more fungi. winged insects. more berries.

6.15.12  at  5:50 am

 STILL

so many mushrooms...

such a variety of colors, shapes, sizes...

popping up all over the yard...at the edge of the woods.

"You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."  

~Dr. Seuss

pumpkin pie anyone?

this one reminds me of a sea urchin.

this looks like it's covered with tiny stones.

and

the

redundant

mushroom.

FUNGI on FUNGI

~O~

yesterday,  we went blackberry collecting again...

in the field...where the blackberries are growing wild all over the place.

it was so sunny...i couldn't see the butterflies on the camera's screen...

i was relieved when i uploaded them to the computer, and saw that they came out fine!

a Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary & a little yellow butterfly...maybe a Whirlabout

along one of the trails, i spotted this BRIGHT iridescent green beetle.

it was pushing something along...rolling it. 

but it got scared when it realized i was there...and started to run.

it looked like animal POOP...that it was rolling along.

a female dung beetle

when i got home, i looked it up...

it's what i thought...

a DUNG BEETLE!

also known as a 'tumblebug'.

did you know they ONLY eat animal feces?!

after rolling & burying their dung balls, the females lay their eggs in them.

(when i hear the words Dung Balls in my head...i can't stop humming the  AC/DC song...

know which one i'm talking about?)

they're very beneficial to our environment,

as they eat what other animals leave behind.

they are useful recyclers!

Dung beetles can be found on every continent except Antartica!

the males have this horn on top of their heads!

they look pretty prehistoric...have a look...i think you'll agree.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dung_beetle.htm

and one more tidbit of information on these amazing insects:

there is a species of African Dung beetle that navigates 

by the polarization patterns of the moonlight.

ok...i have decided that these beetles are at the top of my list for LIKES of bugs.

they're good for the environment.

they look cool.

they have a fondness for poop.

(i need to clarify that...no, i don't eat poop. never have. but i DO take pictures of scat.)

and they have a connection to the moon.

OK...

back to the berries.

i got a little sidetracked.  i think these dung beetles are the coolest!

after collecting about 8 cups of blackberries...we headed home.

the yellow lantana had a few butterflies feeding.

a Gulf Fritillary

a Long-tailed skipper

some type of banded skipper.  this butterfly was tiny. under and inch.

SO with EIGHT cups of FRESH blackberries...

i found myself in the kitchen...again.

baking.

TWO cobblers. one for us and one for sam's mom.

no, i haven't learned to enjoy baking...i'd rather be doing just about anything else.

but these cobblers ARE SO EASY...mouth watering-ly good...

especially warmed up with ice cream on top!  yum.

~O~

this is long enough.

i hope you made it to the end.

because milo has a gift.

she brought it to the back screen door.

well...cats do what cats gotta do.

poor lizard.

i asked her to please let it go.  she did.  good kitty.  and the lizard scurried away. whew.

"Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, 

he is still only a whisker away from the wilds."

~Jean Burden

stay cool & be safe.

laura

what to do with all these wild blackberries

Passion Flower in the field across the street

in one of my posts recently, i talked about our blackberry picking.

i also said i'm not much of a baker.

i mentioned that we use the blackberries in drinks and smoothies...and freeze most of them.

well,

this morning we rode the 4-wheeler across the road...to the field...

Woodrose vine/Morning Glory, in the field
across the street

to collect MORE wild blackberries.

when we got back home...my mother-in-law stopped by

and asked if i was going to bake a pie.

"nah. i'm not a very good baker.

besides, i don't even have a pie pan."

she reminded me that she gave me a stoneware pie pan a while back.

(oh yeah.  damn.)

SO,

after observing sam's drooling at the thought of blackberry pie...

i looked online for a recipe.

eileen, my mother-in-law...said to look for a Cobbler recipe...that they're easier to make.

that sounded good.  easier.  less kitchen time.  that's for me.

i printed the recipe, gathered the ingredients:

Jiffy-mix (1 cup),  sugar (½ cup),  milk (½ cup),  oil (2 tsp),  water ( ¾ cup) 

AND don't forget the blackberries (which i doubled, 4 cups)

mixed it all up together...

poured it into the pre-greased pie pan...

slid it into the pre-heated 375° (F) oven...

and 45 minutes later...

VOILA!

my first (deep dish) Blackberry Cobbler!

yum!

dig in.  add a scoop of ice cream.

yummier!

it was easy. maybe i can bake after all.

well...honestly, it's not that i CAN'T bake...

it's just that there are so many other things i'd rather be doing...

(other than chopping, measuring, mixing, baking)

like, wandering the woods

and taking pictures of lizards, mushrooms, bugs, flowers...

(anyway, it was the perfect snack since i'm still stuck on SOFTER foods

'til i get my permanent crown monday afternoon.)

be cool & stay safe.

laura

little weedy flowers in the field across the street

moon.books.bradbury quotes.'shrooms.owl.

june begins.

with a full moon.

6.3.2012   8:40pm

“Suddenly the day was gone, night came out from under each tree and spread.”   

~Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

~time to get back in the swing of things...after a fairly rough May.~

you know i LOVE a lot of things. 

feathers, stones, bones, artifacts, turtles, wolves, the moon.

snapping pictures, creating, shades of purple, jasmine, lavender...

just to name a few...

i also LOVE to read.

always have. i get lost in a good book.

and i go through phases.

science fiction. thriller, dark & psychological. mystery. fantasy. 

and books about tarot, numerology, butterflies, natural healing, history, space, dreams...

anything but romance.

even though i LOVE the FEEL of a book.

the paper...the pages...the smell...

i folded. i gave in to a whim. i bought myself something NEW- not from the thrift store.

~a NOOK~

found it on sale for  twenty bucks less than they usually go for.

and

i

LOVE LOVE LOVE

it.

it's compact. you can change the type...make it larger...

change the font...change the line spacing.

you can look up any word in the book you're reading, by touching it.

you can highlight passages, sentences, paragraphs.

and bookmark a page by touching the upper corner of the screen.

~~

“And sometimes, I tell them, I like to put my head back, like this, and let the rain fall in my mouth. 

It tastes just like wine. Have you ever tried it?”   

~Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

last night i heard that Ray Bradbury passed away.

i've read all his books. 

he will surely be remembered forever by his incredible story telling.

what an amazing & gifted man...writer.

so it seemed only fitting to mention my love for books...and segue into the nook.

~~

my mouth is healing. from an extraction and a root canal.

i found a good dentist...better than good...he was very gentle...

didn't hurt me. all the people who work there are attentive, understanding & caring.

he gave me a margarita (with salt on the rim) through an IV

and i didn't feel a thing.

and the next day...NO pain!  just a little achy.

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. 

When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.”   

~Ray Bradbury

speaking of things i love. you can add fungus to that.

not the kind that grows on cheese...or stinky sour milk...

but mushrooms. lichen.

i'm drawn to them. there are LOTS of fungi pictures on this blog.

the rain's been coming down...almost every afternoon or evening

since that tropical storm a week or so ago, off the atlantic coast.

the warm  & wet  =  fungi.

mushrooms are popping up!

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. 

See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. 

Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal.” 

~Ray Bradbury

yesterday i started to get caught up with my worldly travels...in cyberspace...

i spent hours jumping from blog to blog...and still have far to go.

so if you haven't seen me lately...i'm getting there...bear with me.

~~

i'm not much of a baker. 

sam & i did get across the street...to the field...to pick wild blackberries.

it's worth the scratched up arms & thorn splinters.

yum.

we picked a bunch. we freeze some...add them to drinks or ice cream...smoothies.

well, that's about it.

i was planning on heading into blogland this afternoon,

but i have to go across town, back to the dentist...

there's a sharp edge on the side of one of my teeth...

and my tongue keeps finding it...and rubbing...and getting very sore.

 “Savory...that's a swell word.  And Basil and Betel.  Capsicum.  Curry.  All great.  

But Relish, now, Relish with a capital R. No argument, that's  the best.”   

~Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

i'll leave you with a pic of the Barred Owl in the backyard...

i was lucky to get this shot as he flew away right after i snapped it!

“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. 

The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”   

~Ray Bradbury

be cool. stay safe.

laura

"Why would you clone people when you can go to bed with them and make a baby? 

C'mon, it's stupid.”

~Ray Bradbury