We have many types of native bees in our yard and I have always wanted to learn how to identify them. When I saw this bee on my butterfly bush, I took several pictures and went inside to look it up. The Xerces Society has a nice bumble bee guide that I downloaded, but none…
Month: September 2018
Waiting
I recently noticed someone new in the flowering vine that is twined around my porch rail. She is probably not new at all. I just hadn’t discovered her yet. She is so well camouflaged that I might not have ever seen her, if it weren’t for the large bright meal she was enjoying one day….
It’s A Girl!
This morning I stepped out on the screened porch to check on the monarch pupae that are hanging out there. We make sure to leave most of the caterpillars in our yard alone- but this year we raised a few. It is really hard not to pick up a caterpillar that is lumbering around right…
So Much Water
Florence blew through our yard without causing too much trouble. She tossed some limbs around and created this handy beagle ramp over our back fence. A short power outage and many inches of rain later- she has finally left us. Buddy is very content with his current situation and does not seem to be plotting…
It’s a Bug Eat Bug World Out There
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been admiring all the different insects in my milkweed patch. I’ve been seeing several newcomers with either orange and black or red and black markings. They are truly striking little bugs. They move quickly and are difficult to get a picture of. Anchor Bug Stiretrus anchorago nymph…
Hungry Caterpillars
My yard is filled with many little caterpillar faces peeking out from under milkweed leaves. They munch with such concentration that they do not seem to notice me peering at them. It’s as if they know the milkweed supply is dwindling and they’d better eat fast. I originally thought the large hairy brown caterpillar above…
Yard Gone Wild 