Time to Breathe

I have had a few friends wanting to know our plans for the possible Georgia move so I thought an update was in order.....READ MORE.

Stripe Scavenger Hunt!

The hunt for stripes!

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)


Bumblebee (bombus genus)


Potter Wasp


Monarch caterpillar (Danaus plexippus)


Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucas)


Cicada (Tibicen linnei)- annual type


We couldn't identify this mushroom.


Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes)

The Milkweed Community

That wonderful intoxicating smell of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) blossoms lures all kinds of little critters to it. The majority of insects that feed on a milkweed are in some form of red/orange and black due to a chemical in the sap. Fascinating stuff! Here are some of the critters we found in our backyard milkweed community.

Yellow-Collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis) on the left, skipper down below.

Ermine Moth (Atteva punctella)

Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalmus): I am so in love with this adorable insect. The milkweed beetle has 4 eyes instead of 2, the antennae are between the eyes. These little creatures will fall from the milkweed when threatened as a form of defense. They will play dead for a bit then scurry back up the milkweed when danger has passed. They didn't seem to be too frightened of the camera though, this little fellow came up to the tip of the leaf for a closer look.

Fuzzy spider stalking my little milkweed beetles. Shoo you!

The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) of course. Seeing the monarch butterfly on the milkweed causes Fauna to jump up and down yelling, "Do you see her abdomen touching the leaves??!!" She is determined to see a female laying eggs on the milkweed this year.

The monarch caterpillar resting after a morning of munching leaves. A full grown monarch caterpillar can eat an entire milkweed leaf in 4 minutes. Reminds me of some little growing girls I know!

Some fun milkweed facts from EEK!:

*Its Latin name, Asclepias syriaca, is named in honor of the Greek god of healing Aesculapius.

*Sap from milkweed was used by pioneers as a cure for warts.

*The airborne fluffy parachute of the seed was used by Native Americans to insulate moccasins.

*The dried empty seed pods were used as Christmas tree decorations by early pioneers.

*The boys and girls from Wisconsin schools collected 283,000 bags of milkweed fluff for use in military life jackets during World War II.

*It is used as an indicator of ground-level ozone air pollution.

Secret Between You, Me and the Bumblebee

Secret, secret! I've got a secret!

Will you keep it?

I'll keep your secret, I won't tell a soul,

I'll tuck it in my pocket and I won't let it go!

Secret, secret! I've got your secret!

I said I'd keep it, but I did tell a soul......

I told it to a bumble that was buzzing in my ear,

She said she'd hold your secret, oh so dear!

Secret, secret! The bumble's got your secret,

I'm afraid she's told MANY a soul!

The bumbles are buzzing loudly like they already know!

Written by me :p

A Perfect Summer's Day Is:

Finding a sleepy bumblebee and giving her a gentle touch.

Harvesting a basketful of herbs: lavender, sage, red clover, beebalm, catnip, and calendula.

Gardening in the vegetable patch and spotting a friendly toad.

Where Do Bumblebees Sleep at Night?

It's 8:30 PM EST, the bumblebees are getting tucked in for a good night's sleep.

Bumble under Feverfew

Bumbles under Fairy Roses


Bumbles under Beebalm


Where do bumblebees sleep at night?
Under the flowers in the moonlight.

Why are they so tired, why don't they play?
Because they've been gathering nectar all day.

When will they waken? I wish them to.
As soon as the sun brings the first morning dew.

Written by me ;)

Virtues of Dandelions... Beautiful Pollinators

Please note that NO bees or people were harmed in this study!

Yesterday we surveyed the different pollinators that visited our lovely dandelion yard. Dandelions are a great source of nectar to many different kinds of pollinators. The girls made big bumblebees out of construction paper to write down their discoveries on.

The ladies wrote down the different pollinators as we spotted them; then kept a running tally of them.

We found all kinds of different little critters. Hello ladybug............

We were surprised to see this little leaf jumper.

Then the bees, many different types of bees. I soooooo love bees, it breaks my heart that so many people don't appreciate these beautiful insects because they think they will be stung. I don't know what these people are doing to get stung....going barefoot in a yard full of dandelions will get you stung and of course swatting at a yellow jacket will get you stung. Yellow jacket wasps are the aggressive yellow and black critters that visit your picnics and buzz you when you are eating an ice cream cone, these are NOT bees. They give bees a bad rep, so not fair!! Bees are not aggressive and don't want to sting you, they will die themselves if they sting you! Sorry about the dramatic passion here, but I feel compelled to speak for the bees! This is a yellow jacket wasp, looks like a bee but most definitely is not a bee.

On with the gorgeous and wonderful bees that we found busily collecting nectar. This honeybee was the cutest, she had pollen all over her little bee body! She was working so hard and never realized I was right there taking her picture. No aggression here!

This little gal stood on her rear and looked right at me!! Isn't she cute?

This was a little tiny bee gal.

She had to take a nose dive deep into the petals to get a sip of nectar!

This carpenter bee was also a busy girl.....

Visit the Honeybee pollination crisis site to learn about the devastating crisis of bees today. Visit the Urban Bee Garden to learn more about different types of bees and the good they bring to the world. Visit Dandelion Octopus and Save the Dandelions for more dandelion activities.