Rutting Amidst the Ruins: Japanese Beetles Cavort Lasciviously Amidst the Destruction They Have Wrought

These are the first Japanese Beetles of the season for me and look, they're already getting busy. They have apparently been hard at work (table?) in the Bioretention Basin where we worked today, all three Fern Valley staff and two volunteers. We planted some new plants and removed some weeds and enjoyed a cool overcast morning with a bit of a breeze.We planted, experimentally, Crinum americanum that may or may not be hardy. It seems clear that there are some selections that can survive in Zone 7, we are in the city though the heat island effect is less pronounced here than in other places, and well, it's just getting warmer. So we think we have a chance. Brad produced the healthy divisions from plants that have, for years, travelled back and forth between the Administration Building Pool in season, and a heated greenhouse in winter. This Crinum is native to the SE US, likes moisture, and has a cool, spidery, fragrant flowers.