flytrap here! We were surrounded by plants from around the world that get their nutrition primarily from insects (or the even the occasional frog, lizard, or bird)!  This lets them grow in places where many other plants cannot, such as in poor or very acidic soil.  I'd hate to be a bug in this room...

The tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes edwardsiana ready and waiting...

My personal favorites have always been the Sarracenias, our native Trumpet pitchers, and there were many gorgeous varieties to be seen.

Clockwise from left: Sarracenia 'Diana's Delight'; collection of Sarracenia, including S. x 'Morell', S. rubra, and S. leucophylla 'Red'; Sarracenia psittacine var okeefenokeensis 

Most Sarracenia are native to bogs and marshes in the Southeastern US, but there is one that is native here in New England and rightly well represented at the show - Sarracenia purpurea, aka the Purple pitcher plant.

our native Sarracenia purpurea

Most pitchers have hoods that prevent too much rainwater from getting into the pitcher and diluting the digestive fluids in it, but the hood of the Purple pitcher plant is less covering, letting the tubes fill with water.  A whole little microcommunity of bacteria and invertebrates live in this pitcher water and helps break down the prey to make the nutrients more usable to the pitchers.

Clockwise from top: S. purpurea ssp venosa, S. 'Green Latrine', S. x purpurea 'Alderman Lake Bog MI' x 'Brunswick Beauty

Also native to North America is Darlingtonia californica, aka the Cobra Lily or the California pitcher plant.  Native to bogs and streams in Northern California and Oregon that are fed with cold mountain water, these can be hard to grow in cultivation.  The roots of this plant start to die back if they get warmer than 50°F (10°C).  Members of the New England Carnivorous Society took it on as a challenge to grow these plants for this year's show, with somewhat varying success.

Darlingtonia californica

In South America live the counterparts of our native pitchers, the Sun Pitchers, or Heliamphora.  Instead of a hood or lid, these pitchers boast a 'nectar spoon' on their tops, which attracts prey.  A slit in the side of the pitcher regulates the level of rainwater inside the pitchers.

Heliamphora heterodoxa

Tropical pitcher plants Nepenthes look very different from Trumpet pitchers or Sun pitchers.  Most are vines and can grow up to several meters long.  The tips of the modified leaves produce tendrils, which form into pitchers.  Some tropical pitcher plants produce huge pitchers that are capable of ensnaring small critters like mice or lizards.   

Clockwise from top left: N. alata x ventrata, N. 'The Succubus',  N. ventricosa x truncata,  N. bongso

Sundews, or Drosera, have a completely way to catch insects. Their leaf surfaces are covered with many tiny tentacles, and each tentacle has a drop of sticky substance at the tip to lure and entrap prey.  Anything that lands on it becomes stuck and subsequently digested.  

a closeup of a Thread-leaved Sundew

  At the show, the Sundews ranged in size from cute and petite...

Drosera callistos, aka Pygmy Sundew, which is native to Australia

... to large and rather threatening to those who pass by. 

I think this one ate its sign.  It is likely Drosera tracyi, which is native to the US.

Carnivorous plants do have blooms!  Most hold their flowers on long stems far above the plant, so that they don't block possible prey from approaching the plant.  Butterworts (Pinguicula) are carnivorous plants that are usually grown for their pretty flowers.  The leaves look much like succulent leaves but are sticky to catch small insects.

Pinguicula species mounted on waterrock from Japan

The coolest plant on display was possibly a Corkscrew plant, Genlisea.  Corkscrew plants look quite plain and harmless from above...

the tiny leaves of Corkscrew plant Genlisea hispidula

However, instead of roots, these plants have modified, corkscrew-type leaves that catch tiny insects under ground.

the corkscrew 'root' traps on display in a water tank under the plant

The show even featured an aquatic carnivorous plant - the Waterwheel, or Aldrovanda vesiculosa.  Waterwheels float just under the surface of the water and catch prey in traps that look much like those of a Venus flytrap.  They are native to lakes and ponds in the Western Hemisphere and spread by sticking the feet of passing birds.

And of course, no self-respecting Carnivorous Plant Show would be complete without a thoroughly lethal-looking fairy garden.

Beware, traveling salesmen...

This was such a fun show, filled with so many different and amazing plants!  Thankfully there was also an area with vendors selling some of them to add to my growing collection...

my new Drosera graomogolensis 

Happy gardening,

and happy hunting...

via GIPHY

Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife

It's the height of summer, and the Purple Loosestrife in my detention pond is in full bloom.

However, when I say full bloom, I mean FULL bloom.  For here in North America, Purple Loosestrife, aka Lythrum salicaria, is a highly invasive plant.

Just some of the Purple Loosestrife in my detention pond

There's no denying that this particular invasive is a strikingly gorgeous plant.  Hailing from Europe and Asia, this wetland plant has been prized throughout history as an ornamental in the garden in addition to its medicinal use for gastrointestinal ailments.

Overseas, there are a number of cultivars of Purple Loosestrife.  'Blush', which has pale pink flowers and 'Feuerkerzeze', which has sterile, vividly-colored double flowers, have both won the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth on Purple Loosestrife

In the 1800's Purple Loosestrife was introduced into North America either accidentally as seeds floating in ship ballast water or intentionally as an ornamental.  In the years that followed bee keepers spread it to other parts of North America, as its many flowers offered an abundance of nectar for the bees.  It has since spread into most US states and up into Canada.

While bees and other pollinators love the flowers, unfortunately there are not many animals or insects here that eat the plant to keep it in check.  Purple Loosestrife invades wetlands, crowding out native plants.  It forms dense, impenetrable stands that are unsuitable for native wildlife such as ducks, frogs and turtles, and these animals are often forced to relocate. 

Once Purple Loosestrife is established in an area, it is nearly impossible to get rid of due to the immense number of seeds each plant produces.  A mature plant can produce millions of seeds, and these seeds remain viable in the soil for years.  It can also re-sprout from any pieces of roots left in the soil or water.  Managing this invasive plant by manual removal, burning, cutting, herbicides, and water management have all been tried... and found to be either too difficult, too costly, or environmentally unsuitable. 

So what to do about this plant?  In the mid 1980's, biologists began to search for what is usually the last resort - a biological control.  Biological controls are very tricky, as we have found out over the years.  Deliberately introducing something new into the environment can go terribly wrong.  Asian ladybugs that were released to fight aphids have now edged out many of our native ladybugs.  Our largest native moth, the Cecropia silk moth, is now under attack from a parasitic fly that was meant to control gypsy moths.  And most of us know what happened with Kudzu, aka 'the vine that ate the South'...

Thankfully, testing for a biological agent is now much more rigorous.  Scientists considered over 100 insects overseas that were known to feed on Purple Loosestrife.  Several were thought to have possibility, and extensive testing began in Europe.  The insects were exposed to many North American species of plants to make sure that they would not end also attacking our native plants if introduced here.  In 1992, after six years of testing, the US Department of Agriculture approved four insects for release into the US for the control of Loosestrife:  two leaf-eating beetles (Galerucella calmariensis and Galerucella pusilla), one flower-feeding weevil (Nanophyes marmoratus), and one root-boring weevil (Hylobius transversovittatus).

Hylobius transversovittatus on Purple Loosestrife
(photo via wikipedia)

Would these biological controls work?  In the mid 1990's the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing the leaf-eating beetles in various suitable areas, including two National Wildlife Refuges here in Massachusetts.  Between 2000 and 2008 the state government teamed up with various wetland conservations programs to release more beetles in Massachusetts through the Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project.  Beetles were released at 43 sites throughout the state, starting with Turner's Pond in Walpole, just a few towns away from me.  Within four years, Turner's Pond saw an 80% drop in Loosestrife plants.  This biological control worked!

However, to be a true success, the release of the beetles should not cause any negative effects on the environment.  Studies have found that the beetles do sometimes feed on two similar native plants; however they prefer Purple Loosestrife, and no serious problems have been reported.  Monitoring will continue, but so far this is one biological control that is a success!

Now I just need some of those beetles to fly over to my detention pond...

With all this Purple Loosestrife, I have quite a good meal for them!

Earthworms Gone Bad

Most of us grow up hearing about how great earthworms are for the garden.  Gardeners strive for a garden full of beneficial worms!  They aerate the soil, break down organic matter from the soil surface, and expel their nutrient-full 'castings' (aka 'poop') underground for the benefit of plant roots.  Whenever I found earthworms on our driveway after a rain, I enthusiastically picked them up and placed them in whichever part of the garden I thought needed them the most.

Then came the discovery of the invasive Asian jumping worm.

Asian jumping worm

Believe it or not, here in New England we don’t have any native earthworms, as glaciers wiped them all out several millennia ago.  With no earthworms, our hardwood forests evolved in an environment where fallen leaves collect in a thick layer on the forest floor and decompose slowly.  This leaf litter retains moisture, maintains the soil’s pH level, and supports a rich understory as well as the wildlife that live in such an environment.  

Yellow trout lilies

However, in the 1600’s, European settlers introduced earthworms back to the Northeast.  These non-native earthworms alter woodlands by eating the leaf litter that normally supports native tree seedlings and native wildflowers such as trout lilies, mayflowers, and trillium.  

Trillium cuneatum

The disappearance of this spongy leaf layer leads to the disappearance of insects and amphibians that live in it, which has larger implications in the forest ecosystem.  Thankfully this process is very slow, as the worms do not spread very quickly by themselves.

Enter the Asian jumping worm.

Asian jumping worms have likely been in the South and in northern greenhouses for several decades. However, they were noticed in 2013 in Wisconsin as problematic, and since then awareness has grown about these earthworms, which are.... a little different.

Asian jumping worms are more energetic than other worms.  Hailing from Korea and Japan, they are also known as ‘crazy snake worms’, as they thrash wildly side to side and even jump when handled.These worms have a voracious appetite, able to break down wood mulch and plant debris extraordinarily quickly.  (In one study, researchers from University of Wisconsin - Madison studied plots of forest land newly invaded by worms and found that the worms decreased the leaf litter mass by 84 to 95% in just four months!)

Instead of dwelling in deeper soil, Asian jumping worms live close to the soil surface, right underneath the leaf litter. Their dry, but nutrient-full castings are mostly left in the top two inches of soil, inaccessible to deeper plant roots. They work so quickly that scientists liken it to a dose of quick-release fertilizer.  However these nutrients easily wash away - sometimes to where people do not want it, such as in waterways.  Soil occupied by jumping worms often looks churned, grainy, and dry, and it is more prone to erosion.  

These worms that I had so carefully rescued were Asian jumping worms, of course, and they are changing the soil in my garden. The top layer of my soil in many parts of the garden has turned into a gravelly field of loose, dry little pellets.

While Asian jumping worms do thankfully die off in cold weather, their cocoons survive to hatch the next spring.  Another difference between these worms and others: it takes just one.  Jumping worms can reproduce asexually, thus it takes just one worm to make a colony in a new location.

So how can you tell if you have these crazy worms?

Asian jumping worm

It's difficult to tell with young worms, but the adult jumping worms can be identified by their smooth, light-colored clitellum, which completely circles its body near the head.  (The similar-looking European nightcrawler has a raised clitellum instead of a smooth one.)  They also wriggle wildly (or jump!) when picked up or touched.

So what can be done about these invasive worms?  Several states have launched campaigns to discourage people from dumping worms from fishing bait and vermicomposting in the woods, which exacerbates the problem.  Several organizations in Wisconsins have even cancelled their annual plant sales in order to slow the spread of these worms.  As for us, we can make sure not spread these worms by checking plants that we buy or share with others for worms and destroying any that are found.  Acquire compost only from reputable sources where it has reached properly high temperatures, which would kill any cocoons.

As for me, I will stop rescuing these invasive worms and putting them in my garden.

When It's Not Poop

A friend recently gave me a Dictamnus plant out of her garden.  Right on top was a very interesting stowaway.

What looked like a giant bird dropping on a leaf was no dropping at all...

It is actually the caterpillar of a  Giant Swallowtail Butterfly - one we don't commonly see this far north!  It uses its disguise of bird poop to avoid getting eaten by predators.

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar

It's not the only one that masquerades as a turd for extra protection. Several different types of Swallowtail caterpillars look somewhat like bird droppings in their early phases.

Black Swallowtail caterpillar

Similarly, I don't think any predator would find the appearance of this Hover Fly larvae appetizing...

Hover Fly larvae - ugly in appearance, but very beneficial as it eats aphids

Along these lines, I noticed a new visitor to my veggie garden this year that I called the 'poop bug' until I finally looked up its true name.

It is really called the Clavate Tortoise Beetle.  I can see why it is called that, as the dark markings really do look kind of like a miniature tortoise - but I still think it looks even more like bird poop.

Clavate Tortoise Beetle (aka Poop Bug)

These beetles like plants in the nightshade family, including tomatoes, but thankfully don't usually do a lot of damage.

I think it's really awesome how nature uses camouflage to protect caterpillars and other critters from predators.  As interesting as it is, though, I think I'm ready to see some wildlife that doesn't look like poop.

Ah, much better!

Happy gardening (and critter watching)!