The dragonflies are starting to thin out a little. We found a male Common Whitetail Skimmer on a log.
If you had told me as a kid in northern Michigan, that one day I would miss seeing gulls, I would have told you that you were crazy. Growing up on a farm just inland from Lake Huron, I can remember my Father plowing a field, and Gulls being so thick that it looked like they sprung from the ground. We mainly had Ring-billed gulls, and Herring gulls, but it was not unknown to see other species too.
The Honey Bee and Bumblebee seem to get a lot of attention, but we should not forget about other Native Pollinators. Single representatives of the Mason bee, orchard bee, and Green Sweat Bee each do more work that an independent Honey Bee. They are not showy, and don’t makes sweet treats for us, but they keep the flowers blooming.
We went on an adventure to Kensington Metropark this week. The kids wanted to go back to the farm to see how all the babies were growing. Not surprising, they were bigger. We had a lot of fun exploring, even just watching a duck having a bath in a clean pool.
On today’s Bug Safari we found an Eastern Pondhawk. They have been around for a few weeks, but today was the first time one let us get really close. I am sure she thought she was well hidden in the leaves by the trail. Needless to say, we got a very good look at her, and even a few good photos.
Most of us have had the experience of working so hard on a project that we start feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it is a project at school or work, at others it can just be the way your whole life feels.
This week we had a lot of rain. We didn’t get many chances to get out and explore. Fortunately, we found some Honey Bee action on our deck. At first the kids were a little worried about the wings and stingers, but once we started talking about honey they were on board. We started watching the flowers and that’s how the cucumbers get pollinated!
In this week’s Gospel (Mk 6:7-13) Jesus sends the Apostles out two by two to preach the Good News and drive out demons. In some way’s this is out of sink with the American idea of rugged individualism. I am sure I am not the only one who likes to be independent and do things my way. When I say “my way,” I really mean, “the right way.”
Today I had two animal adventures without the kids. The first happened while filling up the kiddie pool for the kids, and the second while taking recycling out to the curb. Both involved Eastern American Toads.
It is full Dragonfly season around our house. Today’s star was a Violet Dancer Damselfly. When my daughter saw the metallic purple damselfly, she pretended to “faint,” because it was so beautiful.
