Pooter, lady slippers, & pulpits

 I had to get my pooter out of the cupboard. I only need it when the red lily bugs come out. Okay, not true, I use it in the fall when lady beetles try to come in the house! 

pooter  Wiki

One sucks on the short end, which had a trap (gauze) on the other end. The long tube you set by the bug and by sucking on it, the bug ends up in the jar. 

Everything is greening up!

Primula veris, the cowslip, common cowslip, or cowslip primrose

Trillium are scattered throughout the forest:

We have ladyslippers in our wetland. They are beyond the frog pond, on our furthest lot. Sometimes I forget to go find them! I found only two plants, We'll see. 

Here is one from May, 2020. The problem with May is the bugs come out. I think we already have blackflies. That's why I forget to go find if they are blooming!

Fred is being very careful, wary. She lost 3/4 kits to coyotes last year.

This was a big surprise. I was down in the forest, doing a walkabout. This is a jack-in-the-pulpit. I wonder if a bird took a seed down. 

I have them in my garden behind the house. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

Here it is Thanksgiving Weekend in Ontario. We will be on our own, as Josephine is nearly better, but still taking it easy with COVID. She is mending! 

Thank goodness for our acreage on which to wander. 

The day began with a sighting.  JB was looking out the bathroom window and spotted a grouse! You can sort of see it through the screen...sort of!

 

They are beautiful birds. This one (below) hit the front window Nov. 2014. I think it was being chased by the hawk. It hit with a loud thud, moving quickly. I felt so badly. The colours are lovely to see.

 

I was booked to have my Spikevax last Thursday, the one that has both COVID and OMICRON fighting capabilities. JB had his two weeks prior. I was booked, but I was throwing up (anxiety?) and wisely cancelled until this week! Off we went to Smiths Falls. 

It was 10 minutes. My arm was not sore. I had zero symptoms. What a relief! When I had booster #1, I was in bed 4 days and lost 8 kg., sick as a dog.

It's a mass of colour. We will enjoy it while we can.

Soon the locks and the Rideau Canal will close for the season. Tourists will go home, boats will get on their coats.

It's a pretty drive, with homes, farms, and a variety of people.

I was asked if I ate the horse chestnuts I gathered, but I do not. Thing is, not even the raccoons like them – and they will eat anything! (Except chestnuts!) There was a chestnut explosion:

I love the colour and texture of them. The raccoons did the same thing in October, 2021.

 

Somebody went out and bought himself a new fall jacket! The weird thing – there was a cigarette butt in the pocket. 

I put up a feeder, as the chickadees were searching for it. 

The lady beetles are looking for shelter!

I've gotten out my pooter. You can suck on the short end, and place the long hose beside the unwanted bug. There is a mesh over the one end and you suck the bug into the jar, where it remains until you put it back outdoors!

While I was trying to capture the goldfish, the lady beetles were buzzing, and they were biting. Needless to say I did not sit out and read that afternoon.

lady beetles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.