Serendipity in the Hoop House

2nd year mullein plant

According to Wikipedia, “Serendipity means a ‘happy accident’ or ‘pleasant surprise’ ; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.”  Last year, at the end of summer, I found this in our hoop house ~




It is a first year mullein plant.  Mullein is a very useful herb.  It has important medicinal uses ( I make a soothing ear oil from the blossoms) and also yields a very pretty yellow dye for dyeing wool fiber.  It was so beautiful, and obviously was thriving in the protected environment, so I chose to leave it in place.
As you can see in the photo at the top, the mullein is now in its second year.  It is a biennial and is just now
beginning to bloom ~

Mullein blossoms

The basic purpose of our hoop house is to grow nice hardy onions and green lovelies to eat all winter and into the spring… but it is also an environ where I enjoy the varied and burgeoning offerings of nature.
Last fall I found this little friend living in there ~

Spider in the Hoop House

She left behind a beautiful egg case and I am keeping a close watch so I can see the babies when they emerge this year ~

Garden Spider egg case

The other day I was in the hoop house, doing a bit of weeding, and found this interesting visitor ~

As soon as he could,  he found a way OUT.  I hope he comes back.