Busy as bees

The flowers are doing their best to shine in the last warm days. The first is my planter. The next is the last of the hibiscus for the year. I think.

I spotted a hummingbird feeding on the rose, but I was too slow lazy to get up and try for a photo! 

🐸  Moving the froggies: Nov. 19th, 2023 a.m.    –   moved  3        = 144

Every year the green frogs and leopard frogs move into the goldfish pond when temperatures cool down. They are caught and transferred into the frog pond, which is deeper and a more stable winter home. I missed about 7 last year, and they rose to the surface of the pond (dead) in spring. 😢

Jeremiah Bullfrog seems to be keeping them at bay this year. That is a relief. He has grown. He's in for a shock when I have to drain it to find the goldfish!

The insects are flying around like mad. The wasps are busy trying to have last feeds. It makes sitting on patios somewhat treacherous. 

We had a massive rain. The bees under the sidewalk were locked out! I felt badly for them.

The bees under the sidewalk are busy as... bees!

This was fun to photograph. I headed off to the shed to do a lawn tractor run, and found it on the ground. If course I had to show Joe and take a photo. They have poisonous pokey bits, and one must be careful.

This is what they look like stretched out. I found a pair one year. 

This is what the adults look like:

Female Io - Automeris io moths,

Off I went to have a hair cut and chose to drive along highway #7. That might have been a mistake. There have been 3 fatal incidents along here recently. Over the years, people treat this as a 400-series highway, and often do 100+ km/hr. 

It was rush hour, or the hour when contractors rush back to base (3 p.m.). Two vehicles tried to pass me from a left turn lane. What's with this? This guy tailed me from a long distance, and finally did it through an intersection. I was doing 92 in an 80 km zone. (14:39 hours)

This pair, in the Optima truck, tried to pass twice in such a lane. Finally, he made it in a more suitable location. They tailed me several times, trying to peer into my back seat. I have complained to the company. I ought to get a rear view dashcam. (It was 14:43 hours.)

Hooray, it is Friday!

It was time to bring the Bluebird nest box. Here is was in 2020, when it was newish. I kept moving it around, hoping for a bluebird.

We've never had a blue bird, but the House Wrens like it. 

We didn't have any wrens this year, though. I usually bring the nest box in during our harsh winters. I'll sand it and refinish it. It is getting on, just like the rest of us. Sadly, it had tenants, again. Wasps! It'll sit here until they are done. It happened last year, but I didn't learn my lesson.

Our Monarch caterpillar was still here, but by the end of the day it disappeared. I hope it is going to eclose. This is the generation that flies back to Mexico for the winter. 

The hibiscus has a guest.

I'm always checking for tree frogs. Can you see it in the window? I think the bugs are attracted to the kitchen light at night, and therefore the tree frog is here for 'clean up in aisle 15!'

We spent Thursday morning watching the PVR'd Democratic National Convention. We were easing ourselves into the day. It was very moving, the speechifying, and the energy in the room is amazing. There were many speakers we'd not heard before. It's quite a different system than Canada's electoral system. 

I worked on the water fountain, which had slowed to a trickle. I knew there was something wrong. I dismantled it, and found mineral deposits blocking the valve. I am easing back into activities after COVID and my lingering cough. This is a good sign. 

Cinnamon and I were reading on the back deck. He decided to try to leap up onto the railing. I am not sure why. It wasn't elegant. He managed to hook his front paws up there, but was a bit short. He hauled himself up, however, and made it. I'm not sure his purpose. 

Joe gifted me a new piece of heron art. Also, a new drawing pad, with a cover by a First Nations artist, and some lovely coloured pencils. I sat out back and began a drawing. Soon it'll be too cold to sit out here. 

Wasps, and fishies and frogs

Thank you for comments on my header. It is from 2009, when we lived in Bala, Ontario. I haven't been in my canoe all summer. I be sad. 

Winter is headed our way. We had a frost warning.

I still haven't brought them in, Yam! We had 10 mm rain, and the pond filled up. This is discouraging for getting the fishies out. I usually have to drain the pond some to find the most skittish fish. They have too many places to hide.

I stopped at the end of the driveway to remove some of the weeds. There was a large leopard frog!

As I said, the new blogger still uploads a group of photos, but in reverse order. This is what I saw as I left the house for my 'beer run!'

The monarchs and hummingbirds have fled the cold. We still have quite a few tufted milkweed caterpillars feeding on the milkweed.

Then, there are the wasps. They built a nest in this bird house. The spider spun a web around the outside of the box, presumably to capture the wasps.

I particularly liked this photo!

There are discussions about how many wasps are about, but it's really not the case. Apparently, breeding season is over. In summer, they build a nest, feed the larva meat, eat the poop from the larva, and life is good. The queen wasps are settling in for winter, and they aren't laying eggs any more. This is why the wasps are out and about. They are hungry. 

This is the time of year to clean windows prior to freeze up. You can see, in the setting sun, how dirty they are. Most years I make a mistake and leave it too late. You cannot do it in frozen temperatures! I have yet to find the motivation...

My plants are in. My orchid is still doing well. Tiberius guards it all. The plants are still growing out of the terrarium. I guess my thumbs are too green!

I painted the bench, having skootched away the grasshopper and the bird/berry poop.

I am probably going to regret letting the thistle to grow. There are seeds everywhere! You can see them flying in the second photo, below.

This is why I kept the thistle! The birds love the seeds.