Friendly Flutterby

A Man & His Butterfly

"A man's one-in-a-million close encounter with an insect convinces him that the theory is true: The fluttering of gossamer wings can change the world."

The Butterfly Effect by Dan Southerland

Nature's Mysteries

I find it intriguing how flower buds
look so similar to butterfly chrysalises.

Ahh... Summer

Not only have the frogs started returning in mass,
but the mystery bulbs are sprouting again!!!!

Frog Fly-By

I've learned when I see this...

Annabelle chirping & looking rather excited by the sliding glass door... I should check out what's going on. On this particular occasion, I found a BIG frog... can you see him in the upper right above? This guy looks like he's been eating very well!!

Butterflies & Baseballs

Tim & I spotted this butterfly while out
throwing the baseball the other day.

Back in college, we'd walk over to the tennis courts by our apartment to play catch. I think we both agree that having a backyard is far better!

This event is, of course, not without great kookiness... we figured out early on that our old gloves tend to turn our hands colors (i.e. the sweat & the leather collide - yuck!). So now we wear gloves under our gloves. Yes, I admit, a little of Tim's OCD has rubbed off on me.

Dragonfly

The Return of Lizasaur

Remember that Lizasaur from yesterday?
He was back today & seems to rule the roost around our backyard.

We found him sitting on our folding chairs today...
rather appropriately, I might add.

I'm not exaggerating when when I tell you he is BIG!!

We got a little closer & noticed a Shelia* with him!
*We, of course, called her a Shelia in tribute to the Croc Hunter, Steve Irwin.

The Backyard

The family of birds that was living in our backyard hasn't returned in quite a few days... they moved down to the pond nearby. We're sad to see them go, but also a little relieved... they are endangered after all, that's a lot of responsibility! ;o)

Annabelle came outside for a little field trip today!

This Lizasaur (lizard big enough to be a dinosaur) was sunning.
He stood his ground when we came out...

And Sam was waiting for us inside!

Weekend Montage

Joe came to visit this weekend! This was our 3rd visitor in 3 weeks. *Yay!* We have a fourth lined up too... Tim's parents are coming next week to help us get started on some home improvements! :o) On another note, have I mentioned that we live near an airport? We don't really hear the airplanes much, but if you go on our back porch in the morning... contrails galore!

One of the baby birds exploring our backyard.
(Excuse the blurriness, this picture was taken through a window)

And a friendly Flutterby.

Homeless Hermit, part 2

As it so happens, we occasionally find one of our hermit crabs wandering around out of their shells. This little guy abandoned his shell shortly after molting (hence the light coloring) & was in search of another...

The More the Merrier

The frogs do their best to huddle together this time of year.

The Fair, part 3

Yes, there's more!!
We didn't get over to the animal section...
but we did find the insects!


Here's a Redknee Tarantula, and no, I'm not holding it.


A Millipede.


The millipedes usually eat decaying leaves,
but they also like to eat seedlings in your flowerbed.


The buzzing bees...

They bring in a new colony every couple days.
These bees got to go home today.

Local Flutterbys:

Exotic Flutterbys:

Frogs & Butterflies

As the weather cools, we are seeing less creatures around the yard. Here's a few pictures of the remaining visitors...

Snug as a Bug

The number of winged visitors has continually
increased as we've added more plants....
I noticed these pretty guys on the way in from checking mail today!

Diary of a Worm

Inspired by our slimy, squirmy garden friends...

I'd like to share one of my *most favorite* children's books- Diary of a Worm written by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss. This is a hysterical picture book that follows life from the perspective of a young baseball-capped earthworm.

Worm lives with his parents, plays with his friends, & even goes to school. But unlike you... he never has to take a bath or brush his teeth, he gets to eat his homework, he can't do the hokey poky or chew gum, and he flunks the school 'vacuum' drill. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed & colorful! This is one of those book that is actually funny for the adult too, & the vignettes tell facts about earthworms and their behavior. You can also read about Worm's friends, Spider and Fly.

The Sneak Peak

Our front flowerbeds have remained the "builders' package" since we moved in, but we have been very busy all week long changing that. We are not quite ready for the 'tada' moment, but here's a sneak peak...

Mums

The border stones are from Bobbie...
she gave them to us for practically nothing!!!!

The butterflies love the Lantana!