dragonflies and fungi. oh, and two dead bats.

last week sam & i watched this show about dragonflies  (suborder Anisoptera).

did you know that fossils of very large ancestors of the dragonfly have been found...

with a wingspan of over 29 inches!?  yikes!  i didn't.

did you know that there are about 3000 species of Anisoptera?  nope,  sure didn't.

up to several years of the insect's life is spent as a nymph living in freshwater; 

the adults may be on the wing for just a few days or weeks. 

dragonflies are an ancient group. they have been around for 300 million years!!

wOw!!!

all of this and more, interested me so much...and since i have such a fondness for bugs (and fungi!)...

i thought i'd go on the hunt for some cool dragonflies and fungi.

Four-spotted Pennant - Brachymesia gravida

earth star

Antillean Skimmer - Orthemis sp

Great Pondhawk - Erythemis vesiculosa

here's a Great Pondhawk munching away on...a butterfly? another dragonfly? something!

Seaside Dragonlet - Erythrodiplax berenice

Eastern Pondhawk - Erythemis simplicicollis

well, that's it!

oh yeah, i almost forgot...the bats!  dead bats.

sam knows me. no doubt about that. forget flowers. chocolates. just bring me some bones!!

(he found these at work. they were caught up in the big roll down warehouse door. poor bats.)

i'll be roaming around blogland this weekend...until then,

thanks for stopping by & reading, or just looking at the pictures!

be cool.  be safe.

laura

out back...still under water

amaryllis bloom

been a busy week.

haven't had time to venture into cyberspace...

which is kind of a good thing.

you can get lost out there...lose track of time,

and come out feeling like you've been drugged.

this morning we're heading to O'Leno State Pk to do an overnighter,

so i wanted to hurry up and get this post done (which i've been planning all week).

i'm hoping to get some cool pic's at o'leno,

of deer, maybe rabbits, hawks...butterflies, turtles.

last weekend we took the canoe out back again. where we used to hike.

the water has gone down maybe 6 inches or so...but it's been canoe-worthy for the past 9 months.
weird.

trees, vines, bushes...under water.

last sunday we were able to canoe much farther than we were ever able to hike!

a lot of the brambly vines have died and with some maneuvering 

and pulling down of those thorny vines...we were able to get to an open area.

a pond.

we had heard the was a pond back there...somewhere.  we found it!

a White Ibis
(either in winter plumage or a youngster) 

another White Ibis

i love dead wood. like bones. 

supposedly this 'pond' which is now part of all the surrounding water which leads into our back yard,

is on the property of a horse farm...although we didn't see any horses.

not this time.  no 'gators either.  or turtles.

(unlike last time, emo slept through this venture. maybe next time he'll come for a ride.)

* * *

back on solid ground.

a few butterflies spotted this week...

a Spicebush Swallowtail

a Phaon Crescent

Phaon Crescent

a Red Admiral

and for the finale...

emo & otis

up a tree

as usual.

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." 

~Terry Pratchett

(RIP Terry Pratchett)

life's a journey.  enjoy the ride.

laura

things that go bump in the night...

bump,
ribbet,
the silent weaving of webs,
and meow.

as darkness swallows the day
and the moon rises...

 

the day-time sleepers come out to play
and forage.  munch.

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

some frogs have learned to hang out by the year-round twinkling porch lights...
anxiously awaiting the unaware bugs the lights attract.

one...two...three.

mmmmmm, midnight snacks.

trekking up the little frog chime...

and then there are the little frogs that choose to stay a bit closer to the ground...
where the toads are.
hmmmm, i guess they prefer the crawling bugs to the flying ones.  meatier?

 

 

LOOK OUT FROGS!!
this guy is heading to the porch roof...where the lights are...where the frogs are...

(harmless) yellow rat snake

a couple of silent night-time weavers...

Redfemured Spotted Orb/Neoscona domiciliorum

 “You know how it is with cats: They don't really have owners, they have staff.”
  ~ P.C. Cast, Chosen

"give me the magic word, and i'll let you pass."

=O=

so...it's taken me over a week to get this post together.

i haven't visited any blogs since my previous post.

ever feel like you take one step forward...and then two back?!

that's me.

i do visit FB more often than i come here lately.

every few days...check my email...stop by FB...post a picture or two.

you can always find me there (link on sidebar).

 

 

 

i'll leave you now with a couple of pretty day-time pic's.

a few Zebra Longwing butterflies - florida's state butterfly

a Gulf Fritillary

stay cool.  be safe.

laura

friday's fringe - 12 (stinky)

a 'stink bug' nymph clinging to a couple of dried pine needles

every friday. one of my nature shots.

(with an occasional 'morph' tossed in now and then)

friday's fringe - 5 (spiraling minnows)

~ a short 2 minute video i did while we were at Rodman Reservoir/Lake Ocklawaha last weekend. ~

enjoy.

every friday. just one of my nature shots.
(well, usually...just ONE picture...this time...the coolest minnow video!)

(a bunch of) fluttering butterflies...

the dark clouds are rolling in...

and it's been really windy all day.

luckily i was able to get some pictures.

the Azaleas are in full bloom now, across the front of the house...

(the ONLY flower blooming in the yard right now)

and the butterflies are going nuts!!

(i'm not a butterfly expert, and i've tried my best to ID them...

if you see that i've mis-labeled any, please say.)

Giant Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Happiness flutters in the air whilst we rest among the breaths of nature.  

~Kelly Scheaffer

Cloudless Sulphur

Giant Swallowtail

Pipevine Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger

Butterflies are self propelled flowers.  

~R.H. Heinlein 

Black Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail

Silver-spotted Skipper

Spicebush Swallowtail

Orange-barred Sulphur

and here's to a fitting end...

the sky...trees...moon.

cheers!

3 march 2012.  6:17pm

stay cool & be safe.

(when i say cool...i don't necessarily mean the opposite of warm...

what i'm saying is...be calm, chill out.)

BE cool & stay safe.

laura

ps - sam's been working like mad on getting the bathroom fixed!!  :D

update with pic's next time.

pps - sam just read this post and said...OH NO the pressure's on now....