But, I don't grow tobacco...

Oh my!  It's been too long.  I got started with my blog just to forget all about it.  I stink at this!  Well, let's get down to business....

Today, I decided to do a little yard maintenance.  I started mowing grass... then checked out the raspberry vines, only to discover they have re-rooted themselves across the fence into the yard... then I picked about 18 gallons of cherry tomatoes (well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was at least 15).  That last part is when things got interesting.

While picking tomatoes and jalapenos, I noticed something weird hanging from one of the pepper plants.  A closer look showed it to be a crazy looking caterpillar with what I presumed to be eggs on its back.  Eeeek!  I enjoy a cute little caterpillar, but throw a horn on its head and some eggs on its back, and I start gettin' weirded out.  So, into the house I go in search of the camera.

Yikes, right?!  Well, my inquisitive mind got the best of me, so I spent the next half hour on the interweb determined to figure out what it was....

Behold, Manduca sexta, the tobacco hornworm.  But... I don't grow tobacco.  Further investigation reveals that the tobacco hornworm is often confused with its relative Manduca quinquemaculata, the tomato hornworm.  Now, tomatoes, I grow.  So, why a tobacco hornworm on my pepper plant?  Well, allow me to elaborate.  

Both species of caterpillar feed on members of the Solanaceae family, a family that includes tomatoes, tobacco and peppers.  Finally!  I thought my garden plants had morphed into mutants that I could smoke instead of eat.  What a relief.

Now, what about those weird white things?  Well, they are babies, but not the caterpillars.  They're the cocoons of a parasitic braconid wasp.  Adult wasps lay eggs inside the caterpillar using a syringe-like ovipositor.  While they're laying eggs, they also inject a virus into the host that compromises its immune system, allowing the eggs to develop and feed inside the host without it knowing it!  The larvae then emerge from the caterpillar and make cocoons to morph into adult wasps.  Holy.  Cow.  It's like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's in my garden!

Okay, that's enough nerdiness for one day.  Hopefully that made up for my absence.  Soon, I promise to share some stories about Bernard, maybe some mussels, and who knows what else.  

'Till then!  :)

Fun times with Hunter

This past weekend, I kept my nephew, Hunter for a couple of days.  I love him dearly and don't get to see him more than once a month on average, so keeping the little guy is always a blast!

After staying awake until midnight and getting up before 6 a.m., I had to do something to entertain him while Anthony was at work.  So, off to Sugar Hollow Park we went!  Armed with hot dog buns, a cuppie full of juice and a bag of goldfish crackers, we were ready for anything.  After just a few minutes in the wetland, we were greeted by several ducks.  Hunter is a pro at duck feeding - his mom takes him to a nearby duck pond fairly often.  Two of the ducks were quite brave and flew up onto the bridge we were on and ate out of Hunter's hand.  At one point, Hunter stuck an empty hand out and was nearly eaten by the duck... it must not have bit hard because all he did was laugh.

So, with no hot dog buns left, we headed for the playground.  After insisting on sliding with his bowl of goldfish crackers and spilling half of them, Hunter decided to take it easy on a bench.  A bus full of middle school aged kids pulled up... and Hunter didn't want to share his crackers or his bench, so we headed home.

After Anthony got home, we had dinner (peet-see) and played with water pistols.  Hunter cracked me up saying, "where my pistol?"  We also had a fire in the fire pit.  Hunter may be a little fire bug - he insisted on burning all the wood at one time.

Saturday, we hit the park again, our hot dog bun supply replenished...  After making quick work of duck feeding, we headed to the playground again.  This time, Anthony joined in on the sliding.  During our hot dog bun run at Wal-Mart, Hunter spied a travel pillow that resembled a rabbit/donkey and had to have it.... and insisted on calling it "pig."  Pig also liked to slide.

After lunch and one more round of Spongebob the Movie, we took the little guy home.  He was pooped and napped on Pig the whole way home.  Sure is quiet when he leaves...  :/

Snakes and frogs and toads, oh my!

Just a quick note this evening....  today was a fun filled day at work!  First, I found this awesome ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus).  He was so cool!  Their scales are so soft it feels like silk.  It did musk on me... ick.

Next, I found this tiny baby spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer).  It was so small!  Usually where there's one baby frog, there are more, so I'll be on the lookout tomorrow.

And finally, the find of the day...  I found this awesome young American toad (Bufo americanus).  It was so calm and really small compared to the ones I usually find.  So, after some debate, I decided to bring him home.  His name is Bernard (pronounced BER-nerd, as with an English accent).  I've got Bernard all set up in a new home.  I put in some crickets, which he made quick work of, and was amazed at how fast he was at snatching them up!  He may be the coolest pet to date, well with the exception of Pacino, who remains the coolest dog in the world...

That's all for now.  Gotta get rested up for my adventure (also known as work) tomorrow.  Maybe soon I'll tell you about what I do for a living...  

'Till then, enjoy our Wild America.

Who's on your front porch?

So, I'm trying to find more meaningful things to do with my "spare" time... I'm not sure that blogging is more meaningful than anything else I've been doing lately, but we shall see.

I plan for this to be a way for me to share the things in life I enjoy.  Those of you who know me know I love all things nature - trees, flowers, animals, bugs, and mamaws.  Mamaws usually aren't found under logs, but I may throw one in there every now and then (in my writings, not under a log).  With that, I invite you to go on adventure with me!

Recently, a bird started building a nest on our front porch.  It's really small and sits on a tiny ledge above our porch column.  It appears to be made out of moss and a little mud.  I have searched all things birds to try and figure out what kind of bird it is, but I can't make up my mind.  About a week ago, there was one small egg in the nest.  Today there are three.  This picture isn't the best, but I almost think the two eggs on the outside are different from the one in the middle....  Now I'm really confused!  The momma bird freaks out and flies away every time we walk by the window or go outside, so I can't get a good picture of her.  I will persist.

While checking out the bird nest, I noticed a small spider going around in circles.  With further investigation, I discovered it was building a web.  Man, he/she worked so hard!  It was amazing watching it crawl around and connecting new strands.  I tried to get a picture, and this is the best I could do.  No idea what kind it is... I did a little research, but got freaked out by all the spider pictures.  Eeek.

That's all for tonight.  If you're lucky, I'll share some photos of our recent trip to the 5th Annual Hellbender Symposium with you in the near future....

Adieu!