I am already over summer, and it has barely started! The heat and humidity have been brutal, the Gnats are relentless, and in spite of every forthcoming rain predictions, it's bone dry outside. But such is Homestead life; the livestock doesn't care how hot it is, and with that, onward and forward in our week.
Our week started off with adding two new family members to our Homestead, so say hello to two rescue Beardies. They are joining our family permanently! On the left is Daisy, a 1 1/2-year-old Bearded Dragon female, and on the right is Willow, also a 1 1/2-year-old female. Since we had two empty Zen habitats, they each got their own new luxury apartment ;)
Next up this week was dealing with the heat and our animals. In addition to offering frozen and refrigerated fruit this week, we've also offered a Baby pool with fresh cool water which no one was really interested although to their Credit, at least the Turkeys tried LOL No worries though, our Flock is well taken care of and their runs are all in the shade for this precise reason and with that a lot cooler than in direct sunlight making it very bearable back there.
Speaking of Turkeys, they've decided this week they needed a night out, and instead of sleeping in their coop flew on top of one of our sheds and remained the entire night. They were very happy to see us the following morning and followed us right back into their run!
Thanks to the Turkeys pulling that little stunt, we didn't get to miss our "Queen of the Night" blooming this year and we were rewarded with seven blossoms and quite a show!
The "Queen of the Night" flower refers to several types of night-blooming flowers known for their beauty and rarity. The most famous among them is the Epiphyllum oxypetalum, a species of cactus native to Central and South America. Here are some key characteristics:
Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum oxypetalum):
Night Bloomer: This flower typically blooms at night, usually only once a year, and its bloom lasts for just a few hours.
Large and Fragrant: The flowers are large, white, and highly fragrant, making them a spectacular sight and scent.
Epiphytic Nature: It is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants, often on trees, deriving its nutrients and moisture from the air and rain.
Succulent Stems: The plant has long, flat, succulent stems that can grow quite large.
Symbolism: The flower is often associated with beauty and fleeting moments due to its brief blooming period.
Other flowers, sometimes referred to as "Queen of the Night," include varieties of night-blooming cereus and night-blooming jasmine, but Epiphyllum oxypetalum is the most well-known.
Pretty neat right? We were thrilled we didn't miss it this year as last year we were too late!
Speaking of plants... we are nearly done with the greenhouse after getting more shelving AND new irrigation. As much as I loved the irrigation system that came with it, I couldn't for the life of me find more irrigation tubes with nozzles that would mirror the existing size and we ended up purchasing a new one so that i can water on both sides of the greenhouse.
We also potted Mulberry cuttings and they were promptly sold! YAY the Homestead made some money!!
Last but not least, the Bee Inspector came this week. We were very excited about this since it's been a good two months since we had our bees. Florida has a Honey Bee protection law that aims to ensure the health and sustainability of honeybee populations, recognizing their critical role in agriculture and the environment. The state seeks to create a supportive environment for both bees and beekeepers because of that. The Inspector came and looked at our Bees, made sure they were healthy, checked out the hive, and assured that the bees were in a spot where the general public couldn't just walk up to it and bother the bees. The inspector was very nice, answered all of our questions, offered himself as a point of contact if we needed anything and we passed with flying colors! We installed a "shade thrower" last week, so during the heat, the bees have some shade thrown on their hive. It seems to be working well!
And that's all for this week! See ya'll next week :)
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