A Strange Looking Bug

This little critter came in through the front door. Fortunately, they are not usually found in the house. I had no idea what it was. It's a pretty small insect, so I didn't see the strange antennae until after I had downloaded the photo. The antennae made identifcation fairly easly - with the help of Google. It is a type of scarab beetle. The three prongs are but part of many that the beetle can fan out. It was lucky that it was not closed. It may have taken longer to identify. By the way, they use the antennae to "smell" for food.

Another name for the scarab beetle is dung beetle. Yep, they eat dung as well as carrion and dead plants. Gross, but necessary. Here are a couple of interesting couple of facts I came across. Scarab beetles have been around for 150 million years. They ate dinosaur dung! There are 35,000 different species of scarab beetles that have been identified and it is thought that there are another 15,000 yet to be discovered.

Those strange antennae really got me curious. I searched a few websites before finding the interesting information. I'm not an entomologist, so I really wasn't looking for a bunch of technical information. It seems only fitting that the website I found that has the most fascinating and fun information is called - Scarabs for Kids! It's a fun website. I'm glad this little critter led me there. I only have one request of the scarab beetle - please stay outside!

Interesting Facts

I follow Wild Birds Unlimited on Twitter. They have tons of interesting articles about birds and other wildlife. Here is a fun fact from an article that explains how weight activated squirrel proof feeders work:

"But overall it takes over 65 chubby chickadees to equal the weight of one medium squirrel."


Doesn't it just make you smile to think of the sight of 65 chubby chickadees? They are so cute to begin with!

Click on the link above to read the whole article. It's very informative and and interesting. The blog is here on blogger.  It's a great blog!

Thought I would start blogging again. I'm not even sure what I want to blog about here. I guess just the Odds & Ends that come to my mind. I have not known how to get started. Today, I realized - why not just jump in? I decided, a photo would be a good ice breaker. I found this one I took last summer of a Great Blue Heron in the little pond out back.

I love these birds. One time, I happened to be sitting on the deck where I could see a blue heron and my binoculars were in hand. He stayed in the pond hunting frogs for a very long time - two hours and I stayed right there watching. He moved slowly, yet purposefully and patiently. He caught so many frogs I was afraid there would be none left. But of course, there were. I love these bird, and the frogs. Well, that's it for today.

Skywatch Friday, A Gift and Awards

Although I am posting a photo (click to enlarge), I am not submitting it to Skywatch Friday. I don't know if I will be able to visit any of the fantastic blogs that participate, therefore, it doesn't seem right for me to post my url. If you have the time, drop by Skywatch Friday and click on some links. This is amazing group of skywatchers -- great photos!

Surprises of Rainy Days

We had a lot of rain in July and August, not enough to cause destruction, but just too keep the grass too wet to mow. Two dry days in a row had my husband eager to get on the riding mower and mow down our crabgrass. I decided to take a stroll around the yard before he mowed.

First, I wanted to give my grandson a break and fill the front birdfeeder. Much to my surprise, there were beautiful tiny flowers growing around the feeder. I'm guessing that the birds dropped the seeds. I don't know what either of these flowers is called.

Each of these small white flowers is smaller than the diameter of a dime!


Each of these blooms is about the diameter of a nickel. I couldn't see the "veins" until I downloaded the photo to my computer.

As I walked past the birdfeeder towards the front of our lawn where it slopes down to the road, I was amazed. The first photo in this post above represents a small section of the masses of wildflowers that greeted me. I couldn't believe my eyes. The entire area, which measures about 40 feet across and runs about 15 feet down the slope, was covered in wildflowers. The scene wouldn't fit into a single shot.


Off towards the side was a mass of brown-eyed Susans. I captured a small section here.

Then I stood and stared at the mass of flowers. There were many flowers I didn't recognize among the lavender clover, white clover, and Queen Ann's Lace. At first, I thought I was looking at a lot of lavender clover, but closer inspection revealed that most of the lavender blooms were small lavender and white flowers I did not recognize.

Friends told me they thought this flower is crown vetch. I googled it and sure enough the photos that turned up look just like this.


The name of these small yellow flowers is a mystery to me. I love their unusual shape. Very pretty!



These grow in other parts of the yard, too. But they make a beautiful part of the wildflower mass. I don't know what they are called. I call them "daisylets" since they look like miniature daisies to me.

There were a few other flowers that I didn't do a very good job of photographing. Maybe next year. Dave and I have decided the slope won't be mowed. I hope you enjoyed my little tour of the wildflowers.

One thing I find very interesting is that we do have an area in the back yard that we have let grow wild for the last three years because it provides a nice space for the the birds to forage and get out of the elements. Most of the plants and wildflowers that grow there are different from those on the slope.

Here is a photo of the weedpatch taken from the deck.

Here is what the rainy weather this summer has taught us:
"Don't Mow, Let the Wildflowers Grow!" :-)

Hummingbird

One of the six hummingbirds visiting the feeders this summer. They are such a joy to watch! (Click the photo to enlarge.) :-)

Skywatch Friday

This caught my eye because it looked to me like a cloud volcano erupting! Please click photo to enlarge.

Don't miss out on beautiful sky shots from all around the world. Visit Skywatch Friday Thank you for taking the time to look at my sky photo. I appreciate it. :-)