Basil and bugs!

 JB continues to improve and took a walk. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, a deerfly nailed him right in the temple. Three times. It dove under his cap. sigh. The anti-itch goop works well.

I had wine bottles to take to the beer store, which recycles them. The thing is, the clerks I meet tend to be abrasive, and tell me reorganize the bottles and group them. With my social anxiety I just walk away. I've often just given them to the person in line in behind me. 

During COVID I'd put them in the recycle box, but the township sent a memo out that residents should stop doing this. I wasn't the only one! Usually, JB does this for me. I've had to step up, put on my big girl pants, and go. This I couldn't do last week. I set them out at the end of the driveway, and they were gone within 24 hours. Problem solved.

My beautiful Basil, out front in the basket, has been attacked. This is an overhead view! The petunias are coming along.

I put some insecticidal soap on it and will hope for the best. 

I had fun trying to get a photo of it. It scootches under the leaf. It is a green colour, but looked beige in the sun on Friday. Saturday was a cloudy day and it photographed better.

I should point the Orchid Spider in the Basil plant's direction! 

The Question Mark butterfly has been laying eggs like mad. They have several Instars, first as an egg, then when they molt (at least 3 times), and grow another size. They get into that 'J' shape after several days. 

I've been watching the Eastern Question Mark butterflies, but they are flighty. I cannot confirm if they are that species or the Eastern Commas. Can you see the difference?

When their wings unfold, they are so brightly coloured, otherwise the underwings look like a dead leaf.

Comma left, Question Mark right↓.

He she is on the Hops Vine laying eggs.

Eastern Comma butterfly from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Another storm, here and there!

My volunteer hospice gig was cancelled. I tootled around the house. I made a cabbage salad from a cabbage JB brought me from down the road. The flavours are 'getting acquainted, ' to quote my late mom. I used to get calls from the church ladies for a cabbage salad and pie. I'd have to phone my mother every time for her recipe. Now, I research it and/or make it up as I go!

The day before there was a buccaneer plane cruising around. They are interesting planes. 

Sadly, a Cessna crashed near Ottawa, in Alexandria yesterday. We had a Cessna buzzing the lake last month.

buccaneer plane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo. 

🌳 My poor old catalpa hasn't given up the ghost yet. It was burned during a too-warm winter or two, damaging the cambium layer. Shoots have been coming up. The first photo is from 2020, after the tree died, I trimmed it up, with help from the grandies. The grape vine has successfully climbed up to give us more green. 

Here is the catalpa from the other side. You can see the wild grape ivy up at the top. (It was both smoky and hazy with humidity.)

That was a heckuva storm! I watched it approach, wondering if I should fill the bathtub. It avoided us, but reigned terror in southwestern Ontario, as well as in the US. These are screen captures of the impending storms. We are on well water and if the power goes, we have to use the water barrels to flush. There were 14,000 in Ontario without power after the storm. Most are back up today.

storm July 26-7 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happily, we just had lots of rain, no lightning. It was A LOT, 40 mm (1.5")! 

 

🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘 🚘

The Fearsome Foursome Flyers have hunkered down in the winter weather in New Zealand for a tour. 

It was pouring in Auckland! There is nothing like rain on the roof.

New Zealand rain from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They have rented a car, and are currently in Hahei. 

Lawnmowers Son Art Gallery

Critters: cats of different stripes

Does anyone else have cats that don't like having their photos taken?
Either that, or he wasn't as cold as he thought! I'm sure the flash is the problem, but it is funny.


On the back deck. A question mark butterfly caterpillar. I have two of them on the hops vine. You can see the hops flower in the 2nd photo.

I've brought them into an old aquarium to see if I can watch them. My regional BAMONA specialist tells me it's good to bring them in and protect them to ensure they do their metamorphosis.

I just checked this morning, and they have begun the metamorphosis process! Both of them!

These little guys are new little mourning cloak caterpillars. They are sharing the hops vine! They are teeny, and will soon turn into an instar and grow, then morph into a butterfly.

In the front yard, in front of the deck, lots of milkweed plants.

And, finally, I found one! The first caterpillar chrysalis.

This one is behind the blue chair in the photo, above. You'd laugh, as I sat there on the sidewalk, carefully, manually adjusting the focus. I checked them on my laptop, and NONE were in focus. I went back out, and did automatic. Voila!

It'll be here 10 - 14 days!

P.S. She is still laying eggs.

Next job will be to tag them. I have 25 tags. They darken just before emerging. We shall see if I can tag any.

They keep coming and coming! I often do a double take as I walk by. Below, two caterpillars, looking like one!

Notice the variation in colour?! Isn't that fun!

How many can you see on this plant? It's been the favourite of one egg-laying butterfly. The plant is nearly stripped. I think I've rehomed 3 or 4 to other plants.