We were having a great night, finally getting an invite from one of our neighbors to come over for a drink on their patio. I kept hearing scampering behind me and the neighbor’s friend seemed distracted… Turns out there were rats running along the top of the fence that runs between our yards! The neighbors’ fig tree seemed to be their destination. There were only 3, and they seemed to be relatively small. In the light of day we checked around our yard and did not see an obvious site for a rats’ nest. We’ll see what we discover when we dig out the back for landscaping. For now I’m just grateful that there is no evidence of rodents inside the house. Just to stay ahead of the game I’m re-reading Rats to remind myself what clever creatures we’re dealing with.

Unfortunately the pest discovery continued! I had been noticing a white butterfly taking a lot of interest in our kale the past couple of days, and there were some chewed up leaves.

After some quick internet research I realized I was dealing with cabbage worms. I inspected all the leaves and killed all the worms I saw, but the butterfly taunted me the whole day and was always quick enough to get away so I know this will be an ongoing battle. While I was looking for worms I found yet another infestation…

So while squashing worms I also sprayed the aphids with soapy water and knocked them off with the spray from the hose. The kale has been doing very well so I hope these pests will only be a minor setback now that I know they are there and will stay vigilant.