Mother Nature's Uglier Side (South Carolina Edition)

The wind that delivered autumn to our neck of the woods blew so violently yesterday afternoon that it managed to knock down a 12 foot tall orange sunflower.  I confronted hubby about the downed plant this morning.  Less than ten days ago, he had complained about the one branch of it dying immediately beneath the eave of the house (likely what helped keep it erect!), so I suspected him.  He assured me that it wasn't him; Mother Nature in her season-changing mood had done the deed between my departure to  Daughters of the Nile and his arrival from work.  Make NO mistake, I am grateful beyond measure that Mother Nature brought autumn and purged the heat and humidity pretty much instantly (alas, probably not permanently).  I just wish she'd have spared the pride of my bee-luring flower garden!

This week I also noticed a particularly nasty fungus growing just outside the window of our kitchen/dining room.  It resembles toadstools sprouting from liquified manure, less any aroma.  Hubby reminded me that it's likely attached to a tree root that is decomposing more than a year after we had a wild cherry tree cut down in that area.  I'm sure he's right, but it's still icky looking!

Fire Ants continue to be a plague in our yard; I could almost swear that the bastards hibernate!  (If you've never been bitten by them, please refrain from judging my use of that word.)  Because they are known to swarm and bite simultaneously (nasty buggers!), I anticipate spreading bifenthrin on visible mounds before our granddaughter visits us next week.  As a rule, I've always preferred organic methods in our yard (hence the grits), but sometimes a little chemical assistance is warranted, especially where the health and safety of a small child are concerned.  Also, this is what's recommended by the "grumpy gardener" columnist in Southern Living, so as a Yankee transplant who is STILL learning about my Carolina garden, I'll trust his advice (especially since he reports having spread it in his yard in April and having had ZERO fire ants for the next SIX MONTHS!).