It is September...

🍁 Autumn approaches, despite 30+ C. temperatures. Another day of this heat.

 

🦨 I think I've found the skunk den. It is likely an old Fred groundhog burrow. I don't know where Fred has gone, but he did this last year, as well. This one was built into the soft sand of the built up area around the septic bed. 

You may wonder how I found it, but the nose knows! I was cleaning and filling the fountain, and that whiff told me something was up. Beyond the flower sculpture, down the hill in the gully.

I was suspicious, and cautiously waded through the bracken down in the gully, to find the hole I could see from above. It is really well-hidden.

Here is an aarchive photo

I went down to the trailcam, having put bug spray on my lower legs. It didn't do much good! You can see three mosquitos on my leg. The point of the photo was the white fungus, but as I looked down, I was a bit surprised.

Both cameras are slightly tipped. I had high hopes for critters.

There was a doe and she seemed spooked by coyotes.

DOE AND COYOTES from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I put out the garbage Monday morning, and spotted these two. Cinnamon doesn't like the heat, and has been indoors for a few days.

Another invention I dearly love.  This is a tool meant for particular BBQ cooking, when you want the lid open for slower cooking. I realized it would help me. I have a problem BBQing. I am too short to lift the lid, then let it gently go back. I risk singing armpit hairs. It is a BBQ too big for the two of us, but it was a COVID purchase. Need I say more?! 

I can flip the meat, and close the lid easily, now. JB thinks it look like a Klingon tool. Mebbe so.

🐭 Mice friends

I noticed both Cinnamon and Nutmeg giving much attention to the guest room. Hmmmm. 

It was in a corner in the bathroom, shaking miserably. I scooped it up in the butterfly net, and took it outside. It is a young one. 

🕷️ I found myself a tick, Sept. 3. It was on my foot. We don't have too many this year. One year Daisy brought home 200, this was prior to the invention of the cat goop to prevent them from staying on cats. 

Tick bites get itchy, and itchy painful. It'll soon heal. You can see the bandage on my foot on the right. My tenosynovitis acted up, too. Ain't old age grand?! I stabbed my finger with a needle. I'm working on a felting project for Christmas.

I heard two barred owls hooting to each other Saturday night, Sept. 2nd. "Who-cooks-for-you?" I hope we have a pair next year. I haven't seen one in a dog's age. These are from my archives.

With Autumn comes season-end chores. I spotted Percy goldfish. It is a chore getting him inside for winter. My little, mostly hand-dug pond, isn't deep enough and it will freeze. Not good for a tropical fish.

In the meantime, enjoy the shoulder season. I think it is a great time of year.

Last summer days froggin' on

Last night the overnight temperature was 20 C., after a day temperature of 34 C., it was gruesome for a first day of school in Ontario. Here are our teenage grandies in 2022 compared to 2023.

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I had friends while I was sitting on the back deck in the soft, gentle breeze. 

Tree frog #1 likes to sit in between the slats of my Muskoka chair. I pull the leg support out, and hope it'll jump down safely, and not get squished.

 It hopped down after MUCH encouragement, and landed under the table. I couldn't find it. Sitting back down, playing on my laptop, I enjoyed the afternoon. 

As the day passed, it began to turn from green to gray, peering at me sitting in my chair and nodding off! They are nocturnal, and sometimes croak in the day despite it being autumn. Usually they call for mates in springtime. People write that they sing in the fall to keep their voices strong.

Froggie #1 got tired of the action. He just wanted to sleep. It took off and went to hide in the hops vine. Can you see it on the railing?

It left behind a gift!

I moved the coffee table to get to the corner of the deck, and I heard a splat. Froggie #2 revealed itself. I've been hearing it singing just under the corner of the deck, and not been able to see it! 

I sat and watched. It moved around, then moved in fits and spurts over the the post, where it must have felt safe. It ate an ant crawling by, which was unusual. Then it went back to sleep.

gray tree frog from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I had trouble videotaping froggie #2. It was steamy and it fogged up the camera lens. He began singing, then promptly lay his chin down to sleep.

gray tree frog #2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It was there the next day, too!

Then the two of them began hanging out on the bench. When the time comes, they will hunker down and bury themselves under the leaves to sleep away the cold winter. I shall miss them! In the meantime, we've two more days of this heat. 

The chrysalis eclosed!

 I found a butterfly that hadn't eclosed properly, and was damaged somehow. It is a complex process.

This chrysalis fell off the bench swing canopy, and decided to keep it safe.  It takes a couple of weeks to hatch or eclose. 

I taped it to the inside of a vase. That proved to be a mistake!

I began by setting it on the arm of the chair. It was awkward to use the camera tripod. I moved it to the railing.

When it begins to go dark, you know it will eclose in 24 hours. Then, as I watched, you could see the three dots on the orange wing as the butterfly separates from the outer shell. 

After darkening the day before, in began getting lighter as the butterfly pulls away from the shell.

I was sitting watching, and taking photos and videotaping it. I totally missed the event. This is because it fell off of the chrysalis, into the bottom of the vase. I felt terrible. 

Eastern question mark from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Putting my hand in, it latched onto my fingers. It took an hour, but eventually it lifted off of the chrysalis. What a relief!

Eastern Question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) Caitlin took this photo for me.

They need to hang from the chrysalis, with wings hanging down to straighten them and dry off. 

You can see the question mark on its outer wing here. It successfully took off. WHEW!

There are more under the eaves. They are difficult to see with the bright sunshine.

Beginning to video it, which was tricky, as the sun was blocking my view finder and my arms were getting tired, it flew off just as I stopped filming.

Polygonia interrogationis from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

A few days later one visited and landed on the deck railing. I said hello.