the gold (finch) standard

I love finding interesting things on our daily walks.  These white planthoppers always rest in a line on branches.  They look like young leaves, until you look closely!

Black locust treehoppers, clustered here, are cared for by ants, who love their honeydew secretions.

More branch-huggers...these tulip tree aphids!

A raccoon has been here...

I don't usually see these, but a marbled salamander didn't quite make it across the path last week.

They are North Carolina's state salamander!  Another interesting fact:  they are bioluminescent.  

I love finding new flowers in the woods.

rosepinks

Of course, we're still seeing turkeys all the time.  Crossing the road...

...or ducking into fields.

The poults are getting big!

It's goldfinch season for sure.  I hear them chattering all day long, and they're basically living in the flower garden...

...perching on flowers...

...and gobbling seeds.

If you see one, there's usually more!

They usually don't do too much damage.  

The weather has been so nice that these country roads are full of bicyclists...

...and lots of kayakers on the local small lakes.

We're getting into the rough weather of late July and early August, though, and even the cats are wilting from the heat.

We work outside only in the early evening...

adjusting the many hoses that snake around the flower garden

mowing the back field for exercise, 3-5 days/week

...and spend more time inside.

Claudia rests in the heat...our main view from the living room window!

We'll start moving more in September, when the cool weather starts to roll in.  

Have a great week!

milkweed glee

Summer is going by so quickly, which always amazes me.  But the signs are unmistakable.  Blackberries are ripening everywhere.

Flowers are starting to go to seed...to seed!  It seems so early.

bupleurum

Spring hatchlings are looking more like adults now.  This bluebird is just about ready to leave the nest...

...and these young barn swallows are practicing their low, swooping flights every late afternoon, filling the air with their exciting chirps.

Young rabbits, too, are getting more bold.

(side note: ANOTHER TICK)

Our young turkey poults are half grown now!

Our trail cams pick them up quite a bit.

The local fawn is steadier on her legs, too.

This grass-carrying wasp is preparing her nest for eggs.  They take over old insect nests (in this case, a carpenter bee hole) and stuff them with grass to make soft places for the next generation.  

Caterpillars are everywhere, eating quickly to gain mass for pupation.  Here's a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on my dill (another excellent reason to plant it):

And a new-to-me one on the milkweed.  These are milkweed tussock moth caterpillars.  They look destructive...

...but they serve a purpose.  Both monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth caterpillars rely on milkweed for their larvae, but monarchs prefer new leaves, and tussocks prefer old.  They happily co-exist. Milkweed spreads rapidly, so these tussocks ensure that they are not too widespread.  They eat a few of them, and the sap from the milkweed makes these caterpillars taste very unappealing to predators.  Win win!  

Milkweed really does provide for a vast array of insects, and they are all readying to lay eggs for next year.

red milkweed beetles

milkweed bugs

It really is a wonderful plant to have around!

Well, although we're nearing late (!) summer, there's still plenty of insects around.

cluster fly

wood nymph moth

oleander aphids

agreeable tiger moth

meadow spittlebug

There's so much to see that I've gotten into the habit of carrying my camera when I go outside.  There's only so much summer left!

Well, as seasons end, so do lives.  Borga gave her last WOOF last week.  

She had a good, long life here!  Todd is really going to miss his little companion.

Hopefully these guys will help him feel a little bit better!  It's tough to lose a pet, though.  They really do leave paw prints on your heart.  

(yes, they're on the dining room table...again.)

Have a great week!

"fawned" of the babies

 The garden is in full swing!

I took these photos a week or so ago and so many more things are blooming now.  

And again I say...where did all these CONEFLOWERS come from?!?  I only planted a few, but apparently, they spread.  No complaints, though!

Coneflowers are great for pollinators.  Sure, you have the usual butterflies, but also bees, of course.

southern plains bumblebee

The stiff, full petals provide great cover for them at night, or during the rain.  You can see a bee peeking out here, checking to see if the coast is clear!

I also spotted this tiny green lacewing egg last week.

Caterpillars, like this Eupithecia moth one, love them too.

I'm getting some great variants.

I picked a big armful of them yesterday and have made some beautiful bouquets!  

In the heat of summer, lots of interesting things around.  Caterpillars...

pipeville swallowtail

sycamore tussock moth

...and moths, of course.

harnessed tiger moth

banded tussock moth

Other interesting fliers...our tiger bee flies are back!!

Tiger bee flies lay eggs in carpenter bee holes, and their larvae eat the bee larvae.  We have an excess of carpenter bees, so they are definitely welcome here.  When I start seeing white drops on the porch rails and larval casings on the ground...

...I know that it's tiger bee fly time!

I've also found some great eggshells this week.

cowbird

robin

Now, a few weeks ago I mentioned that there was definitely a fawn or two around.  Finally, the trail cams confirmed.  BABIES!!

Now that he's getting older, I'm starting to see him in the yard, too.

Our apple tree is absolutely overloaded with apples...

...so he's got plenty to eat!  

So much going on that it's hard to keep up.  Have a great week!

a bit of fun from the trail cam