Bugs, birds, frogs, wasps

My cough is less, thank goodness. So is hubby's. Poor Joe! He fetched me some new library books, popped the bill for my ambulance trip during my COVID bout into the mailbox ($45), and brought us home a cooked turkey breast and potatoes for dinner. (I like turkey, he does not!)

 

My wasp bite isn't so painful. The Benylin helped me. It doesn't look like I've taken Botox to remove my wrinkles anymore! Wise words to remove my ring, but it was too late. I can't get it off on a good day!

I'm a bit worried about gardening now. Dang wasps are desperate for food with the cooler night temperatures. 

My darling daughter sent me a care package! Isn't that sweet?! It was such a delight! 

The tree frogs have mated and the little ones have come all the way up the hill from the wetland, having morphed from tadpole to frog. Can you see it? 

I found another one on the Hydrangea in another garden. They really are adorable! 

And so tiny!

This is an adult who likes to sit one the camera, until the sun comes out and it goes into the shade. It is an older one than the baby on the leaf.

I watched a grasshopper crawl (walk?) all along the deck railing. From one end to the other. They are interesting critters.

 

Popcorn clouds! We ended up with a downpour or two on Sunday. Silly little popcorn clouds. You gather up your stuff, especially library books, roar indoors, and 5 minutes later, sunshine!

Look at this! While other are sneaking zuccinni onto their neighbour's front porch, I just have one!

I thought the bullfrog had gone elsewhere, but found him on the edge of the pond. They eat little frogs, seriously! I imagine I won't have to move the wee ones down to the frog pond this year.

I have lost my touch. I used to be able to catch these by hand. This old fart had to use a net. Ah, the good old days! 

bullfrog from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The hummingbirds will migrate soon. Our wildflowers are nearing the end of their season. I was on the deck, and tried to capture its image, but they are so fast!

hummingbird Aug 11 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The Great Blue Lobelia, or Blue Cardinal Flower, is another favourite of the hummingbirds! It's a native plant, and has self-seeded. I have tried several times to videotape them at these plants, but they are too quick for me. 

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.

Bugs, bugs, bugs

As I was walking in the frozen forest, boots crunching through the snow, I began thinking about the bugs that are frozen, and sleeping. Bumble bees, katydids, praying mantis, grasshoppers.

Of course, then there are the butterflies, who have fled the cold! We have several butterflies who overwinter: the Compton's Tortoiseshell, top right, for example.

Mosaic Monday #14

The rain has been wonderful!

We have been grateful for the recent rains. It's not been much, but the garden is happy. Our lakes and streams are still low. The 'frogpond' is just a mass of water parsnip weeds.

Annie came walkies with me

The goldfish are doing well, we counted 8, so we might have our 10 still.
The bugs are horrid, a  horsefly joined me on the back deck. It hid up above, and moved out of view as I photographed it from my chair. Weird little thing. It was right beside the butterfly chrysalis.
Then there was the teeniest grasshopper I've ever seen.



Last night, it was time to replace the old hummingbird food. I took it down, since there was a massive dump of rain on the way. The silly thing, sat on the hook that holds the feeder and glared at me!


Then there is the hops vine. It is doing wonderfully well. Much bigger than in previous years. It has climbed the back deck supports and has hit the roof ceiling, where we have a pair of gray tree frogs looking for bugs.
On my Reptile and Amphibian's FB site, I called them 'twins' and was corrected as they have different markings.

Tam : not twins- one has two marks below the eye the other three. Love treefrogs and missing them here. Have hardly seen any.

As an adoptee, I was huffed! They are my twins!
Someone else commented, 'hoppers on hops!'

Rain, butterflies, grasshopper, apples, happy gardens!

What a relief... rain! Our total, over three days, 27mm!  A gentle rain falls today, and it is much-welcomed. This morning we had 17mm (0.68"), and the garden is happy.

The yucca plant has produced three flower stems this year. I'm so happy. There were none last year, although I did prune the old, dead roots a bit. The woodpeckers like to take the seeds out, once the seed pods are dried.


From the safety of my deck, I spotted two Eastern butterflies making whoopie in the tree!
Then, the teeniest grasshopper I have ever seen on my laptop tray!
 

Then there are the lovely cedar waxwings! Not great photos, but it was the action I loved. They are everywhere around the house, in the trees. I seldom see them this near the ground, just beyond the apple tree.


With the rain, we have happy plants. I have two apple trees, one has several wee apples!


Veggie garden, which I've watered in the drought. Lots of snow peas to come, cherry and regular tomatoes, zuccinni and cukes are on their way! The Milkweed Tussock caterpillars do not seem to mind the rain.


Lots of milkweed. Pretty wilted - up until this week. The raspberries seem inured to the drought. We will have a ton of them!



Daisy found a mouse I'd seen, but not ID'd before. A Woodland Jumping Mouse. Annabelle was inspecting it for her, Daise was in snatching a snack, just before I walked down the drive to get the newspaper.
Sadly, Annie killed it, but I do think it was wounded. They are nocturnal, and hop. A long tail, and large back legs.