Dragons in the daylilies: don't be afraid to share your garden with beneficial creatures.

Races and cultures worldwide tell legends of flying, fire-breathing, lizard-like beasts. From the continent of Australia up through the Dutch East Indian archipelago to the Indian sub-continent then up through Asia and over to Europe, cave drawings depict our racial memories, our inner ancestral remembrances of dragon-like creatures. The predominance of dragons in Chinese and other Oriental histories is well-documented. The storied King Arthur, "Arthur Pendragon" himself, is considered by historians to be the legendary personification of the ancient Celtic/Druidic belief that the British Isles are the literal "dracon" or "draconum." The Scottish Highlands are said to be the "backbone of the dragon." The plains of England proper, to the south, are said to be the body and legs of the mythical flying serpent.

Lizards survived the 65-million-year-ago kill-off of the dinosaur giants more or less in their present form. This is true, too, of the Australian, African, and East Indian crocodiles and the alligators and caymans of the tropical and subtropical Americas. Today's birds are the direct descendants of the "giant lizards," which is the literal translation of the Latin-derived word "dinosaurs." The scaly skins of those rulers of the Jurassic and Triassic periods evolved and differentiated through the eons into feathers. The scaled legs and feet of modern birds are the visible remnants of this transition. The useless forelegs of the upright giant lizard predators and scavengers first became leathery wings, then feathered wings. Warblers and finches on our backyard feeders trace their ancestry to the ferocious saurian raptors that terrorized pre-history. Backyard mating battles between male ruby-throated, emerald-skinned chameleons evoke, with a bit of imagination, the earth-shaking set-tos of the 20-foot long, 10-ton allosaurs.

Be proud and happy that our backyard, dahlia-dwelling dragons are only four-inch-long creepy-crawlies!

We have at least four species of "dragons" in Mississippi. The color-changing chameleon, the masterfully camouflaged gecko, the brown common skink, and the larger, technicolored, blue-tailed skink are the most common varieties. They are abundant statewide. Their local presence indicates the general health and overall condition of a yard/garden/lawn mini-ecosystem. If you've got 'em, chances are that your place is in pretty good shape--something is being done right. These friendly dragons make your gardening work easier by eating bugs, slugs, snails, and pert' near everything small that doesn't eat them!

Shelter and water are all the mini-dragons need to thrive. A deep, loose mulch for overnighting and overwintering and a few shallow pans full of water will do. For food, dragons require only the whiteflies, aphids, slugs, and caterpillars that can infest any given landscape.

To keep them around, avoid the use of commercially formulated "-thions," "-drins," and "-cides." These are indiscriminate killers of pests--and of beneficial dragon species. These remedies should be called "everything-cides;" they devastate all living things they contact. Ecologically friendly repellents can be made at home from readily available household ingredients. These repellents won't kill all the targeted bugs, but they will ward them off for a while. Plus, they won't hurt your beneficial dragons, allowing them to continue their deadly, pest-eating performance. (See "Save the Species, " below, for instructions.)

Beneficial insects, too, survived the devastating dinosaur kill-off. Plodding, predatory ladybugs or ladybirds feed voraciously on aphids, white flies, and spider mites. These turtle-like tanks are arrayed in a rainbow of colors from black with red spots to yellow with black specks.

The praying mantis does its own deadly duty, taking nourishment from plant-devouring, life-sucking little beasties. This T-Rex of the garden, too, comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Varieties ranging from green, half-inch-long types to brown-camouflaged, three-inch-long specimens do yeoman duty against insect pest infestations. The larger varieties can and do devour tree frogs and other smaller frogs and toads when the opportunity presents. The mantis's appetite is fascinating but is of little effect to overall amphibian and dragon populations. It's all about natural give and take, the balance inherent in nature.

Bees and butterflies are the best-known pollenators, but lizards and predatory insects, our "dragons," are also inadvertent pollenators and cross-pollenators as they prowl, skulk, and hunt in the blossoms and branches of gardens and flower beds. Seems these little beneficials are up and down the natural list of do-gooding!

If you've got dragons, protect them with natural, eco-friendly sprays and repellents. If you don't see dragons frequently, use the preparations in lieu of the store-bought "-cides" to attract them to your place and allow them to flourish. Your garden, flower bed, and lawn plantings will thrive; they'll thank you each time you view your own panorama, large or small. Don't be surprised if friends and neighbors "ooh" and "aah" when they see your dragon-friendly landscape.

Let the dragons be. Let them thrive. They'll do the same for you.

save the species

When threatened or harmed, insects give off powerful enzymes or hormones to broadcast distress to their fellows, alerting them to avoid the potential lethality being sensed or experienced. This phenomenon can be used in formulating an eco-friendly repellent.

Collect specimens of the targeted pest from your plantings. Put them into the blender, along with a dime-sized dot of benign dishwashing detergent and a like-sized drop of vegetable or salad oil. Add a pint or so of tap water. Blend vigorously. The blending action kills the pest specimens in the solution. They exude their enzymatic distress signals. The detergent in the mix acts as an emollient. The oil makes the solution adhesive, allowing it to coat the plant matter. Strain the solution, then pour it into a garden sprayer. Spray liberally on infested plantings and nearby growth.

Another simple solution can be made from the petals and stalks of ornamental chrysanthemums and daisies. These plants contain an innate "-cide," strong enough to kill insect pests but mild enough to spare the dragons. Gather plant material from these ornamentals after dead-heading or routine pinching off. Add the detergent, oil, and water, in the same proportions, into the blender with the prunings. Blend vigorously. Strain, then pour into a sprayer. Spray infested growth and surrounding plants. This mix may be combined with the "distress" solution to create a broader-spectrum repellent.

Note: The naturally occurring ingredient in the mum and daisy solution degrades quickly, so don't bother to store any leftover mix. Heat, water, and light destroy the active ingredient in a few hours. A bit of oak bark or a few oak leaves, which contain tannic acid (a natural antioxidant), can be added before the blender step to stabilize the solution to some extent. Use with caution around water gardens and koi/goldfish ponds, as this solution can harm fish and aquatic beneficials.