pollen fallin'

A red-tailed hawk has been spending a lot of time in our backyard lately.

I'm usually alerted to his presence by the cawing of crows.  A group of crows can 'mob' a hawk in a pre-emptive strike, and it's interesting to watch them gather on branches around the hawk and engage in intimidating swooping.  I wonder if this is the same hawk that spent so much time around here last year.  Check out that red tail!  

 

Hawks are doing slow circles in the sky every day.  They  make beautiful silhouettes.

The birds are definitely out lately.  When I go outside in the morning to feed the strays, it's usually still dark.  But there's a cacophony of sound from the birds.  I do my best to identify calls.  I love hearing one of my favorites, the house finch.  They're such cheerful little birds, and now they're everywhere, preparing nests! 

It's a bittersweet time of year, because the camellias are finished.  Oh, I can still get a few from the bushes, but they're limp within a day or so.  The azaleas are popping out, at least!

Even my favorite azalea is opening up.

The usual bouquets...they make me happy.

A brief period of pollen...

...and more signs of spring.  New fern fronds unfurling in our backyard...

...and woodland flowers in the woods.

Sweet Clotilde sleeps on our back stairs, watching it all happen!

Meanwhile, I have done little knitting and no sewing.  Just so busy.  But I did take some time out to bake a cake when we had company recently.  I used to bake layer cakes, but we'd always have so much leftover cake.  Now my go-to is the simple chocolate loaf cake from Smitten Kitchen.  It doesn't need any embellishment, but sometimes I whip up a little sour cream chocolate frosting.

Absolutely perfect...and nearly no leftovers!  :)

Have a great week! 

"Khaaaaaaaaaaan!"

South Carolina hasn't been as humid as Indianapolis, but it's just as hot.  Last week, when some cool weather blew in, I felt too distracted to focus on my work.  I remembered one of my favorite things to do in Indianapolis - take my camera and sit on the edge of a flower bed, just observing insect behavior and getting a few shots.  It's incredibly relaxing and peaceful, and I'd often lose track of time.  I haven't done that yet in South Carolina, but the mild temperatures drew me outside.

It was a real treasure trove of activity (don't forget to click on pictures for larger view)!  I first found a picture-winged fly (Delphinia picta) on the front porch.  I've always called them 'anteater flies' because of their long snouts.  Don't they have beautiful wings?

I saw, too, my second green lacewing larva of the season, carting around a disguising load of fluff to help it surprise unsuspecting prey.  Without it, it looks a bit like those mind-controlling slugs in Star Trek: Wrath of Khan - the ceti eel larvae.  I was tickled to read that a retired entomologist for New Hampshire said of the larvae, "If they were the size of dogs, all humanity would be in trouble," referring to their famed ferocity.

Green lacewing larva:  link here
Wrath of Khan slug:  link here and here

Am I the only one who sees it?  :) 

A wasp, resting on a leaf:

 

Oh, how I love leafhoppers!  I know they're pests, but...

...aren't they beautiful?  Here's a striped one:

I was really pleased to get a shot of one excreting honeydew. 

Ants love to harvest this for food, since it's so sugar-rich...hence the name honeydew. 

A little beetle, buried in the lantana, gets some food of his own:

I was happy to see this little iridescent fly.  It's a long-legged fly of the Condylostylus family.  They're great to have in the garden, because they eat many pests.

A common bee...

...and a little 'sweat bee' in my daisies.  I've been stung by these little guys more times than I can count! 

Being close to water means we see a fair amount of dragonflies.  They're not easy to catch sitting still, though!

I loved watching this skipper butterfly:

They're rather shaggy for butterflies.  Look closely to see how 'furry' they are!

I spent some time looking around our flowering bushes, like the Rose of Sharon.

I actually prefer the fading flower, because it turns the most beautiful shade of light blue.

Look closer...there's a bee hiding in there!  Actually, the bee was dead - proboscis out and all.  I've read that wild animals, knowing that they're dying, often seek out a quiet, sheltered place to wait.  This seems to hold true for bees, too.

Look at those full pollen packs!

I also stumbled across a newly-dead cicada, who didn't mind a bit as I posed him for a few shots.

Those 3 red dots on the forehead are actually additional eyes called ocelli, which means little eyes in Latin.   If you like cicadas, you should watch this quick video (link HERE) that someone sent me.  It's amazing and gives you an even greater appreciation of these little guys! 

Keep an eye out the next time you're near some flowers or shrubbery - who knows what you'll spot!

Have a great week!  

Whole Lotta Love

Things I'm loving this week...cupcakes for two, with sprinkles...that we've had three days in a row.

Pollen-covered bees.

 

Tiny bouquets made up of flowers from the garden.

"Things" that resemble other "things", like seed pods that look like pointy-hatted gnomes...

 ...and this emerging fennel umbel that resembles an acrobat, twisting backward to grasp a pole.  Do you see it?

Also love...flowers grown from seed.

Color...lots of color.

When a plan comes together...like a walkway bordered by feathery cosmos that are just starting to open up.  

Yard sales steals...like this handmade miniature covered bridge I found for $5.00.

I love doll-free dollhouses and the tiny wooden furniture inside.  One day I will indulge that love, but for now I'll stick to this miniature covered bridge, which may become a trailing shade plant holder, or a bird feeder...or maybe just something to sit on a shelf and admire.  It's got both puppy and kitty seals of approval.

Another $5.00 steal...this was the price for three vintage wooden dough bowls found at Goodwill recently.  Not $5 each...a total of $5 for all three bowls.

They were in pretty rough condition.  Lots of scratches.

Because my arms are usually aching from the gym, I slowly sanded them down over time.

Then I used mineral oil to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

It's a beauty, isn't it?  I found other, nearly identical vintage wooden dough bowls online ranging in price from $35 - $250 -  per bowl.  

In the midst of so many good deals, I've been feeling a bit guilty for paying full price for some items that I don't even use...like my tart pans.

I decided to make mini fruit tarts this past week, to assuage my guilt...and because they're so tasty.  I don't use a set recipe for these...it all depends upon what you like.

I mixed up my preferred recipe for pie dough (Smitten Kitchen's all-butter pie dough) and placed the  dough in the refrigerator to chill.  I preheated the oven to 350, greased my tart pans, and placed them on a cookie sheet in case of mid-cooking spillage.

Once my dough was chilled (to be honest, I only chill mine for 15 - 30 minutes), I rolled it out on a floured surface and used a tart tin to cut out the pie bottoms.

Of course, this only makes enough dough to cover the bottom of your tins.  

I took leftover dough, sliced it with a pizza cutter, and made sides for each tart.  

An alternative is to just cut a larger circle of dough that covers bottom and sides all at once.  That's the easiest way...I just wasn't thinking when I was making these!  But this method worked just fine and didn't take much more time.  

This is just a miniature version of my favorite three-berry pie.  I measured about 3/4 cup sugar and mixed in 2 tablespoons of corn starch.  I stirred this mixture into 3 cups of frozen fruit, and spooned it into my tart containers.

Since I just threw these together, I didn't pay much attention to time...I just baked these until the crusts were golden...around 20 minutes, I think!  

The tarts are a bit runny when they come out of the oven...

...but they firm up as they cool.

These can be whipped up in no time and it's a perfect summer snack.  Great for picnics!  Each tart is equivalent to a half piece of pie, so it's a small, guilt-free indulgence.

Enjoy!