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! 

weather most fowl

 Rain...at last.

It's been insanely hot this past week, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees.  I've been seeing this meme a lot lately and Devil's Front Porch sounds about right.  Or maybe we're in Second Summer?  

When it rains in the summer here, we tend to get torrential downpours.  Unfortunately, it absolutely flattens my flowers.  You can see some slumping in this picture, taken earlier in the summer.

I took this photo a few days ago...

...and all the tall plants (amaranth, apple of peru) are twisted and bent in half. Two of my dahlias were ripped off at the roots. Zinnias, cosmos, celosia...anything that's over 2' fall...bent over.  Next year, I have to run rope the length of the rows, both sides, to help prevent flop. 

Lots of interesting faces in the garden.  So...many...katydids!

Colorful leafhoppers...

Too cool for school spittle bugs...

...and quite a few spiders.  Many people don't like looking at them, so be sure to...

...scroll...

...past...

...the...

...next...

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...photos...

...if they creep you out! 

Okay, are we ready?

I was really excited to see this beautiful female garden spider (argiope aurantia) this week.

And just a few beds away, a loosely-related garden spider (argiope trifasciata) was nestled amongst the scabiosa.  Males are much, much smaller than females, so this one was easily identified!

I've seen several crab spiders in the garden...they're my favorite!

Like the venusta orchard spider, this beautiful long-jawed orb weaver looks like he's been decorated with gold flake!  

We've also seen the chogs out in the barnyard...the older parents who've maintained their home under our back barn are still there, but not outside very often.

The "babies," now grown, have gone further afield.  We see one especially chunky one by the front garden quite a bit.  I think he's got a nest down by the stream that bisects our property.  As long as he doesn't burrow under our porch!

After our insane rain storm, a flock of turkeys inspected our back yard for insects.  Two parents and...nine(?)...babies!  Well, like the groundhogs and our wood ducks, they aren't babies any more.  They're nearly full grown.

see the babies standing on the fence post?

Our county is doing a turkey brood count and I've been able to document several sightings this month.

Todd and I are still taking short hikes before breakfast almost daily.  So much to see in the forest!

This beech tree is covered in beech blight aphids, aka the "boogie-woogie" aphids, so named because they appear to be dancing on the branches.  We saw quite a few of these in South Carolina!

A lone luna moth wing, nearly bleached of color...

Interesting fungus, like this Chicken of the Woods...

...and so many wildflowers, even this late in the season.

goat's rue

The days are busy as we slowly fade into fall.  I'm looking forward to resting up once things slow down.  The kittens are leading the way.

Have a great week!

mellow yellows

 It's hard to believe that it's already June!  The absolute best month in the garden.

The yellows are EXPLODING.

I've got yellow loosestrife planted in the front garden, too, and it's just so cheerful!

I'm absolutely thrilled with how this back garden has filled in...and my bee balm and over 75 coneflowers haven't even started blooming yet!

There are at least two song sparrows nesting either in the garden or on the porch, and they sing cheerfully just a few yards away from where I'm working, every single day!

Speaking of nests, earlier this week I found the bluebird house on the ground and all of the eggs but one, gone.  It could've been Claudia.  It's true that feral cats are a menace to songbirds...but it also could've been the Eastern milk snake, who was living in the compost pile nearby.  Sadly, I picked up the nesting box and put it back on another post, planning to secure it with a board later.  That same day, I noticed bluebirds going in and out of it again, and every day after.  Had the female laid another clutch of eggs so soon?!  Yesterday, I found the box on the ground again.  I peeked inside...one baby bird, still alive!  I put the box back on the post.  I was gratified to see the bluebirds continuing to come and go, taking care of the baby.  If that flimsy box will just stay together for another week or so...

Meanwhile, progress on the plowed garden.  Todd shoveled paths between the rows...

...then drip tape went down, three strips per row.

Now we just need to connect the system and lay out the landscape fabric.  It's not a moment too soon.  Despite the fact that we've had ZERO RAIN for nearly a month, weeds are starting to pop up in the newly-plowed soil.  At least I got my vines in the ground and my pumpkins planted...only 22 seeds this time, half as many as last year.

My corn is doing well...

...but the same day I planted 16 specialty tomato plants, they were absolutely destroyed by groundhogs, deer, rabbits, or all three.  Todd is building a cattle panel/chicken wire triangle for protection...thankfully, I've got about 12 plants left, plenty for us.  The peppers and herbs are ready for planting, and every day I plant another tray of seeds.

They need to get a bit larger/stronger before they're ready to be popped in the garden, but some are definitely ready now!  And I have hundreds of sunflower seeds to plant.  The heat is supposed to break for a few days this week and I'm hoping to get a lot done.

Still finding time to pick bouquets...

...and keep an eye out for other garden inhabitants.

Even though they act like it sometimes, our indoor cats are not being neglected!  Barnabas has no trouble letting the guilt flow over his empty food bowl...

...and everyone is enjoying frequent cozy naps on their heated pads.

It will be nice when the garden is done and Todd and I can have some down time, too!

Have a great week!