Busy Bees

I love this animated gif, don't you? It made me sad to mow my clover field last week but the blossoms came right back, almost overnight. via

Rolling in Happiness

Webster's lucky and he knows it. I love to see him rolling in the grass. I'm not sure if he's happy or trying to get some bug relief. A google search tells me that New York and New Jersey are being bombarded by Asian Tiger Mosquitos. The bite during the day too, not just at dawn and dusk and they are beyond annoying. They are swat proof too. You cannot "get" them no matter how hard you try. They don't actually bite me because for some reason bugs don't like my blood. They never have. These flying tigers just annoy me no end buzzing in my ears, landing on my body, and getting in my hair. The article I read said they can breed in a capful of water. It's very dry here but thunder showers are in the weather forecast. Just what they need so they can multiply and annoy me even more! Do you have them too?

via

1922 Cottage Bungalow, Before and After

How much do you love this farmhouse and detached garage?

I love the lookout tower on the side of the garage. The front is shown below.

This is the BEFORE photo.  Read the story of this amazing renovation by Moore Architectects and Designers here. There are more photos too.

Wonderful Original Video

This is guaranteed to make you smile. It's not scary at all. It's a very colorful spider dancing to YMCA by The Village People. You'll love it.

Click here if you can't see the video above. Original Video by Jurgen Otto

Mantis - Praying for My Cottage

This praying mantis has been on or near the new copper downspout near my balcony since Friday. Is he praying for my cottage or getting some minerals from the copper? I hope it's the former. If he's just admiring his own reflection, I hope he has an alternate plan for the winter!

Praying Mantis

Too tired to post. Carpenters came at 8am. Left at 6pm. Mountain have been moved. More wood on the ground than on the house. Just kidding but it was amazing how much damage this poor cottage had to its wood. Two front fascias have to be replaced. Using Azek this go round. Gutters had to be removed. More later. I don't think I ever showed you this photo of my praying mantis. Good night.
PS...Click photo to enlarge. It really is an alien. My Photo

Praying Mantis Portrait

I discovered another alien among us while pruning the boxwood yesterday. He was very friendly and stayed around watching me work until I finished and went inside.  He was huge, as long as my hand. Click photo to enlarge. my Nikon photo

I took this one with my iPhone.

Dragonfly Photographed at My Cottage

Click photo to enlarge.

I snapped this dragonfly earlier today with my iPhone on an after breakfast walk with the wonder dog. Honestly, these insects are aliens with gossamer wings, for sure. my photo 

Dragonfly on My Front Walk

Click photo to enlarge.

He is still out there basking in the hot sun. The photo straight out of my Nikon was very boring against the bluestone background so I played around with the saturation and a few other things and got this. We don't have any cicadas but I can hear them singing faintly in towns nearby. When you drive through those towns, the sound is very loud. This lone alien dragonfly suits me just fine.
I took my best dragonfly photo back in 2009. Click here to see it.

Ants on Peonies

I've always wondered why ants like peonies but I don't know the answer. They just do. I took this photo just a few minutes ago on this cool Tuesday morning that feels like a Monday. I have to get this show on the road pretty soon because I have to go to an office meeting. See you later. my iPhone photo

Yellow Jacket at Work

This is the third paper nest this year I've had to knock down. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this one going up at the top of the door jamb between my living room and the balcony. That's a little too close to home for me. Doesn't he look positively wicked? The yellow jackets make the gray paper themselves by chewing on slivers of wood. The young are hatched and food is stored in the nest’s center or "core" of hexagonal cells. That's today's science lesson from the cottage. my Nikon photo

Video: The Beauty of Pollination

This is the most beautiful video you will ever see illustrating how insects, birds, and bats pollinate our flowers. Over 24 million viewers can't be wrong. Make sure you are one of them.

Here's the link to watch full screen.

Spider weaves love web.

via

Vintage Photo of an Egg-Scraping Party

WOW...Look at the lengths these brave men with their tall ladders are taking to control an insect. Early efforts to eradicate gypsy moths included "egg-scraping parties" to remove egg masses before the larvae hatched. See other archival photos here.

Two Silhouettes

I slept late this morning and decided you all needed to see this again. It's from Masterpiece Silhouette Theatre.

Webster wanted me to post this one for him. See you later.

Webster and The Bees

When I was walking Webster after dinner yesterday at dusk he must have disturbed an underground bee's nest because he came out of the edge of the woods absolutely covered with these tiny bees or yellow jackets. Luckily I had on a long sleeved shirt and I immediately started knocking them off with my bare hands and then with a broken off tall weed covered with lots of small leaves; it was almost like a broom. One bee fell inside my tall Wellies and stung me on the ankle. I succeeded in getting almost all of the insects off of poor Webster and we headed home where I gave him two antihistamine tablets just in case he had a reaction. I have no idea how many stings he got but he must have been on fire. He panted heavily for hours and finally found the coolest spot in the house under my bed. By the time I turned off the light hours later his breathing had returned to normal and I was sure he was okay. Today he is fine. He was so brave...he never made a sound throughout the ordeal...not even a whimper.

Monarch Butterfly

I don't even remember taking this photo but it is on my camera roll and I didn't loan my iPhone to anyone. Maybe it was outside my office. Anyway---here it is.

Giant Fuzzy Moth

This was resting on the front door of my office this morning. I saw it but thought it was an early fall leaf. Someone told me it was a giant moth and it was. Doesn't it have great camouflage? This photo was snapped with my trusty iPhone. I love always having a camera in my pocket.

Bee Quilt

It has been over a month since the beginning of the bee quilt. Hand printed bees on hand dyed fabric. Wonder how it's coming along? I love it so far! via

White Wild Morning Glories

I'm thankful for these wild vines growing near my cottage because I'm out of sugar and can't make any nectar for the hummingbirds until I go to the store. The hummers love these deep-throated flowers and so do the bees. I have a refrigerator repairman coming tomorrow so the birds will just have to wait another day. Mother and I have been using powdered sugar in our iced coffee. I could make some nectar with that but I don't know the right proportions that would equal the recipe I use with granulated. Better not upset their scientific substitute, right? [my iPhone photo]