Looking for beauty in the ordinary

It has been a week of ups and downs which I am sure is fairly normal for most people. We have had some really humid weather which was followed by a day of rain yesterday. While I loved to hear the sound of the rain falling on the roof and was very appreciative of it as much of Queensland is in drought at the moment, I couldn't help dreading the thought of the weeds growing and needing tending to when it fined up as it is such a massive job. During the week I heard of several really sad stories from those I know and others who I will never meet and just felt today that it was time to head outside to the garden to find something beautiful that would cheer me up (I tried not to notice the weeds).

After a bit of searching, I finally found a dahlia that hadn't been half eaten by something as it seems that the whole 1/2 acre seems to be under attack at present from chewing insects of one sort or another.

 

This fig tree has lost all its leaves thanks to ....

....these bugs which have appeared in their hundreds.

 They make short work of the leaves and then start on the figs themselves. I am not sure if the heat has caused them to appear this year or why they have suddenly appeared as they certainly weren't a problem last year.

Of course we don't like using chemicals on our plants so the CEO has been trying to keep on top of them by squashing them but is losing the battle. Has anyone had any success with getting rid of them using natural pest control methods?

As well as the bugs on the figs these colourful ones were eating the horehound. 

They are quite pretty and seem large when you see them in the photo but are actually only about 1/4 inch long so are a lot smaller than they appear above. I have been trying to find out what the various bugs are and came across the link to a PDF download called ' Good Bug? Bad Bug? Identification Guide' on The Beatsheet  which you might be interested in having a look at. 

While in the garden I potted up quite a few plants and noticed that the chilli plants must be enjoying the recent rain....

...as they are growing like weeds. Unfortunately these are HOT so the CEO is the only one who can eat them in this household. 

Spending some time in the garden is always a great way to unwind and forget about the troubled world we live in for a time. There is always something new to discover and investigate and, despite the various pests that visit from time to time, it is so satisfying to sow a seed and watch it grow into a vigorous plant.

 We can learn a lot of life lessons from gardening can't we? Don't you agree?