caterpillar thriller

The weather is delightful this week and I've been outside quite a bit.  Lots of activity that I would've missed if we would have had "normal" (miserably hot) late August weather!

Check out this pine tree spur-throated grasshopper.

Isn't he a beauty?

More butternut woolly sawfly caterpillars!  I love them so much. 

 This tussock moth caterpillar was suspended from a branch and just spinning in the air.

Eastern tent caterpillars were busy in this tree, protected by webbing.

Look at this beautiful guy!  It's a redbud leaffolder caterpillar, and those lines of webbing are protection against predators.

I've seen A LOT of caterpillar frass (feces) around.  It's everywhere, if you know what to look for!

We're getting a late harvest for our tomatoes this year...

...and it might have something to do with this guy.

It's a tomato hornworm caterpillar...

...and they are major munchers.

tomato hornworm damage

I found several which were parasitized.

A small wasp lays eggs within the caterpillar.  The larvae hatch, chew an entrance hole, and spin those little cocoons that you see.  These caterpillars are already dead...they just don't know it yet.  They'll die around the time that the new wasps emerge from the cocoons and seek new victims.  I left these parasitized caterpillars alone.  More wasps = fewer tomato-killing hornworms! 

My pumpkins, however, are a wash.  I thought they'd be relatively safe from squash bug, because I planted this group in a totally different location from last year.  I noticed a lot of the vines dying, but I figured it was from lack of water (I'm a "sink or swim"- type gardener lately).  

Nope.

They are everywhere.  I guess I'll be visiting a pumpkin patch this year!  

Pepita has started puppy school!  She is, by far, the tiniest pup there.  Other classmates include a 150 lb mastiff and a great dane mix!  She is learning there, but learning a lot at home too.  

She has learned to climb up on the couch cushions to peer over the half wall between the kitchen and the living room.   Important investigative skills!  

She's learned to dig holes.

"Digging?  What digging?"

Despite having the world's stubbiest legs, she's a good runner.

Meanwhile, our anti-runner has learned that he has to go to extreme measures to distract us from Pepita.  He spends a good deal of time in the kitchen, on his back, begging for belly rubs.

He's becoming a champion napper, too.

If you haven't seen Barnabas as much, well, he's staying out of the way a little bit more now.  Still getting used to Pepita.  And Claudia is nearly back to normal, although when we tried to put her outside today for a little while, she begged to go back into the barn.  I'm going to keep putting her out for a few hours a day, though.  It's perfect weather for lazing!

Have a great week!

our snake charmer

It's getting progressively darker when I take Pepita out in the mornings.  Everything is SOAKED in dew. I love seeing it in all the spiderwebs.

Dark, wet mornings aren't so bad, because I see a beautiful sunrise every day.

And on our morning walks...more signs of fall!!

Some cool caterpillars...

banded tussock caterpillar

white hickory tussock caterpillar

This isn't a fungus...it's a caterpillar!  A butternut woolly sawfly caterpillar, to be exact.

He reminded me of those beech blight aphids that dance when you shake their branch...which we also saw on the trail.

pre-dance mode

I like seeing how things change from day to day.  This is one day's growth for these oyster lynx mushrooms!

Another luna moth, or what's left of him.  They're so big and protein-packed that they are a real treat for a wide range of predators.

Look at the beautiful "eyes" on his wings!

Meanwhile, at home, a recent rain brought a big green frog (that's his official name:  Lithobates clamitans or green frog)!

Look at those eyes!

Also at home, Frances is becoming the perfect lazy cat.  

napping behind my desktop computer

napping on my hand while I try to type

napping on top of a box that I needed to access

begging for attention while I'm trying to work...on the dining room table, where he is not allowed to be

He's still helping a lot with Pepita...

...and keeping an eye on things with Barnacle...when he's awake.

He supervises when I'm training Pepita.  Here's she's showing off her skills with "snake dance."  Her legs are too stubby to properly train "down," so I used a stuffed snake tucked under my leg to lure her to the ground.  Snakes crawl on their stomachs, too, so "snake dance" became the natural name for this trick.

Yes, that's Frances on my lap, helping again!  :)  

Something's always happening around here.  Have a great week! 

king of the butterflies

 It's hooooooot again, so life feels a lot like this:

Working outside right now is sweaty business!

August is the month of blue skies...

Todd and Pepita by the house.

...and pink sunrises.

(Against my will) I've been outside quite a bit.  So many cool dragonflies in the late summer!

Slaty Skimmer

Blue Dasher

Widow Skimmer

...and other beauties.  I've been seeing a ton of Monarchs lately!

No, not THAT one.

And our own local dung beetle!

More encouraging signs of fall.  Naked ladies are out!

The leaves on the burning bushes are starting to turn, always an early sign.

Purple loosestrife, a late season bloomer, is brightening up the shadows. 

Pepita is working hard on her cat-nice associations, with some gentle assistance from Frances.

She's doing great with fetch and particularly loves oversize sticks!

Some pretty impressive growth in 7 weeks!

She's a happy girl.

Have a great week!