Hanging Out With Turtles

 

Yellowbelly slider, Chrysemys scripta

Hey, baby!

Spangled Skimmer

 

Female spangled skimmer, Libellula cyanea.

As Promised

Here you go, woverman, a picture of the house in progress.

 

Millpond Cabana

As I paddled along yesterday, savoring the fact that I was actually out and about with the whole pond to myself, I spied one of my favorite critters savoring the day as well. Green treefrogs never fail to make me smile.

This brown water snake also made me smile. Gotta love a snake wearing a duckweed wig...

The Merry Month of May...Please

Okay, remember me? I've been away a while. Seems the fates weren't done with us afterall...April turned out to be just as bad as March - more loss and sadness. But things have to get better, right?

On a positive note, the house is coming along nicely. The framers finished last week and the masons should have the chimney completed today. We are supposed to get the windows this week, too. Also, I found a vinyl floor design that I actually like - one more decision made!

Our older son came to see us over the weekend. He took his kayak back home with him when he left -- good thing, too. We don't have any out buildings at the new house. Storage is going to be an issue don't you know...

The flower above is a pink lady's-slipper, Cypripedium acaule. We have quite a few blooming this year.

Bright Spots in a Gray Day

Moth Moments

Upper photo: Hubner's Pero, Pero hubneraria
(please mentally insert two dots over the "u" in "Hubner")
Lower photo: Light Marathyssa, Marathyssa basalis

I try to take a few minutes each day at work to walk around the decks of the visitor center and see what the security lights attracted the night before. Lights left burning all night are not among my favorite things, but I guess this is one of those "lemonade from lemons" things. Since I am not high enough on the food chain to change policy, I will make the best of the situation and use it as an opportunity to add species to the database :)

The moths above represent two of the seven species observed one morning last week. The pero uses willows and alders as host plants. The photo is included because I find the moth to be very pretty -- I'm such a girl ;)

The second moth is included because it is so darn peculiar-looking. When I first saw it, I thought I was seeing the remains of a moth that had been gobbled up by some nibble predator. Upon closer examination I discovered that the abdomen wasn't missing as I had presumed, it was just curled up and over. And the wings weren't ragged, just folded. Sneaky, eh?

The coolest thing about this Light Marathyssa? Its caterpillar feeds on poison ivy! Now, I know that will bring a smile to the faces of many.