It was a tough day, yesterday. I don't know why. I felt unmotivated and sad. A walk was just the thing.
I let Cinnamon out for his afternoon ablutions, he waited impatiently for me for walkies. He kept peering in at me!
"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy..."
Cinnamon was happy as a clam. He'd stop, roll on his back waiting for a belly rub, make dough in the leaves. Later, down in the forest, Cinnamon stopped at this tree for a pee.
I had an idea, to snap a photo every hour of the horse chestnut leaf buds. (I thought I'd make a movie.) I set it on timer, so as not to jiggle the camera. JB helped out, too. It was a failure. There are too many photos to take during the day, requiring taking the camera off the tripod!
The horse chestnut leaf buds are so beautiful.
The hosta is coming back. It's not in a good spot, as it gets too hot and sees too much sun in summer. I suppose I could move it. Somewhere!
While I waited for Cinnamon to cover up his business, I noticed this on the branch of the tree.
tree fungus from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
I saw a dark something on the far side of the pond. Thank goodness for the zoom on the videocamera!
ducks on pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Great Leopard Moth Caterpillar
I found this little guy under the lip of the doorstep. I realized I'd seen quite a few over the years, but never the actual adult moth. Wiki had one for me to see. For me, capturing moths requires more night work than I like. (Remember those mosquito larvae in the frog pond?!)
By Jeremy Johnson - CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
I found one in October, 2020. My research told me it was a giant leopard moth caterpillar. It is beautiful, as it walks you can see glimpses of the underlying red colour📹.
Putting it in the aquarium, I'll see if I can get it to metamorphose.
The primrose are smiling in the sunshine.
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| Hypercompe scribonia Great Leopard Moth |
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LDD Moths
Then, there are the LDD moths, now called 'spongy moths.' I've scraped some of the spongy egg masses off of the tree. You can see the eggs in the spongy masses. I've read that they don't survive if the eggs are laid above the snow line, we had -25 C. at one point. See what I've found – they seem viable. I hope not.
I am a bit late with the celebration of SPRING, but I'd lost the "R" and found it yesterday. It was in a different drawer from S-P-I-N-G.
14 comments:
I envy the quality of your photos.
It's never late to celebrate SPRING, Favorite season of most people.
A good walk and closeness to nature can lift the spirits. Your finds are always interesting. I hope we find out more about that amber mass on the tree branch. Glad that R block showed up!
...may you enjoy more sunny days.
Hope you have an enjoyable S P R I N G! Love the little blocks which say so! I haven't much knowledge of moths...also hide from mosquitoes!
It's still spring. Do the chestnuts open that fast to actually watch them?
Lovely SPRING, that puts a smile on our faces , and walking with a cat or two, you do have that season well and truly in your sights.
There is so much in the world to get you feeling down. A walk was a perfect idea.
Walking is a proven way to lift one's spirits and I'm glad it worked for you! Happy Spring with the "r"!
Hari OM
Would one of the stealth cameras not do the work of recording the bud-to-leaf attempt??? YAM xx
That's a good thought, YAM. The trick is to pick the right bud, set it to take a photo on a regular basis. That'd require a tall tripod. I'd bet Butch would knock it over. You'd need a close up. It's a thought!
Being out in nature always helps our mood!
You have amazing creatures, large and small around your walkies. Cinnamon makes a good tour guide. Will orange jello fungus hurt the tree? Eew for spongy moths, just really freaking looking. Linda in Kansas
Hello Jenn ;-)
That Leopard moth is gorgeous such beautiful neat clean markings.
I love the way Cinnamon goes for walkies with you .. my hubby talks our girls for walks all around the house (they are inside kittens, more like cats every day) .. did you have a lot of Spring Peepers ? That has to be my most favorite Spring "music" ... You have such a lovely area to walk about and enjoy !
Take care !
I've never seen a horse chestnut, but the buds are beautiful. Hostas will grow in sun, even though they prefer shade. I LOVE your
spring decoration. Very clever.
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