Yesterday I saw this big, fat caterpillar eating my lovage leaves.  And today when I went out there to check, it had attached itself on the lovage, and started the process of becoming a chrysalis.  I'm not sure how long it takes, but I think by tomorrow it should be transformed.  I will let you know.  How exciting!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We looked up from our usual walk in the park, and spotted this bald-faced hornet nest.  What I want to know is:  how it got to be this big without either of us noticing it on our weekly walks.  Well, it did, and it's huge:  bigger than a basketball!!!

 

It is up about 8 feet off the ground, and not too close to the walking path.  I have read that colonies of bald-faced hornets can contain 400-700 workers, and the workers aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders.  Yikes!!!

 

I have no desire to touch it, or get too close, but I LOVE seeing them.  And this one is awesome!!!

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!! 

 

Funny!!!  Not funny!!!  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I noticed this moth on our front door the other day.  It hung around for a long time.  When I put the Seek app on it, it said Promethea Silk Moth,   So I looked it up, and the picture was the same as this one, except the wings were all the way flat open.  Callosamia promethea, also called Spicebush silk moth, has a wingspan of 3-4 inches, and it is beautiful.

 

These moths use Tulip Poplars, Sassafras, and Spicebush as their host plants, and we have plenty of all those around here.  

 

I love seeing something new, and this was it.  I hope you enjoyed seeing it too.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

On my way home from Violet's I saw these two deer.  Appearently they saw me too, and posed for their portrait.  

 

There are lots of youngsters about these days, and they don't know about cars yet, so please go slow around the curves.  They seem to pop up out of nowhere.  

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

 

On our way down the hill to collect leaves the other day, I saw Mr. Fox crossing the road.  Look how beautiful he is!  I was a good ways away, but used my telephoto lens, and got his picture.  I took several as he was walking up the road.  He didn't seem in a hurry to get away, but as you can see, he was very aware of my presence.  What a fun day that was!!!

 

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

 

 

Oh yeah, I just remembered that Julie sent me this picture of baby armadillos in her yard in Mississippi.  She told me they wern't afraid of anything, that she had to make a lot of noise to get them to shoo.  ICK!!!

 

I remember a road trip that Julie and I took back in the 1980's.  We were traveling from New Mexico to Virginia.  Sarah was really young at the time, maybe 7 or 8 years old.  Anyway, Julie would send her postcards all along the way until we got home.  And I remember her writing, We saw 6, 8, 10, (however many) armadillos today.  Of course, they were all belly up on the highway, but Julie didn't tell Sarah that part.  We laughed, not at their demise, but at Julie's funny word play. 

 

OK, that's all I know about armadillos, except that they don't just live in Texas and Mississippi.  They also live here!!!

 

 

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!!

 

Well...it was such a beautiful winter day on Thursday, we got busy and pruned the blueberry bushes.  I told you that they get pruned when they are dormant, when the flower buds and leaf buds are tiny.  No pictures of them, but...

 

As we were tossing the cut branches out into the driveway, Jon heard a snuffling noise across the road.  We looked up and saw this armadillo digging under the leaves.  All we could see was his back, and the leaves moving ahead of him.  (I HOPE it was a HIM, definitely don't want "rolls" of these things around.)  It took about 5 minutes and 10 pictures to finally see his head.  For perspective, I guess he weighs about 5 pounds.  Bag of flour?  Yeah, about that, maybe a little bigger.  EEK!!!

 

I bet Gizmo has seen him, but this was the first time for me.  I thought they lived in Texas.  

 

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!!

 

This little one came around looking for something to eat.  She sniffed at the rosemary, moved on to the juniper, then left to find her friends.  I hope they are able to find food under the snow, but I was happy that she didn't eat my rosemary.  

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

I'm not sure WHY he does it, but this is how I found Gizmo this morning.  And it's not the first time either.  He's been doing it almost every day lately.  He pulls out the basket of pink and red fabric, scoops out a few pieces, then curls up in the midst of them.  That's how he spends the morning.  

 

I just have to wait for him to move before I can get to the ironing board, and get on with my work.  

 

Why the pink and red?  Why any of it?  I don't know.  And I bet he won't tell me.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!