All sorts of brambles are flowering right now...
Actually, looking at brambles led me to an interesting adventure this week. We've got multiflora roses growing all along the fence line. They're invasive, but at least they're pretty in bloom. I love how they wind around our birdhouses.
On our front porch, a small Cope's tree frog rested before his big nightly solo. We have so many frogs here, with 2 ponds and a stream and lots of trees. I don't usually see them on the porch, though!
I've seen other little fellows, like this praying mantis nymph, just an inch long.
It's lined with the Indiana state tree, the tulip. This time of year, they're dropping their flowers. I love to pick them up and put them in water.
Different trees, different galls. These bullseye spots are caused by the oscellate maple gall midge.
The midge, which looks similar to a mosquito, laid eggs here. The eggs hatched, and tiny maggots live on the leaf tissue, which creates the raised circles.
Galls are so cool, and all so different. Here's another that I found recently, caused by eriophyid mites.
Even at home. For example, Frances paid no attention to the barrier I stacked in the upstairs window sill, to keep him away from the screen. He wanted to stretch out, so he simply stretched over the barrier and busted out a convenient hole in the screen for his paw. Ah, that's better!
terrible cell phone pic!
That was definitely a new one for me. These cats keep us on our toes!
Have a great week!
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