giant leopard moth

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Here’s the coolest thing I saw in my neighborhood yesterday.  I don’t think I’d ever seen one before.

I googled “Michigan big white moth black circles” and found out it is a giant leopard moth.  AND it comes from a woollybear caterpillar!  I’ve seen woollybears lots and lots of times, but I don’t believe I’d ever seen one of these until yesterday.

It was about 2.5-3” long, on the edge of the sidewalk in our suburban neighborhood.

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October 8, 2018

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Lots of winged critters enjoying the asters and goldenrod.

Maple.

Moss in the space between two sidewalk squares.

Maple prints on concrete.

This proposal has many good ideas for making voting easier!  Putting a "straight-ticket" option back.  Making voter registration the default when someone gets a drivers' license.  Etc.

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October 3, 2018, part 2

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Tansy.

Closer crop.

Amsonia.

As yet unidentified leguminous vine.

It has purple/pink flowers.

And white flowers.  These were growing together.  I don't know if it's that parts of the same vine have different color flowers, or that there were two very similar vines growing together.

Little crab apples.

Clematis seeds.

Russet apple.

I believe this is an oil beetle.  I think this was at least 1.5" long.  We saw one of these last year (I think), in almost the identical location.  The info I found says these prey on solitary ground-nesting bees.  Maybe I should have stepped on it..... 

It seemed pretty aggitated.  Moving constantly and jerkily, and holding the front of its body off the ground.

Odd to start and finish a day's pics with weird insects, both of which are predatory.


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October 3, 2018

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Having googled Michigan long ovipositor, I found Dolichomitus irritator, which is what I believe this is.  A wasp that lays its eggs in wood-boring larvae.  She's a big 'un -- I'd say her body an inch long, and the ovipositor, well, your estimate is as good as mine.

Chrysanthemums.

Pumpkins.

Wondering if these little ones are pumpkins, or gourds.  The rounder ones look like pumpkins, but I wonder about the flatter ones.  Maybe they are pumpkins, too.  I should ask.

Closer crop of the upper left of the above.

Gourds.  With some of the little flat guys from above.

Peppers and more peppers.  Time for lecsó -- Hungarian pepper stew.  (Pronounced leh-cho.)  Made of peppers, peppers, and more peppers, with some onion, tomatoes, and smoked paprika.  Lovely.

Squashes.

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September 19, 2018

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Sedum "Autumn Joy."  With honeybee.

We depend on honeybees for a huge amount of our food.  No bees = no tree fruits, for one example.  No apples, no cherries, no peaches....................

We HAVE TO STOP spraying poison everywhere all the time.  :-(

I think this is weigela.

Closer crop.

Portulaca.  This one's colors really glow.....

 Closer crop.

This must have been a twigful of maple leaves, sitting here long enough to leave a print on the sidewalk.

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September 16, 2018

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Shadows on the wall.............

The last peaches of the season were big.

Delicious.

West Park on a sunny late-summer day.

I saw two monarch butterflies within a yard of each other in the ironweed.  That's the first time I've seen two at the same time since I don't know when.

Closer crop of the above (pretty close to the center of the above).

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September 14, 2018

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More get-out-the-vote postcards for PostcardsToVoters.org

Aftab means sunshine.  If I recall what I was told, his mom was a Tibetan refugee who went south.  She met Aftab's father in his own country, and then the family emigrated to the USA.

Adding to this post a bunch of pics I found on the phone that hadn't made it to the computer.  (Sigh, and argh.)

Later.  Walking. 

Coneflower at various stages, in strong sunset light.

Mushrooms in that same sunset light.  These are in the same yard as that puff-bally thing we've looked at.

Squirrel tracks in concrete.  Poor little guy.  That's not good stuff to have on your skin......

Cosmos.

Cleome.

Closer crop of the above.  I'd never noticed that cleome stems are covered by little leaves going round and round.  Stem comes in from left, and curves up to also be supporting all of that purple extravaganza.

A bunch of cleome, with leafy stems, and some sunflowers.

I think this is the first hollyhock I've seen this year.

Closer crop.

Autumn Joy, with bumble.

My Instagram buddies gave me an ID of "boneset" for this.  Isn't it nice to know there's something called "boneset" in the neighborhood?  Just in case?

Closer look at boneset's trumpety flowers.

Aster.

Hydrangea, black-eyed Susans, and Autumn Joy.

My IG buddies say this is weigela.  I'm making a folder of pics of "plants that have been identified for me" so I don't keep asking about the same ones year after year.......

Bellflower.

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