Some seriously amazing sh*t!
seriously click to enlarge….way worth it.
ASTOUNDING AND IMPRESSIVE
Speaking of poop, an amazing number of people stumble onto my blog looking for information on turkey poop. (welcome to my blog) Michigan’s fall turkey hunt is almost here so if you successfully drew a license I can let you know where a large flock of turkeys hang out in the Cannonsburg State Game Area.
Sunlight through a hole eaten by a Monarch caterpillar in a milkweed leaf.
***Light and Joy and Peace Abide in Me***
A newly hatched Monarch caterpillar and the leaf of a burning bush. The last batch of monarchs will live longer than a few weeks and travel 1,000’s of miles to warm breeding grounds in Mexico. I found three little ones in the garden yesterday and so far only one is missing.
A Great Blue Heron peeking.
FLYING….Check out the talons and meaty thighs…probably tastes like pond muck though.
CHICKADEE
BLURRY HUMMINGBIRD
A mixed flock of Cedar Waxwings and House Finches fluttering and chattering.
I’m grateful I WASN’T arrested and WAS published.
One way I stay a drama-free Mama is to write a quick daily list of the things I’m grateful for. The other is running in the woods.
I usually hit the woods after morning coffee, which means by the time I get to the spot I illegally park to jump on the trail I have to pee.
(I use a very discreet deer path away from the trail and check my ass for deer ticks as routinely as I brush my teeth.)
Last week a police officer pulled up to my illegal parking spot as I jumped out of my car… on my way to pee.
Police Officer: (rolls down his window)Is everything okay Miss?
Me: Not really.
Police Officer: What seems to be the problem?
Me: The problem is that I have to pee super bad and I don’t want a ticket for indecent exposure….and your car is blocking my regular pee spot.
Police Officer: (Laughs and gives me a high five) Ha that’s funny. Well then, sorry to disturb you. Enjoy your day.
Me: Good thing we high fived before I peed huh?
Police Officer: You’re crazy. Have a good one.
I put thankful for not being arrested, ticketed or made to follow parking rules on my grateful list.
I had an even funnier exchange a few minutes later on the trail, but will save that story for another day. It did involve another person saying, “You’re crazy.” while laughing.
This week I received a book containing one of my photos. I was published in a real live book… with a cover and pages and everything! This was a great raft to cling to amidst a crap week. I put being published on my grateful list.
The monarch chrysalis is almost clear.
When I woke up the next morning the chrysalis was completely clear.
It broke free just after I took the pictures of the clear chrysalis and grabbed some coffee. Busy morning! (:
At this point I took off for a few hours and completely forgot about the Monarch and its emergence. It’s been a loooooong week and I’m a bit distracted. Eventually I found the butterfly and brought it outside.
My daughter snapped this. I’m glad the ones she took of me running around the house trying to nab the butterfly were too blurry to incriminate my absent-mindedness.
Some one should get on weeding that garden path.
That solar light is one of the last of twenty the young raccoons haven’t wrestled out of the ground and into the woods. Teenagers are mischievous even in the animal world.
Mischievous and cute.
Six wren eggs. I’ve never seen wren eggs. The twigs of the nest usually block the view of the eggs.
Gayfeather
Purple Coneflowers are a hit with a lot of critters. I love the light in this one.
THESE make a lot of……
THIS.
If anyone would like some perennials give me a shout out. I have more than enough to share.
Milkweed Beetle
Tree Frog. By now usually one has jumped on my skin when I’m outside at night, but I don’t have a close encounter to report yet.
Not sure what this is, but it loved the milkweed blossoms.
And that wraps up the last few days ’round here.
does it smell like caterpillar poop in here?
Eastern Cottontail
Green Heron or plastic bag? This time I could tell it was a heron was hunting at the pond's edge.
day 1
day 4
day 6
day 7
Summer’s smaller animals
I skipped a day and didn’t publish this until 7:30 am (instead of the usual 6am) as a 33rd anniversary gift to Dave and Ruth. (: Happy sleeping!
Baltimore Checkerspot. It has amazing color and pattern.
A Monarch butterfly drinking milkweed nectar before laying several eggs on the underside of the leaves
A male Common Whitetail dragonfly. The males are territorial and defend a 30-90 foot area. When they gather around a 20 foot pond it makes for a lot of excitement and chasing. A female laid eggs along the shore by dropping her tail into the water repeatedly.
Unripened raspberries.
The tadpoles. They grow up so quickly.
8 babies unaffected by fire
We enjoyed a few fires this weekend in between the rain storms. It's never rained so much in Michigan as it has this spring. I wish we could send some off to Texas.
Three young robins busy growing beaks and feathers. They look so differently than two days ago!
Five baby Eastern Bluebirds have hatched.
The end of the Allium.... the garden is so full. I spent a lot of the weekend transplanting milkweed and weeding.
We’re having triplets!
The catepillar will grow to two inches before it makes its chrysalis.
Three young monarch caterpillars safely indoors. They'll be making their chrysalis in two to three weeks.
Triplet monarchs that is……
Melissa not dusting 