Flagstone Laid; more work still ahead

Thought I'd show what the flagstone looks like all laid out!
I still need to work on bordering it in, retaining that 10 inch level difference on the side, figure out whether I will border the pond with the same flagstone, build a bench out of some of the flagstone left... stuff.
But I'm happy with the result so far.


And a couple bonus pics just cause:

Asiatic Lily bursting

And a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly that's been hanging around a lot lately. (probably not same one, or maybe so, no idea really)
He's on my Bowless Wallflower, which is the only thing she/he cares for.

Mental RollerCoaster over Moths

So someone just recently told me that all the little red shiny pupae that I find and save in my garden while I'm digging around are Cutworms, well cutworm pupae.
When I was given a name and told they were devastating and a pest and plague I was stricken. I'd saved at least twenty of these things, very cautiously and graciously - only to find that they are evil.
So I was hurt for the day, really, like I was harboring satan in my garden.
And as I thought had been the case, all the little green and brown caterpillars I had also been saving were the larval form of the red shiny pupae. I was under no illusions that the caterpillars I had were "good" to have around. I mean, yeah, they gotta eat, and their going to like to eat my garden. I figured, there's enough to go around, go ahead. You'll be butterflies and enhance beauty in the world.
Then I found out that they don't just like to eat plants daintily and around the edges, saving some for others or for later, or to allow the plant to live, no, they like to chop it at the base or eat all the new growth to the ground.
This explains much death in my garden.

But I also found out that we are nearing the end of the larval season (caterpillar) and many more will be pupae soon (the little red shiny things) which don't do much but wiggle in the ground, meaning they will be nothing but brown moths soon. So nothing to sweat over, at least for the rest of this season.
Of course all the moths will then be propagating and laying eggs in my garden for next year....

Shit, well WTF, I survived. The garden is surviving. Maybe casualties, but not a plague. Maybe they are "evil" in some eyes, and I understand that completely. But it is life, and if nothing else, having a garden is bringing me closer to this intimate understanding that I have always naturally had, that life is life, and it all has a place. I can't cut my lawn or prune my plants or kill hardly anything because it's just doing what its supposed to.

Moral of the story: I got caught up in the "evil" labels that people were putting out there without taken my own experience into consideration. I can live with evil. I may not save it the with such grace anymore, but I can live with it.

PS - this whole issue becomes hazy when you start taking into consideration non-native species, or species that truly are extremely destructive like japanese pine beetles and star thistle and zebra mussles. But then again... thats just what I've been told.

oh and dandelions, no room in my garden for those pushy bastards.

Spring Renewal

Getting to be spring round here in Portland! Not that we've seen temps much above fifty, and actually I'm still waking up to a thin layer of ice on the pond... but still! Life is pushing its way forward in my garden.
Not all the plants I put in the ground last year have shown their new skins, and I'm afraid I've had a fair share of casualties (damn you winter apocalypse 2008!), but I have hopes for some of those still hidden in the ground.
My Agapanthis is most probably RIP, but there are slight signs of bright green among the dead ET like white mess.
I am most displeased about my jasmine not looking so hot and am fervently awaiting signs of renewal.
I'm also a little confused as to why my Honeysuckle is down for the count. I believe in its strength and hope for a late round come back.
But I just saw little spears coming from my Crocosmia mounds, and subtle whispers are coming from my Weeping Cherry that it might actually bloom (i wasn't sure it would).
YAY for the power of nature!

Cathedral Park

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood today. I decided it was a good day to get off work early and get out into one of the many parks and hikes I have not experienced in our wonderfully green city/state.
My plan was to go to Council Crest, just a little ways southwest of downtown which delivers the highest elevation in Portland proper, but that was a little ruined due to much heavier traffic than I anticipated. 2:30pm rush hour? I guess it is Friday, and beautiful out... so it looked like everyone else was trying to get out of work early. But honestly, when the afternoon rush "hour" lasts for four hours of the day, it just makes thinking about trying to get out of your local neighborhood a pain.
So I turned around and decided to go to a park near where I live that I hadn't seen yet.

Cathedral Park up in St. Johns.
Actually, directly under the St. Johns bridge. Which is, to be honest, the only thing this park has going for it. I mean it is pretty, and during the spring I might take a lunch there and read, but its smaller than I anticipated. It buts right up to the Willamette, and has both beach and docks, but also signs posting that sewage is dumped there, so... yeah. Anyway, seeing the bridge from the underbelly is pretty fantastic and I can see why it has been known as a popular spot for artists to photograph and paint and generally be impressed by.
So, here are photos: