We’ve noticed some weird insect-related stuff going on around here. First, in the adjacent vacant lot to the west there’s a plethora of these little mud tubes. They’re hollow and they crumble to dust between your fingers, but they obviously once housed a living…something. These are the work of agricultural termites (also sometimes called desert… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 13)
Category: Wildlife – Insects
Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 11) — The Invertebrate Edition
I hope you’re not tiring of these Neighborhood Nature posts, because I like doing them too much to stop. Or, really, I’ll stop when Nature does. Alert Gazette readers will recall that we’re wrangling a herd of black swallowtail caterpillars that have sprung to life in the parsley planted in a pot on our back… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 11) — The Invertebrate Edition
Neighborhood Nature (Pt.10)
I don’t know about where you are, but it’s pretty hot here at Casa Fire Ant. Temp on the left is inside the garage & on the right is outside next to a rock wall. Fortunately, the heat is not harshing our mellow too much as far as being able to enjoy some cool close… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt.10)
R.T.T.F.E.
I’m too lazy to type “Random Thursday — The Friday Edition”…or am I? It’s been a while since we’ve done a Wandering The Web post, so this will ultimately turn into one, but first — some local weather-related updates. Five days ago, as alert Gazette readers no doubt recall, I informed the world that Pecan… Continue reading R.T.T.F.E.
Sunday Afternoon Nature
There were a couple of interesting things going on around our house this afternoon. I’ll introduce them in reverse order, because the earliest one involves a snake and we’ll save it for last. We’ve been blessed with an abundance of hummingbird moths (aka Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth or Common Clearwing Moth or Hawk… Continue reading Sunday Afternoon Nature
Random Thursday: The Truly Random Edition
Happy Thursday, y’all! Today is National Chocolate Day. And is it a coincidence that it’s also National Internal Medicine Day, as well as National First Responders Day? I think not; you should take comfort in knowing that if you overindulge in the food of the gods, *someone* has your back. Or insides. Or…whatever. The Horseshoe… Continue reading Random Thursday: The Truly Random Edition
Snapshot Saturday…
…because Foto Friday was already spoken for. Plus, I’m a procrastinator. Here are some pictures I took. Where’s a pair of Wayfarers when you need them? The green tree frogs have been numerous lately (or perhaps there’s just one and he/she is someone ubiquitous). But it’s a bit rare to see one in the bright… Continue reading Snapshot Saturday…
Random Thursday: Word Guacamole
¡Hola, amigos¡ ¿Qué pasa? Hoy es el día nacional de guacamole, y es la hora a celebrar. (It’s also Mexico’s Independence Day. Coincidence? I think not.) We’ve got a lot of territory to cover, so let’s lean into it (as “they” say in H.R.). I’m sure most of you are itching to know what’s going… Continue reading Random Thursday: Word Guacamole
The Incompetent Arachnid & the Cunning Coleopteran
All I have to say about the title of this post is…Roget let me down yet again. For the past couple of months I’ve been observing a female yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia; a type of orb weaver) just outside one of our garage windows. During that time, it’s grown from a half-inch “wingspan” juvenile into… Continue reading The Incompetent Arachnid & the Cunning Coleopteran
Random Thursday: Spreading jam on the toast of life
Sorry; I don’t know what the post title means either. Howdy, buckaroos, and happy Thursday to you. Today is, of course, International Bow Day, so feel free to take a bow, look for a [rain]bow, grab a bow (arrows are optional), and hye thyself to the nearest boat bow. Oh, and today is also when… Continue reading Random Thursday: Spreading jam on the toast of life