sputniks and gardening

I wrote the other day about: Critters: cats of different stripes. There were 14 monarch caterpillars in site that day! 

I popped this leaf into the aquarium. I don't know what the eggs are, they were on a rose bush, and I was afraid I would knock them off. 

The question mark caterpillars have gone into their chrysalis. Now we wait.



A pretty little bug, perhaps Dicera tenebrosa! It looks copper. It was crawling on the sunflower plant, then got mad at me (privacy!) and fell to the sidewalk.


Update on the monarchs: another has gone into chrysalis. After a bit more research, I realized that when they morph, they do that within the outer striped shell. Then, as they turn green and expand their size within the shell, the outer casing/shell falls off. You're never too old to learn!



In other news...
We cottaged in Bala for 50 years or so, and we all have fond memories of the sputnik buttonbush on the lakefront. Here is was, to the right of the white lawnchair.

My brother and my dad moving dad's sailboat, preparing to put the docks in. Again, the buttonbush on the left.

The new homeowners have put sod in, and I presume the buttonbushes are gone.


Caitlin and I liked the sputnik plants we used to have at the cottage, where we lived in Muskoka. We both bought one. Now, mine was up on a rock garden in the front and it wasn't doing well. Hers is amazing. Hers is beside her rain barrel, and got the overflow water. She took a photo for me to compare the size. It's her 40th birthday Friday. I don't know where the time goes!


You can see why it has this name.

 

Mine was facing serious issues. I did some gardening Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and moved the bush. Here is my piddly little bush! You can see the dead, brown branches. Cross your fingers for me!


Well, I paid for gardening in flip flops. Again.

I shall donate the flip flops to Isabelle, who quite likes them! She is 8, now, and she is growing.

Between this, and my worsening cataracts, it's getting frustrating! JB has been amazing.

Birds, feeder traffic

Saturday

I've been having trouble trying to take photos of the cardinal... you can see why. Dark days, blowing snow. The mourning doves, normally a ground feeder, like this feeder. I could not manage a photo. They are a bit flighty. Terribly shy. The cardinal is slightly more photographable.

Monday

They are busy at the feeders, no wonder. Thoughtfully (perhaps not), the replacement weatherwoman showed the temperatures to the south. I faithfully watch Your Morning, but this is a bit much. Funnily enough, she looks much like the weatherwoman on vacay: young, slim, blond!



Happily, after another blizzard Sunday (~5cm), we had some sunshine. I persevered. The mourning doves were nestled into the snowy tree branches, out of the wind. The cardinal took pity on me, or maybe he was so busy trying to doggy dig the seeds from under the snow.



This is a lucky shot! I'd done manual focus for the previous photo, and he just took off, seeing me in the window!


You can see the difference between the sun being in or out. The red squirrel's colours show so nicely. I counted 6 red squirrels, but spring is coming!


The American tree sparrow was looking for some seed. It was giving me the eye, as if I was to blame.


Downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, and mourning doves.


I persevered with the mourning doves. I know they are ground feeders, but they like the tray feeder.


Meantime, in the house... It probably came in on the wood!


Visit Eileen's meme for more critters!

Saturday's Critters #268

More tales: bugs, rain

Precipitation

How hot has it been?!

Yes, fake news photo, it's part of our kiddie toy set! The plants are happy, though. I've had to water them. I fear a drought this month. (I keep track!)
June precipitation was way down. It's not a good trend. I water the garden judiciously, my hanging baskets daily.

Ticks

That said, ticks are way down. My acquaintance (Val) and I were talking about this on-line. We thought either the cold in mid-winter, with little snow cover, did them in or ... ???? Who knows! We are both happy about it.
There is tick prevention medicine we put on the cats, which lasts a couple of months. It kills the ticks on them, we just pluck them off.

We counted 55 by the end of July last year (2017), only 26 so far this year! In 2016 we had 103 by the end of July.

Val had only 59 ticks a couple of days ago, where she usually has 200 by now. She walks three dogs, who pick them up in her rural woodland west of here.

Miscellaneous

I have proof that someone else BBQ'd! That's his story. He only flipped the sausages, once. :-) You'll notice the brown grass. We are in a mild drought condition. The high temperatures mean that all our bodies of water are evaporating at a high rate. Even the weeds are crunching under foot.


I've been told this is a fishfly!
Dobson, Fish & Alderflies are Megaloptera.
 It was on the front deck, which isn't a good place for a bug. I checked it the next day (I put it into the planter) and it's gone over the rainbow bridge!


Deerflies remain constant.



Hubby named him 'Ronny.'
He's a frequent flyer, popping out of the woods after harassing the blue jays. I saw him and heard him twice yesterday. Sitting in a tree nearby. The blue jays are my clue. I'm trying for a photo, but, again, the deerflies.

Ronny from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Archival video, on the trailcam...  July 6, 2016  We know we have one doe and fawn, but they've been elusive. 

Deer fawn from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Things are hopping, or crawling, along

It's terribly exciting. I found another Monarch caterpillar (#2!) down in the meadow. It's barely a spec from a bit of distance away. I found no eggs, but did find the distinct caterpillars. I was joyful.
And the first bug that got my curiousity is growing, and still is curious to me.
Hilary, one of my expert photographer blog buddies, pointed out the diopter setting. I didn't know about it. It might help since I wear graduated eye glasses. My video was sketchy.
Dorah has been doggy-digging for field mice. She was having a blast. She can hear them under the ground. Buster found himself another deer mouse.
Finally, Daisy came and sat with me on the front step.

mystery bug from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
I'm a bit wobbly, using my Canon EOS T3, as I spotted this strange bug on a milkweed plant. I'd already found a 2nd Monarch caterpiller this week! I was interested in how many legs and how it walked.