Critter action

Here we go, Tuesday. It's not bad outside. Now. There might be another storm coming in today. Where was this precipitation when we needed it in August?! Thursday they predict we'll go down to -13℃. At least we've snow cover to protect flora and fauna. We had some snow last night. Perhaps you'll notice I put up my Valentine's Day wreath (far right). We need some colour.

It was a lovely fall. Despite the drought. I forgot to publish this at the time. Doing a panoramic photo for my header I caught myself on the dashcam! I miss the colours.

 

 Jan. 6th, I noticed the coyotes following my snow shoe path.

   

 This is the present.

   

 It is tricky walking. I do love watching them.

 

In the morning, Joe goes out to feed deer. They hear the garage door and come running.

 

Finally, at 5 a.m. the fisher came for a visit. The feeders attract rodents in the night. You can't choose your visitors! I never see it in the day.

 

Crumbly Acres & miniFred

The big news. Our new friend, Rick, made it home to Lansing, Michigan. His cycling trip was about 1500 mi. long. The last part was on a train! Jeannie wrote about his homecoming!

New news, this is the last time we saw miniFred, Friday, Sept. 12th. (I think Momma Fred is sleeping in her winter home. That's been her pattern for three years!)

MiniFred's doing weird stuff with the tarp. Momma Fred dragged it into the hole I covered up in the summer. That's where the coyotes get in. MiniFred moved it... 

The youngster was dashing in the wood shed, grabbing leaves, and taking them into the burrow for a fine winter nap. They are true hibernators and once they are down, they are down until spring.

Joe sat and watched for miniFred on Saturday, no sign of her! He had a lovely sit, though. I put the garbage out at 6:00 a.m. and it was 8 ℃, no wonder she's sleeping. 

#75 has been out and about. He's a released Gray Squirrel (Black Morph).

 I found one on the trailcam way down in the forest.

I've a story about watering my hanging planters. The water was coming out really slowly. I unscrewed the pouring spout, and found a Gray Tree frog hiding in the water bucket. 

Joe went to Smiths Falls, and on the way home he brought some strawberries for us. They have a special type of strawberries that are ready in summer, not spring. Yummy! 

It is wonderful getting food from down the road. Today I'm going to get some pumpkins, as we've family coming!

I've a plan to bring in the fishies. The well water takes a long time to warm to room temperature. I filled it 1/4 on Sat., Sept. 13, adding another 1/4 on Sunday.  

Town is a bit of a mess, with roads being rebuilt. 

The trees are beginning to turn in Perth.

🎉 Happy Anniversary!

It is our wedding anniversary, and we are bringing dinner in. I shall pick it up after my haircut. COVID numbers are rising again in Ontario. We are being careful. 

We were married on my late parents' front lawn by the lake in 2002 in Bala, Muskoka. 🥳  

 

It is clearly the end of summer. The caterpillars are beginning to get into chrysalis or cocoons. 

The mysterious eggs turned out to be aphids!

Then there are caterpillars, and a Viceroy butterfly.

I spotted this caterpillar last week on the swing bench. This chrysalis was under the canopy yesterday, but it attached itself to the roof fibres. It fell off, the fibres just came out, and I brought it up to the house.

It is either an Eastern Comma, or Question Mark butterfly. They like the hops. We'll see if I can get a video of it eclosing. 

Poor JB had to encourage this little tree frog to find another chair. We've enjoyed sitting out back, although it was chilly Monday!

Happy grasshoppers, being 'friendly.'  

I have decided that Fred is a male, as they don't have any teats for suckling babies. The kits are weaned by 2 months. I must say I am disappointed, although it is fun watching them. They have short lives, and are certainly apt to be roadkill. PBS says 2 - 3 years is an average lifespan, although in captivity they can live 14 years.

 

Fred Aug. 21 busy as a beaver from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋

Breaking the Binary

My regular morning show provided an excellent interview with a non-binary guest, Myles Sexton. They are an articulate, guest, who uses gender neutral pronouns. (I'm not too old to learn this!) 

I had a discussion with a client who believes that teachers were grooming kids to be gay. That is totally shocking to me. I said it just doesn't work that way! Heaven knows it is difficult enough as teachers  to get kids to do homework, never mind changing their gender. Our new generation knows their own minds. They deserve to be listened to and respected. 

Speaking of change... 

Guess what?

 

Leaves and hornets

 HORNETS!

As I was walking towards the shed, I noticed what I thought was part of a wasp nest on the ground. My thinking is that a critter got up there! I don't know, it could have been our fisher, weasel, or other nocturnal visitors. 

The pieces were all scattered under the nest. This one wasp was the only one I could see.  All the cells look empty. It appears as if the queens have mated and the new queens have gone underground as is their way. 

Also on the ground was a little red-eyed vireo nest. 

Falling leaves

The leaves are well on their way to leaving us.  

My SIL says they look like cheesies! 

I was all hot to trot and mulch the leaves with the lawn tractor. Sadly the battery was dead! I plugged it in overnight and it was good to go. There is no point in raking, just mulching! 

There were several wood frogs I had to avoid. Critters everywhere...

It is difficult getting work done! This looked like a buccaneer. 

 

airplane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The leaves – they fall!

The flora and fauna have moved into Autumn mode. The beetles on the milkweed pods sit here in the sun.

The leaves have been beautiful. Even on the ground. JB walks by the trailcam. The maple has shed it's beautiful coat of yellow, orange and red. OK, still shedding.

They gathered on the new driveway.

 

The foliage make for beautiful photos, which will remain in my files once the leaves are all down.

They are brilliant this year.

This was in 2019! 

The dock is covered, the phragmites are beginning to die off. They are non-invasive, but I may have to get rid of some. The last time this happened, muskrats moved in in the fall, cleared out the pond, but there isn't enough water for them. 

The forest floor!

The vine is still flowering, but there isn't a hope of harvesting any fruit.

 I roared up and down the driveway on my tractor, blowing the leaves out of the ditch. I'd seen a garter snake in the ditch in the morning.

I was wondering about the new ditch, but the lawn tractor did a good job firing leaves off the gravel. I was quite pleased with it. The tractor started, I had gas. The driveway looked great. 

The next morning... Falling leaves – not only leaves but pine needles! Back to square one, but I know it works.

I love riding my tractor, truthfully! And I love the falling leaves. I am looking forward to using the snowblower on the new driveway. Honestly! It'll be so much easier without the bumps and lumps, banging into them, and feeling the shock.

Today's challenge? Bringing in the goldfish. I could wait until next Tuesday/Wednesday, but I'd rather not risk it. We've a cold front moving in. After the goldfish, I have to move the frogs. The freeze/thaw of climate change necessitates it.

Wish me luck! 

 🐻SNUGGLE Bears