OK Human Again

My version of the Blueberry Festivus
In order L to R: Caroline, David, Cheryl, Kristen
Standing: Brett

I was really quite a beautiful day and fun to hang out with friends in a different setting.



This little set of pictures are of Caroline just spinning around and checking out nature. Kristen posted some that she took the same day. Caroline is showing her true carefree happy spirit in these pictures. I just love them.

I Have No Idea !!!!

I guess it's been a bad few days all around. I've been checking for some sort of movement from the damn thing and nothing. I looked inside the hole in the coccoon and it just lookes kinda filamenty with something attached; so I don't know whether it is alive or dead. At this point, I'm leaning towards dead. I've got pictures going back to the Blueberry Festivus that need to be posted but I'm just emotionally and mentally dun fo. Catch ya later.

Do Caterpillars Boom Boom While They Pupate?

I awoke this AM thinking that I hadn't checked on the cocoon lately. So hurried to get coffee for myself and a bottle prepped for the baby for when she woke up and then did what I thought was a quick check on the morphing insect inside the cocoon. What I found was a hole and some pellets that look like rat boomer or roach egg casings. People that have been following this amazing adventure in nature are probably thinking I have a boom boom fetish, but I assure you it is just plain old curiosity. Yep you guessed it I had to squish one of the jelly beans, and then of course another to make sure they had the same contents.

SOOOOOO, the answer to the question is YES! I had no idea the caterpillar still needed to boom boom when metamorphosing. I'm truly in awe of this process I have been blessed to witness.

New Family Member Update

The evening after posting our announcement of the new arrival, I came bouncing downstairs to welcome my new pal to a brand new day and found this lump of leaves. I was a bit sad that we hadn't even really bonded yet. So now I excitedly come downstairs to check on the lump of leaves as we are about a week into the cocoon stage. We should have mothage in about another week or two, if all goes well. I'm working on constructing a better home to accommodate the wing drying phase, he won't really be able to hang on that well to the inside of a plastic pretzel container.

The light tan woven looking material is the cocoon.

Just another look.

Geometry the Natural Way

Having started this blog at the urging of my dearest friend, I have found that I enjoy photography much more than I thought I would. The really cool thing is looking at them again before posting and seeing things you missed while taking the shot. I realize that Ma' Nature is an amazing creature, but that some super smart genius type actually sat down eons ago and figured out math stuff from the shapes seen in nature is pretty cool. I just think the way the different curves, lines, and shapes come together to form these beautiful things is extraordinary.

My mandavilla still haven't bloomed, but are damn close. The first thing I do every day now (even before coffee) is peek out the front door to see if it has bloomed.

The fourth type of oriental lily FINALLY bloomed. Just check out how everything just radiates from the center.
Same lily different view.

This is one of the smaller (less tall- only about 7') sunflowers. Just bloomed right by the front door. The center looks like the gyroscope (I think that's what it was called) the toy that had the different toothed wheels that you put your pen in different holes to make cool whorl designs. Anyway, the center of the sunflower reminds me of those designs.

This one is a Star Gazerish lily, but the aroma is much less intense. I looks like a cross between my white and my red ones.

This sunflower is one of my giants (11' ). It has just started to open.

Our Newest Family Member

This is his home for the next few weeks. He only eats walnut tree leaves.

Here he is in all his green glory. If you click on the picture it gives you a pretty good idea about his other minute markings. He is really quite beautiful.

And here are his boom booms. Check out the geometry in them. I clean his home out every day and there are about 10 of these in the bottom. He has been eating about 6 whole leaves a night. This whole metamorphosis will be amazing to watch. I have already had to reprimand Caroline for sloshing him around too much (she wants him to move around and eat for her). He now lives on top of the frig and is only taken down under adult supervision for Caroline to check him out.

I'll add text later

The speck over the frog's head is a bee going to find quieter flowers.

A different view of these oriental lilies. They were just beautiful.

This is my current favorite day lily, it is what is called a rebloomer so I get more than one show. These also smell like vanilla spice, quite nice to be around while weeding.

This is an oriental lily from last year that came back. I thought the raindrops hanging in a row off the stamen was a neat shot. (you can see it better when you click on it)

I initially didn't think this shot came out, but click on it and see. "Here's lookin' at ya"