My threatened species....REALLY?

Finding a caterpillar is always an exciting thing. Unless of course you find it gnawing through the leaf of the LEAFLESS BEAKED ORCHID (Sacoila lanceolata--Threatened-State (FL)) you saved while on the plant rescue mission with the Pine Lily Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.

Behold, the Yellow-striped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli), who apparently has discerning taste. Armyworms turn into moths and I really don't mind the unheralded of our insect population, but I do take umbrage with them eating a species that is having a hard enough time fending for itself due to habitat loss. The Orchid is still in a pot waiting to be placed in the ground. Now that moisture is, pretty much, guaranteed every day, that will be soon since it will give it a good start. Seems it has gotten over the shock of the dig-up and has put out some pretty magnificent green leaves. I feel it is ready to find it's new permanent home. Back to those green leaves. The dang caterpillar chewed completely through at the base of one of the leaves. Needless to say, he has a new home in a display container with that leaf. Might as well watch his full transformation, while ensuring that he doesn't finish off my threatened plant before it gets a chance to move in.

Tribute to a Great Friend

November 2001 was a rather tough time for me. My thirteen year old Irish Setter Mahogany was suffering from coronary problems and the end was near. While waiting for one of her tests at the vet's office, I perused the bulletin board and spied a plea for someone to adopt a 3 year old labrador retriever. After 3 years of allergy shots, asthma kicked in and the family pet had to go. I asked the vet if he was familiar with the pet and he advised it was a nice dog, well loved and cared for. And BIG! I wrote down the number, left with my setter and didn't give it much thought. The next day it was nagging at me and I thought I would just call and speak to the owners. After a brief conversation, I gathered my portfolio of pet pictures and headed off to meet a dog named "Rosie".

He WAS big...and adorable...and after conversing with the owner and sharing my pics, he told me he wanted me to adopt his boy. I said that I really felt he should come to my home and decide if the dog would be happy. The next day he came over, inspected the place and decided Rosie would be very happy with me. We planned the exchange, he would bring the dog and his gear over. Rosie arrived with leashes and food bowls and toys and food. And his pedigree papers announcing his name as Rosario Grand Champagne Brut. I could see the tears in the owner's eyes and I told him that I would provide the best home I could.

As I said, my Irish setter was very ill. I introduced the two dogs and Mahogany, in her Irish fashion, snapped at the new kid to let him know who was in charge of the household. Rosie merely went over to the couch in the family room and layed down. I decided that it would be best to allow my Irish some alone time to get use to the idea of a new dog, so I opted to have Rosie sleep downstairs the first night. During the night I felt maybe he would be lonely, so I crept downstairs and cuddled up with him on the couch. When I awoke in the morning I headed upstairs to check on the Irish. She wasn't on her bed and I immediately knew that something was amiss. I found her lying in the bathroom that morning....she had taken herself to the Rainbow Bridge. Somehow that girl knew that I needed another dog in my life before she would allow herself to leave. And I guess she approved of my new found friend.

My neighbor's name was Rosie and I wasn't crazy about calling my boy dog by a girl's name, so I started calling him Snow-zy, but the name just didn't fit. After sharing pictures of my new friend with the Colorado Cuties, my friend Janet (aka Liz) thought he looked like a Blizzard. I tried out the name and it stuck. It was a "cool", strong name for a "cool", strong boy.

Blizzard was a great dog. He listened and behaved at all times. He only walked on a leash because it was required by law. He was accepting of the little snit of an Irish setter (Chili) that we adopted in February 2003. He handled the move to Florida in June 2004 with ease. He made fast friends with all the pooches at the local dog park and was admired for his commitment to chasing only the blue colored ball and not the green one assigned to his sister. He didn't bat an eye when a new English Setter boy (Tanner) entered our family in August 2006. He always just went with the flow.

He loved to swim in the pond and as he aged I encouraged it to keep his limbs moving. When the pond got too low for him to get up the sides, I opted to have laser treatments to try and keep those legs moving and pain free. It seemed to help a bit, but return of the rains helped fill the pond and put him back in his hydrotherapy which worked better. He began to struggle with the stairs and then he began to struggle with getting out of the pond. It was becoming too much for him. We tried the pond one last time on July 20, 2011. He got out, but collapsed and lay on his side, the second time in a week that it happened. I knew it was his last swim. Without this fun in his life, it didn't seem fair to make him fight the fight any longer. He needed help getting up all the time. On Monday, July 25th, I watched him as he struggled up the stairs with my help. I told him he wouldn't have to walk up the stairs ever again. I called my vet and after feeding Blizzard half a package of Milkbone soft chews, I loaded him into the car. When we got to the vet, I gave him the other half of the treat bag while standing in the parking lot. Doggy heaven while still on earth!

He lumbered into the office and went peacefully to Rainbow Bridge with me at his side. While it pains me to have lost my friend, it really isn't about me. It is about him and the joy and unending love he gave me for the nine-plus years that we had together. Blizzard, you were a one of a kind and I can't thank you enough for all you gave me! I will miss you forever.

At the end he was surrounded by good friends.

The Blur of the Butterfly -- Missed Opportunity

I was pulling up some plants (ok, you might call them weeds) which were not their designated area and I noticed at the bottom of one, a tiny green chrysalis, no more than a quarter inch long. I decided to put it in a display container to give it a chance since I didn't think it would survive otherwise (ok, and also cause I was hell-bent on learning what species I had found).

I taped it to the side, trying to maintain the correct orientation. An attempt at a photo of the tiny "speck" proved futile and since I had already taped the screening over the case, I just plain gave up. A couple of days later (I vigilantly checked daily), I was rewarded with a beautiful Checkered Skipper butterfly (Pyrgus spp. likely albescens) known as the white checkered. I quickly took a few photos and then released the little beauty where it happily flew off in the direction of the Spanish needles, where I took another few pictures. After he flew off into the sunset (ok, maybe it was a different time of day, but you know what I mean) I headed inside to the computer to see the results of my encounter.
CURSES…pictures all blurred. Usually I get at least one halfway decent shot but these were all blearily unrecognizable. I checked the camera and sure enough, I had the wrong setting. I usually leave my point and shoot camera with the macro setting on and I don't usually check it because I "always" return it to macro setting after taking a distance shot. Of course, except in this case :(


Luckily these butterflies use plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae) as the larval host and in my garden that means fanpetals or indian hemp (sida spp.). of which there are plenty. So, this may be a different butterfly who came visiting today, but at least you can clearly see how pretty these black and white guys are. It pays to have the camera set correctly.

Imagine My Disappointment

It was late when I let the dogs out for the last trip of the night. I turned the light next to the door on and was very excited to see a beautiful green colored insect. Could it be that I finally would see an emerald moth. I'd found the caterpillar on Bidens alba a.k.a. Spanish Needles, its larval host some time ago, but never got to see a resulting adult.

I grabbed a camera and took several shots from my rather disadvantaged perch. I reached overhead and clicked and clicked and clicked some more. I ran into the computer to check on the quality of my shots. BOO! Horrible, barely discernable.

Back with the camera I went and luckily, the insect was still positioned on the siding. I put the flash on, clicked a few shots and ran inside to again check the quality. Eureka! Not the best shots, but clear enough to identify.

Hmm, doesn't look like any moth I've ever seen and the antenna are all wrong. Off to the yahoo search engine. "green cricket Florida". I scanned a few results and none of the pictures came close. I checked whatsthatbug.com but couldn't find my specimen. Off to bugguide.net. "bright green Florida". Up pop the photographs of bright green insects. THERE IT IS!

I click on the matching photo and oh HORRORS! It is a Green Banana Cockroach (Panchlora nivea). I immediately shudder and a creepy, itchy feeling came over me. I think, "Ok, it's just a bug, let's find out what it's doing here." In the information tab I read:

"Also known as the Cuban cockroach, this is an invasive species that first got to the US on shipments of fruit from the Caribbean. Like most cockroaches, it is nocturnal. It is a strong flyer and is drawn to bright lights at night. This species does not breed in houses and prefers to remain outdoors if possible."

Whew, although invasive, it isn't going to try to live in my house. I did a little more research and learned that some people keep these at pets because of their beautiful green color, which brings me to my next question on this fella. Is he called a Green Banana Roach because he likes green bananas? Or because he looks like Kermit?

I shut off the outside light and was thrilled it was gone by morning. Go back to Cuba and your green bananas.

Happy Mother's Day!

It certainly is Mother's Day around my yard. In the picture above, Momma mockingbird is incubating four eggs and seems to be saying to Poppa bird "I'm having these babies, at least you could feed me on Mother's Day". This nest, the second of 2011 is built in the front yard in a bottlebrush tree.

Second brood of bluebird babies starting hatching yesterday and there looks to be all five today, although siblings are covering younger ones to keep them warm until the day heats up, so I can only account for four sets of naked wings.

I saw a mockingbird couple hauling food to a nest in my neighbor's side yard and there are grackles feeding babies that are high up in a young pine, also in my neighbor's yard.

So, plant for the birds and they will come! Then you too can have a fun day, observing mother nature's wonders.

Will this be the Year? Purple Martins

I heard the wonderful music and looked up at the purple martin apartment that I put up a couple of years ago. There was a pair, checking the back and the front. In and out the compartments they went. They teased me last year with their arrival and got my hopes up that I would become a landlord, but it never happened.

The house is situated so they have a clear flight line and it overlooks the pond. There are plenty of "eats", so I think it is the perfect housing arrangement and I hope this year they do too! Although, I'm guessing they will eat my dragonflies, which saddens me, in a way. Stay tuned!

"Imitation is the sincerest of flattery"

This quote comes from Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832).

 

I have nesting mockingbirds in a young oak tree 25 feet or so from the house.  Incubation is on day 9 of 12-13 expected days.  This photo is from several days ago when mom and dad were busily building their "digs".  The dad is always close by keeping watch over the female who is the sole incubator.

 

This morning I sent the dogs outside as usual and when I called them in, I gave a two note whistle that they are familiar with.  From the tree closeby I heard myself as if an echo.  I whistled again, and once again I heard the echo.  Why, the mockingbird was imitating me, and with tonal precision!  Are they mocking me? or should I be flattered?