Crumbly Acres walkies

Cinnamon and I took a walk.

 

People have been noticing lots of fungi. 

Fungi, along with the remnants of a pine cone. Some squirrel has been sitting and munching.

I tried with this one. It didn't go well.

I cam back to the house yesterday with what I knew was a boil from poison ivy. SIGH. Thankfully, I still have a container of meds for this. I just didn't notice it, wandering around the forest in flip flops.

Most of the problem is keeping the ointment on the boils. This is a great bandage!

I found a cicada exoskeleton Aug. 8th. When I put the garbage out, 6 a.m., I found a very cold one on the driveway. I sat it up on the gate post. 

It must have warmed up and moved off. Cold nights and warm days.

More bugs and blooms!

The wildflowers on Lot #3 are amazing. The ground is very shallow here.

The Hops vines are growing like mad. Our growing season is so short! You can see the sparrow near the middle of the photo!

This is lot 2, and this area was covered in sumac, only some remain in the background. Previous owners, maybe the first one, mowed it all down. I transplanted the cedar on the right. It's coming along.

I spotted a monarch this morning. Our milkweed isn't as prolific as it was. We have some, though.

Can you see it? On the coleus! 

I think this is a cicada, but I'm not sure! I have to do more research.

UPDATE: I submitted it to iNaturalist, and it is Black Horse Fly, Tabanus atratus.

I was watering the garden, and accidentally watered one. It had to dry off some, and I apologised.

Cicada from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo. Black Horse Fly, Tabanus atratus

Horseflies: one flew up under my dress and bit my leg!

Blonde Butch comes by, often around 4 p.m., and I love seeing her in the grasses. I'm letting the wild flowers have their day, and I'll use the lawn tractor.  Blonde Butch from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Out in the forest, the crows are just a hoot. 

4 crows from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Monday dawns

 Monday. Garbage day. Unlike A/C, I had no wish to photograph the sunrise! Typical cool August nights, although the high will be 27C., it began a bit chilly. 

Instead, I put out the garbage. I had a friend, then two. Then three. A buck, a doe in under the sumac trees, and Cinnamon.

Their responses to us, as humans, is very situational. I was down in the forest the other day and he hid behind the trees. 

buck velvet from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Later, on my walkies, I found lots of red-eyed vireo. Back in the backyard, I heard the cardinal singing, sure enough. I spotted him. The cedar waxwings are still zooming around like an air squadron. 

Down on Oliver's Lot, I found this critter. I would think it is the larvae exoskeleton of a cicada. I've photos of the adults.

cicada from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

There are now 14 frogs in the goldfish pond. I'm going to have to fish them out once the fall brings rain and fill the wetland. Our frog pond is dry.

Two are leopard frogs, the other 12 are green frogs of various sizes. 

The wood frogs jump through the forest. Running to escape me.

I'll end on a fun note. Little Booboo Bear 2 was spotted.

Booboo 2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Yard work!

 

 First, a non-critter tale. Poor JB had the dropsies last week. He broke two dishes. One was a spoon rest. He ordered a new one from Amazon. It arrived. The box was empty! How weird is that?!

Amazon was no help. He phoned Mikasa. They wanted details of his order, date, order #, etc., which I screen captured for him and sent it in reply. 

Mikasa got back to us the next day and we got our replacement in a week!

LDD moths

I spent some time with my spruce tree. Beginning with the heavy sheers, that was a failure, back to the garage. I tried the long heavy lopers, but they were too heavy and useless, even after sharpening them. 

I tried my dad's old hedge clippers, stopping to sharpen THEM, not strong enough. Finally, I used the long-handled grass clippers. 

Before and after:

The moths are mating, and while I can't scrape eggs off of all the trees on our 16 acres, I could do some. 

After the caterpillar stage, they pupate and change into male and female moths. The females are whiter, and don't fly. The males are a dirty beige colour. 

The females are laying eggs in the crook under the tree branch. Also, on the underside of my spruce. It was awful, really. I fetched some soapy water and scrape it all into the can.

I spotted a monarch chrysalis under a branch of the spruce. Then, I lost it. I kept clipping, and found it again. By now my legs were pretty sore, up and down the ladder. 

Out and about

I saw a cicada on the lower deck. Once, I snapped a photo of a pair mating!

Also, the wood frogs are out of the pond and in the woods.

The goldfish pond now has two green frogs. There are three water lilies, as well. I am so pleased. I even counted all 5 fishies. 

A walkabout and a sit

We were starting a week with the grandkids, but first, flora and fauna.

The green frogs have moved into the goldfish pond. It is so dry. 

 

The tadpoles have lost their tails and grown legs.

The huckleberries have now fruited.

After our 35 mm of rain, the frog pond filled a tad. I think it's water parsnip that grows in the void. The phragmites continue to take over the pond. Mine aren't the invasive kind, they are found here in Lanark County.

This, I think, is a red-eyed vireo nest. They are woven with different materials.

The wild grapes are growing!

OK, funny story. I was about to go down to the forest. Nutmeg was on the driveway, Cinnamon went rushing by her, not looking where he was going, as is his way. He ended up running through the puddle. He seemed quite surprised!

I found a cicada on a rock.

It was another warm day Sunday. I trimmed my hair on the back deck, then went for a sit in the kiddie pool. I was listening to my iPod. 

As I sat there, I had a visitor. bombyliidae, bee fly.

Then there is the green dragonfly, bad photo, you'll have to trust me. 

The girls arrived Monday, and we hunkered down for the week. Izzy and I blew up the queen mattress we had. That's where they watched their afternoon video.

We'd ordered puzzles and a craft called Diamond Dotz. Isabelle and I watched a How To video. 

It was a chilly pool, but Iz went in!