the white stuff

I wasn't supposed to be here to write this post!  I was supposed to be on the west coast for a week, but I had a mini medical crisis (related to yet another side effect from yet another perimenopause treatment medication that my doctor is having me try out) and had to stay home.  Todd went, and took Pepita.  I had to be content with an occasional pup shot from afar:

And a few shots of some of the mischief she'd gotten into:

She wasn't the killer, but did argue firmly and rather convincingly that this squirrel hand made a fantastic dog toy or, in a pinch, a good chew stick.

My mini medical crisis (which I will henceforth refer to as my "MMC") meant that not only was I not traveling out west, I wasn't going too far from the living room couch.  So no tromping around for caterpillars, no long hikes, no nature shots.  

I did make it out to the garden to pick another bunch of tomatoes.  These are in the process of being slow roasted, pulverized, and turned into tomato sauce.

A few shots from the past couple of weeks...Pepita had her last week in the sling!  At 6 months old (around October 1st), she'll be fine to walk for a whole 30 minutes every morning.

A few interesting things on the trail...a series in white!

This cotton fluff is actually phylloplecta tripunctata...tiny sucking insects that focus primarily on blackberries.  These nymphs are safer under the cover of this "cotton."

More beautiful caterpillars!

acronicta modica

I love leafminer lines, even if they do cause some damage to plants.

A similar look on our formerly white siding (for some reason, this section got really dirty and needs a good power washing):

lines made by a snail, not a leafminer!

Our 'little lime' hydrangea is almost done blooming...

...and I just cut down the last of the coneflowers, these beautiful white ones that look so pretty against the pink obedient plants.

White trails across the sky...

Not quite white...this is a yellow woolly bear caterpillar.  

A red-shouldered hawk flew over our white barn...they've been out hunting a lot lately!

Hot hot hot, but today - at last! - the fall rain came.  It's supposed to rain all week!

No changing leaves yet, not really.  Just dry.

But the cool weather is coming soon!

The cats have been taking good care of me...sort of.

assisting with ebay work

keeping a close watch from beneath my computer...no funny business!!

gathering strength for the nursing work ahead 

They're good company.  Hopefully my "MMC" will be resolved soon and I can get back to my regular life.

Have a great week!  

more Hercules, please!

 The season is marching along, with so many daylilies...when did I plant these?

Hosta flowers are starting to come up, too.

The garden is really starting to pop (I'll have better pictures soon)!  It's definitely more tame this year - no 4' cosmos or marigolds - but it feels more manageable, too.  We've had regular rain, which is a big help!

Right on schedule, we have squash bugs.  And where there's squash bugs...

I had terrible germination with my pumpkins (like with everything else) and was only able to plant about 10 this year...and many of these were volunteers from the yard!  Even though the pumpkin plants are just a few inches tall, they are swarming with squash bugs.  I have to crush the eggs every couple of days, or the babies will eat the pumpkin leaves and possibly kill the plant.  

Herons are still visiting the pond regularly...

heron pouncing on a fish 

...and many other interesting creatures are around, too!

eastern tent caterpillar moth

eastern whitelip snail

house finch

song sparrow

plume moth

[look away if you're spider-averse!]

venusta orchard spider

hentzia jumping spider

Todd found this beauty in the driveway recently.

It's a female eastern Hercules beetle (a male would have gigantic 2.5" horns!).  Isn't she a beauty?  Check out her wings...it looks like a watercolor painting!

She was legs-up days ago, so I put her on the porch, where she moved sluggishly.  I didn't expect her to live, but she continued to do so, so I moved her to the garden.  She's gone now.  I hope she's laying eggs somewhere...I'd love to have more of these around!  

There was a rabbit right by the house...or there used to be.

The weather has been...amazing.  With one hot and humid exception, we've been in the 70s for several days.  It was 55 degrees when I woke up today!  Beautiful sunny days and blue skies.

The kittens watch me from their perch while I'm working outside...

...unless they're otherwise occupied.

Pleasant days indeed.

Have a great week!  

Ephemeral Emeralds

Late March...some rain...a warm spell...I knew that ephemerals would be popping up!  Like the name suggests, ephemerals are woodland wildflowers that are here-and-gone.  In a brown landscape with not a lot of green growth, they are little gems scattered in the forest.  I love seeing their little faces every year!

Rue Anemone

Spring Beauties

Cutleaf Toothwort

Harbinger-of-Spring

Red Maples are budding out!

The woods are alive, finally!  This spring peeper is singing his heart out.

I've seen so many southern leopard frogs!

Turtles everywhere.  Todd, with his eagle eye, sounds a "turt alert" when he spots one from the trail.

Are these geese making a nest?

This freshwater snail is working his way through the debris on this submerged leaf.

Insects are stirring, too.  These water skippers are killing two birds with one stone, makin' babies and having a snack simultaneously.

A pair of predacious diving beetles, clasped in an embrace, dove for cover as I leaned in for a photo.

Interesting creatures.  They can't breathe underwater, so they bring air down with them, storing it within their bodies.  It has to be just the right amount.  Too much and they would be too buoyant, and not enough, they would drown.  They're called water tigers for their somewhat brutal hunting methods...floating limply in the water until prey (fish, tadpole, etc.) passes, and then, quick as lightning, biting.  They inject a digestive juice that partially liquifies their victims, making them easier to eat.  

I spotted another fascinating insect yesterday.  This is a violet oil beetle.  Not just a pretty face!

They're also known as blister beetles because they secrete a corrosive liquid from their joints if bothered, causing skin to blister.  Their life cycle is absolutely fascinating!  Any Creepshow 2 fans?

Young oil beetles have tiny grappling hooks on their legs, and after burrowing out of the ground, climb onto the nearest flower.  They wait for bees and hook onto their bodies, hitching a ride back to the hive.  There, they gorge on eggs and prepare for pupating.  They're so interesting...the Czech Republic even had a violet oil beetle stamp!

I love being out in the woods in spring, and so does Borga!  

After more than a decade of dragging us around, she's finally starting to slow down.  She's pretty tired after an hour, and she no longer leads the pack...she's content to trot behind Todd.  Sometimes she even lets me walk in front!  Hopefully this will be a very active spring for us, and she'll have lots of opportunities to stretch her legs.

Have a great week!