Multiple monarchs

I’ve seen as many as four Monarch butterflies nectaring on the butterfly bushes in the last few days. The weather has been so nice, I think they’ve forgotten all about migrating south. Fuel up, little guys! You need to get a move on.

Facing down the bee mimic

On these beautiful sunny days, I never get tired of watching the bees. It’s so soothing to watch them forage on the asters, the butterfly bush, the goldenrod. Bumblebees, honeybees, Carpenter bees, flying up and down the hill over and over again. But one of these bees is an imposter.

Stay-put bee

I think the way this bumblebee stays put pretty sums up how I’d like to be right now. She’s been clinging to this same spray of goldenrod for a couple days now. Maybe it’s cold. Maybe she’s tired. Maybe she just sees no reason to go anywhere. All she has to do is move over […]

Maybe these are the last tomatoes?

After I picked the “last” tomato, my Celebrity tomato plant is not giving up. It’s ripening three in good shape and there’s two more on the other side of the plant in not so good shape. I think it’s taking a personal challenge to see how long it can make summer last. It’s done a […]

Let the bees eat squash

It’s starting to look like the mystery plant will be revealed. Perfect round balls are developing ridges. Acorn squash again. Every fall, I keep getting various squashes, but I’m no longer sure how much I actually like winter squash. So I no long care that I probably won’t enjoy the fruits of the mystery plants. […]

Is this the last ripe tomato?

The rate of tomatoes ripening has fallen from three at a time, to one at a time. But as the weather cools and the days shorten, I don’t expect to get any more ripe tomatoes at all. So this might be one last gift from my tomato plant. Never mind how dead half of it […]

I’m running out of cute ways to refer to bee flies

Along with the butterflies and the bees and the birds, there’s a syrphid fly I’ve been chasing. A bee mimic, to be precise. Mostly likely Eristalis tenax, to be even more precise. It’s the kind of fly that looks just like a bee but it doesn’t exactly act like a bee. Bees methodically go from […]

Unbearable cuteness of corn

I did not grow this corn. Too cute. Neither did the squirrels grow this corn. Oh, no. This corn is so professionally grown, it formed as a slender extra ear clasped within the husks of a full-sized ear of corn we had for dinner. The kernels are so fine, so perfect, so fully formed, and […]

Bugs in a golden bower

It’s not just bees in the goldenrod. Many of the black and yellow bugs are Locust borers. Not a beetle to boast about, as their larvae are in someone’s black locust tree. One thing I noticed as I was leaning in to get a better shot was the smell of the goldenrod. How did I […]

Hey squirrels, look at the corn you grew!

The corn the squirrels accidentally planted actually set some kernels. Sure, it’s an unlovely gap-toothed grin of corn, but who cares what it looks like? It’s corn! Now I’m tempted to try growing sweet corn on purpose next year. That is, I’m just tempted enough to think about why it wouldn’t work. Not enough space. […]