The last wave of mosquitoes has been really, really bad. Horror-movie-bad. But yesterday was lovely and I was totally sick of having cabin fever so I slathered myself with toxic chemicals and went outside without my bug suit.
I washed windows, hung laundry, threw balls for dogs. Glorious! After a couple of hours, the biting began. I slapped on another layer of poison and took a walk.
It's a great year for Black Walnuts!
These look fat and healthy.
Sadly, the Butternuts hanging over the pond were nowhere to be seen...
until later on my walk. Red Squirrels had carried them across the yard and stashed them on tree limbs.
Wild Grapes
Tiny and tart, critters love these.
Jerusalem Artichoke flowers
White-faced Hornet
Actually a wasp, these are generally less aggressive than Yellow Jackets but will spring into defensive action if disturbed. This one was busy working some goldenrod and didn't appear to notice me.
Black Blister Beetle
Blister beetles feed on goldenrod nectar and pollen and produce a poisonous substance, cantharidin, similar to cyanide and strychnine in its toxicity. Just don't eat one and you should be fine.
Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar
Fuzzy and cute, it's best not to pet these. They have urticating hairs that may cause itching, stinging and burning sensations.
I hear these guys frequently but rarely see them.
Gray Tree Frog
But this one is green, you say? Clever beasts, they can switch from green to gray to camouflage themselves.
Tree frog toes are adorable.
The toes have glands that secrete a sticky substance, allowing them to cling to twigs and even windows.
Turkey Tail fungus growing on a fallen conifer
From the sublime to the ridiculous, a Stinkhorn, Mutinus elegans, aka Devil's Dipstick. Flies and other insects will feed upon the slime and disperse the spores.
8 comments:
Simply wonderful....!....this week's Bankside is a celebration of early Autumn !
Hi Jain...are the black walnuts good to eat?..there is a big tree near me tha tis just loaded!
Loved this post ...the rogs are great ..and those toes : }
That little white fellar has caused a lot of problems here with people getting pretty back reactions with them just dropping from a tree on the skin!!
You sure have a mosquitoe problem ..I have been very lucky this year..right in my yard they have been little to none!!
Have a great week
Grace
....love your tree frog photos. I hear them all the time too, but rarely see them, and have never been able to photograph one!
We are having similar experiences on these fall like days, Jain...washing windows, hanging laundry, taking photos of walnuts, fungus and tree frogs!!!
Glad you liked the post, Opossum!
Grace, Black Walnuts are edible and delicious... but a huge pain in the neck to process! They sell tiny, expensive bags of them here in the baking section of the grocery store. Do try them some time. Their flavor is more complex than English walnuts; great in sweet baked goods.
I'm happy that mosquitoes aren't a problem in your neighborhood!
Thanks, Kelly, I was quite surprised to see this one. S/He was sitting at eye level on a tree out by the road. If you ever get a photo of one, I'm sure it will be fabulous!
Wanda, it's interesting how similar and also different our yards are. I wish the deer and fawns would pose for me like yours do!
nature is beautiful when you take a moment to experience it!
Great post! Aren't you glad you braved the mosquitoes to get these images? Even if you're not, I am-- vicariously. You should have been more explicit with Grace about the black walnuts though--brown-stained fingers, driving over the shells with your car to crack them open (or using a sledgehammer), picking out the meager nutmeats... No wonder they cost so much. And, mosquitoes here remain voracious, too, especially in the wakes of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
A4L, it certainly is! Too few people know this simple fact.
Scott, yes, it felt GREAT to be outdoors again!
You're right, I didn't do my answer to Grace any justice; thanks for filling in the gaps.
Sorry the 'skeeters are bedeviling you, too. Frost will come, frost will come.
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