Staghorn Down

 

Above is last week of our Staghorn Fern that hung there since 2004.

It fell again for the 5th time since 2004. It weighs almost 100 pounds.

It survived both hurricanes in 2022 

The chain snapped during a normal rain this week.

See that tall tree, Bob leaned an extension ladder on the limb, a crooked limb which means the ladder leaned, and took his 192 lb self-up the ladder halfway, to hook up the come along, and I stood holding the ladder and his butt for just in case the ladder fell over.

it took us 2 hours to get the thing back in the tree.

While standing with my arms over my head, in fear of him falling, it did occur to me that IF the ladder fell, the man, the ladder and the staghorn would take me down with them.

It's done and no 86-year-old man/78-year-old woman was harmed in the hanging of the staghorn.

I did get insta toon pics for the fun part.

UPDATE

HOUSE next door with RED Door is Occupied!

3 Adults and 3 pit bulls!

Ov Vey! the NOISE when they all realized each was there. So Far no Problems! 

My brain kept me awake for hours last night, but the brain could be wrong

Random Shots - Backyard this week

Elephant Ear ..one falls down, two more grow in its place.

Orange Hibiscus and palmetto bush..

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Staghorn Fern

Asparagus Fern - Protasparagus setaceus

I posted yesterday that I did not know what type fern this is. Thanks to Debbie@Just Breathe for sending me this LINK. it appears I have two different types of Asparagus fern and this is one of them.  The other one that I have no photo of is Asparagus Fern - Protasparagus densiflrus sprengeri

Click LINK to see a photo of it.

Tale of Two Stag-horns

You might remember this pic above, June 18, 2014 the 100 pound Stag-horn fell to the ground. The first time it fell was August 2013. CLICK HERE for that story. He put it back up same day.

Not so fast on the re-hang this time, but finally on Dec 18 2014 Bob hung it back in the tree...

Lying on the ground did not hurt it...

the basket is disappearing 

This is the baby that Bob started from the big one, by hanging it on a small log in 2011. SEE that story HERE... when the  mysterybird ate the log, I sat it in this basket, and 6 months later the basket is almost covered. One day it will look just like its Mother and the basket will be hidden.. It has taken 3 years to get this size, we may not live to see it as big as the mother plant.

Platycerium Hissie

Our 100 pound Pltycerium AKA stag-horn fern (some call it elk-horn) fell to the ground with the limb it was hanging on. The plant was fine, but it caused me to stage a major hissy fit. See below definition of Hissy

In the interest of keeping this post to a minimm, I will state the Major Happenings... you fill in the rest of the story.

Think.... 77 year old husband.....extension ladder, (yes, the one with the passion plant on it) forget that part..

Now Think....ladder on limb....fat old me holding it.... hubbies feet on the rung HIGHER than my head...

Next think.... 25 pound come-along

 ...Hubby yells hand it UP to me, (HOW if I am holding the ladder). I let go the ladder....mightily lift it up while waiting for the ladder to crash.

He comes down the ladder, and says "I will lift the plant chain to you and you hook it in the com-a-long. Be ready, I can only hold it for a second....Well, of course he can't, it weighs 100 pounds and is as big as VW bug and by now I am in a hissy of a fear fit and hyperventilating.

the plant is hooked, the man goes back up the ladder to ratchet the thing up where it goes, it feels  like 4 hours until it is there since my hands and arms are throbbing from clutching the ladder so tight.

Guess what happened next.... The Come-along was Stuck, it would not UN ratchet, it would not let go of the chain, it would not come down and THE MAN was now on the rung 2 feet above my head stabbing the wires with  a LONG SHARP SCREW DRIVER... another 4 hours passed, stag-horn was HUNG and I was nearly passed out from adrenaline from the hissy fit.


LET ME MENTION HERE.... the neighbors KITTEN decides to come and wind around my feet, leap up and tap the plant fronds, try to climb the ladder, chase a lizard and now i have to worry if it will run 3 feet into traffic...OR the 100 pound plant will crush it and it will not be all the way dead... see where my mind was going?  Did I mention the scenario where the ladder falls with the plant and the man on me, we are both laying on the side of the street waiting for a passing car to call 911?

IF YOU ARE NOT WORN OUT from reading and want to see other post on STAGHORN click here

Flower Power - Staghorn Plant

After my out side the box SnapAThon with the Kings Mantle from yesterdays post, I aimed at pieces of the baby stag-horn...

Below is my in the box  in the basket shot of the whole baby stag-horn . this was a very small piece that fell off a couple years ago and it is growing fine. it will encompass the basket and bob will add a big chain to hold it up.

below is the mother plant and the baby from 2 years ago, the log the little one was on rotted after the woodpecker made it full of holes.

Did you guess?

Me and our beloved dog Max, deceased 2002. Photo scanned, taken  in the olden days of FILM 1984

Did you guess what is hanging on the pole in Shadow Shot Sunday post yesterday? Above is what used to hang on the pole, many moons ago. Not Me silly! the swing my great grandfather built for the front porch. Since we have no porch, Bob had to get creative.

 This wonderful Staghorn Fern (some might call it Elkhorn fern) resides on the pole Bob built for the long deceased swing. Seems the swing needed shelter from the Florida humidity.

 Up Close and Personal with the Staghorn

Mystery Story

Once upon a time, a giant Staghorn Plant lived in the backyard of Bobby Appleseed and his sweet Wife, MadSnapper. Along came a fierce wind and blew a frond off onto the ground.

 

LOOK said MadSnapper, a baby Staghorn. Bobby Appleseed as is his want to do, wired the single pad and frond to a limb that had fallen off their oak tree. Soon the single pad became 2 and made a second frond.

One fine day in November, as MadSnapper stalked a lizard chasing dog, she noticed sawdust on the ground. LOOK Bobby Appleseed, what is that? in amazement we stood and stared at a hole in the

oak limb on which the baby Staghorn lives.

WHAT? a woodpecker hole? how did that happen? I have not seen one in ages, and have not heard the pecking either? 4 days Later there is a second hole..... we have yet to see what made the hole.

How could a BIG woodpecker get so close to the ground and in plain sight of my kitchen window with being seen or heard?    Do you think this is a woodpecker hole?

Macro Manual 1

I took these with the new Rebel set on M for Manual (M stands fro Mind Blowing)

 Trying to blur part of the photo and sharp on the other

 It seems while I am focusing on focusing I forget to COMPOSE the shot... Practice still needed

How did I do folks?

Bob and The Staghorn baby

To find out how to grow one of these go to Growing Staghorn Ferns

Once upon a time, a 70 pound Staghorn lived in Bob and Sandra's front yard with its sister plant.

One morning Sandra was backing out of the drive way, and throwing the car in park, jumped out jerked open the door

"Bob, Bob, the Staghorn fell, its on the ground, come Quick!"

Yes he came running. 

I left Hubby standing in front yard staring at the Very Large and Heavy plant on the ground. When I returned, the VLH plant was not in the oak tree with its sister, but hanging in the back yard. (yes I fussed and said why did you do that by yourself)

The limb the VL plant hung on had rotted and fell with the plant.

Oh, good said Sandra, I can see it better back here. but LOOK, there is a tiny little frond on the ground, it has the cutest little brown thingy on it.

What did Bob do? He took the little brown thingy and picked up a piece of limb that fell with it, wrapped the little brown thingy around the limb and wired it fast.That was a year ago, and now it is 4 times larger than when he "planted it". The frond was about 8 inches and the brown thingy was about 4 inches. If you want to know how he did it, the link is at top of page

And now the little brown thingy has grown into the cutest baby Staghorn and lives next to its mother in our back yard. The big sister lives in the oak in the front yard. Both sisters started out life in orange crates, as they grow it covers it completely, one day our little baby will cover that limb and just hang in space.

Staghorn Fern (the rest of the story)

In Backyard Beauty two post back, I showed a leaf only and since some of you  wondered what the plant is, on Sunday morning, I FORCED myself to go in the back yard and document the plant.

Common Staghorn Fern, Elkhorn Fern, Antelope Ears

(what you call it depends on where your were born, South/North/WestThe photo was the top only of our Staghorn fern (Polypodiaceae plant family- genus Platycerium) Staghorn Ferns at a Glance 

 We have two of these ferns, they both weigh in at between 60 and 80 pounds. to purchase one at this size, you would pay between 300 to 1000.00.

 two distinctly different fronds  “sterile fronds,'' are rounded thickened fronds which grow in overlapping layers and clasp onto a growing surface.The upper parts of basal fronds may be lobed or divided and stand erect

 

stop by tomorrow for the story of how this plant had a baby...