October 29, 2017

Martha O'Kennon

Another dark depressing week. Not much excitement in it but even though the colors are muted compared to last years, They are here to be found.

The epimedium continues to develop its darker red leaves to make a nice border around itself. It makes a striking contrast with the hosta Sun and Substance, which is one of the last to lose its green leaves for the winter. Each tree going down the street has leaves of a different red to pink to yellow - this one is bright red. hue.



Remember that there is information in the name of the file for each image. You can see it by mousing over the image - look at the lower left of the screen. Or you can click on the image to get to the (usually) larger image. Then the info is displayed in the address line above. Sometimes the second click will actually display a different view of the original image.

The barklouses/lice are still with us and in greater numbers. This week we had the famous tigery striped one, large enough to be spotted by the observer; this highly patterned one; the ragged one; and



Here is a beetle of copper and black. Next is an Asian lady beetle, with its spots and "W" on the collar. But I would have thought the third one would also be an Asian Lady Beetle, but look at the spots, how large they are and how they bleed into each other. The collar is also a bit different. Apparently it is of the same species, but is called a "dark-blotched" variation.



Although it has been quite cold (30 F -just a couple degrees below 0C) lately, but I still found an exited skin, so the occupant escaped it recently and probably before the chill. Then the first rove beetle in a while appeared, two of them. Last is one of the two Rovers, magnified a bit.



That was about it for the beetles. The bugs were also mostly well-worn ones. First is a Zelus Assassin Bug; next is a nymphal form for the BMSB (Brown Marmolated Stink Bug); and last is a Green Stink Bug nymph (Still haven't seen an adult).

Here is everyone's favorite, the Boxelder Bug, followed by two kinds of Case Creature, which we learned last week might even be a kind of moth.

This 6mm caterpillar appears much larger here than in the original. Oh, speaking of caterpillars, I owe you an identification. Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I showed you an absolutely beautiful caterpillar? Here it is again. It turns out to be the larva of the Brown-hooded Owlet moth, and is much more gorgeus than the plain brown adult.



Let's count the leafhoppers for this week. Most are familiar red and white ones, but we also collected this little greenish-yellow one.



Here is a tiny crane fly. I love how its shadow pulls the center of the picture right to the center. Second is the same species. At first I believed these two little mating flies were the same species as the first, but actually their legs are not so super-long as the legs of the first flies. This magnificent fly has been sucked dry by a spider or some other predator. The third image is of a spider (chs) producing a skeleton much like that of image 1.



These mosquitoes are just so lovely with their long legs and svelte shapes. The first is a female, as you can see by its long sucking parts, just right to chase me around with. It is also green-eyed. Next is also a female,though with slightly less audacious sucking bits.



Three more flies. The last one was a surprising yellow. The others we have all seen before.



These three harvestmen are all probably related to the red-tinged ones of last week, though only the first image shows the reddish-orange brightly.



Here is that looper again, and a geometrid moth, one that comes from a looper caterpillar. I don't know that the looper and the moth are or aren't related.



How about a few more pretty color pictures? First, some more red nightshade berries. Then a collage (untouched by human hands) of differently colored leaves from several trees.



Just like last week, the spiders were represented by many many tiny baby Common House Spiders. The only wasps in town were probably braconid wasps and image 3 is probably one of them too



Another Short Blog, showing that the season is not over yet, but isn't likely to bounce back for quite a few months. We will have some surprising sights, like the green spiders that will occur in the wee small months of winter and hardly ever in the spring, summer, or fall.

But in the spirit of apology, here is the second stanza of the poem "Their Haven". Here it is. Remember to give me a shout if you can't figure out what the poem is a parody of.

Their Haven
By Ed Growling Pooh
Stanza II

Oddest thing, Lehigh Lamumba Edward's sin-deep leak, the Samba Andes shepherd, eyeing Amber, wrote "East Coast" to ponder for. Eagle Lehigh witched Demara Vain Lehigh hot suttee barrow Foamy buxar, Caesar's arrow, S'arrow forty Lastly Naar. Forty rear-end raid gent "Made in Home Diagonals" namely Naar Namely's half a rebel Moor.

Let me know if you need any hints... Till if not next week, then the next!

Love,
Martha

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copyright Martha O'Kennon 2017