Butterfly Daisy

My flower garden shouts out "Summer!" Not so many butterflies this year; perhaps it's the shade surrounding the yard.

I believe this butterfly is some kind of Fritillary, but I'm not sure and don't have my reference handy.

Update on the hornets!!! In a big-time downpour their nest got knocked down. Tore it off the branch and tore its opening even farther than it had been. The morning after I could still see a black insect or two, but yesterday I checked the remains which are laying on a lower branch, and it's totally abandoned. Mother Nature solved the problem of being too close to the carport for us!

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

Day Lilies 2009

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

The Bear Facts - Current Events

Flash 55 Story

Ralph went to bed when Letterman finished his Top 10 List. A loud crash woke him; he leaped to his feet. In the kitchen, he saw shattered glass on the floor. A startled black bear stared at him. "Don't run," Ralph remembered, then barked like a dog, "Woof, woof, woof!" It worked; the bear left! 

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

Nightime Visitors

 My reading chair is next to the bedroom window that looks out onto a small deck, and last night I heard cat hissing and little squeals. I looked out and there was our male cat, Greyboy, hissing and swatting at a raccoon, slightly larger than the cat. We've had raccoon visitors before and the cats usually just sit on the railing and watch the raccoons eat their Meow Mix. So it seemed unusual that there would be what sounded like a cat fight going on. I saw Mama Raccoon jump up onto the railing and Greyboy back off, so I grabbed for my camera and opened the door.

Of course, all raccoon eyes focused on me and I began snapping pictures. After several shots, Mama Raccoon decided she'd had enough and made a move towards me standing in the open doorway which didn't remain open for long. I watched her run along the railing and exit stage left, with the two youngun's coming along a good little ways behind her. She disappeared so I opened the door again and got a couple more shots of two little cuties. Tonight, I remembered to bring the Meow Mix inside before it got dark. 


MimiRock at Castle Yonder

A Real Hornet's Nest

       This is a hornet's nest! I spotted it yesterday while I was sitting on a lawn chair resting from pulling weeds in the garden. I was staring off into space and evidently stared off at a large rhododendron growing in the very top terrace of my flower beds and just adjacent to the back end of our carport. These first two pictures are taken from inside the carport using the close-up lens. Can you see three hornets in the top picture?

     We've had hornet's nests before but have seen them only when the leaves have fallen from the trees and the hornets have flown off in the late fall.

     So I recognized this for what it was--a hornet's nest! Right in my very own backyard--well my side flower bed, that is!

     At first, I thought it was abandoned, but then today saw black insects flying to and fro. I began snapping pictures with my camera.

     The top photo shows the inside of the nest. The camera lens did not capture the dark color of the inside of the cavity so you need to realize that the three insects are crawling around a cavity that goes deeper and deeper. 

     The middle photo shows only one hornet (it may be the Queen) but if this nest is like ones described on hornet websites, deep in that cavity there are covered egg cells and larvae going through one of five stages of metamorphoses. When complete, they turn into worker hornets who chew up wood pulp and with their saliva turn it into a paste that they add to this huge sac hanging from my rhododendron shrub. In the first two photos you can see how the sac is hanging from a branch--it is on the right hand side of the hornet's nest and is yellow.

On the last photo, below, which is the nest taken from its backside view (I'm standing on the garden's concrete walkway) you can see this same yellow branch but it's on the left hand side of the nest now. Notice how the Queen, the only one living to get this nest started, fastened the nest securely to the branch by wrapping the branch round and round with this wood-saliva mixture. When there are enough worker hornets to forage and feed all the growing larvae population, the Queen will be enclosed in this paper-paste sac and her only function will be to reproduce. By the end of the summer, the hornet colony will have grown to house hundreds (500-700) of hornets including the new Queens, the only ones who have the ability to hibernate and even create their own anti-freeze-like chemical. The Old Queen will die--long live the new Queens! 

     Then next spring, the cycle of life will begin anew! Our problem now is convincing our yard helper that we have to let these hornets survive. He will want to spray them, but they will kill thousands of flies this summer which make up 95% of their diet. They are far enough away from the walkway that we should be safe enough. Hornets are non-aggressive and attack only if their nest is intruded upon.

The way it's tucked into that rhodie shrub, I don't think the dogs will disturb it, and I know Rocky and I sure won't!

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

You Call This A Future?

55 Flash Friday

The nuns helped Olivia get ready for her trip to college. Olivia couldn't believe it! Since her mother died, nine years now, only the Sisters had cared for her.
Olivia went to meet her visitor, a man in overalls smelling of barnyard.
"Hello, Olivia. I've come to take you home to help with the chores."

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

"Bugle Boy" Our Grandson, Chris

This is a small portion of the Blue Stars, a drum and bugle corps sponsored by an international d. and b. organization. Our 15 year old grandson, Chris, is touring the U.S. this summer with them. They performed last night in Kingsport, TN about a 40 minute drive from our home.

Chris had to audition along with over 1000 others in order to become a member of this group and only 150 were selected, so he is very musically advanced for his age. Average age is 19 and many of the other members are music majors in college.

The Corps musicians play the trumpet, mellophone, drums, tuba, and xylophone. There are an additional 30 members of a color guard troup. Chris, in addition to the mellophone, plays the trumpet, French Horn, and piano and he can read music as well as play by ear. He is a Sophomore in High School and is a member of the marching band, the school orchestra, and a jazz band. He is passionate about music and wants to major in it when he goes to college. You can imagine how proud of him we are.

He got to visit with us for about half an hour following the performance last night and the following photo shows Chris between us two proud grandparents.

I snapped pictures of all the bands last night but video taped the Blue Stars program, so the only still photos I got was of their encore performance when they were in concert formation. He is one of the corps members on the far left, back row, of the photo, but with their helmets on it's hard to tell one from another. I haven't had a chance to check out the video yet, but will post it if it's good.

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

Moon Over Castle Yonder

There was a full moon last night and I stood on our deck and shot this. The dull circles are not UFO's, but spots on the camera lens.
(Obviously, I need to clean it.)

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

Mixed-Up Holidays

 

A Christmas cactus on my deck decided to

celebrate the Fourth of July with a firecracker

color of a bloom!!!


MimiRock at Castle Yonder

Flash 55 Fridays

Here's my Flash 55 for this week:

After his doctor’s appointment, George reported
“My memory’s bad, so Doc gave me some memory pills.”
“What’s their name?”
“What’s the name of that pretty flower with the thorns on it?
“You mean a rose?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Rose,” he calls to his wife, “What’s the name of those memory pills the doctor gave me?”


I know, I know, it's an old joke, but I was hard pressed this week for material.
Mimi

MimiRock at Castle Yonder