Fall Wildflowers (Deukmejian)

Birthday Cupcake

Ever since 1992 (or maybe it was '93) when I kept ruining Bradley's photos of Trajan's Column in Rome by poking my head into the frame at the last minute, he's been hellbent on revenge. Here, I was trying to capture the poetry of this solitary red velvet birthday cupcake (from Auntie Em's, my favorite), when BP dove in, almost breaking his ribs on the dining room chair. Later, I got the picture I wanted (sans hubs), but I ended up liking this one better. (Maybe he feels the same way about all those Trajan's Column pics with my little head in them, too?!)

Green Lynx Spider

I'm pretty sure this is an adult female Green Lynx spider, Peucetia viridans. She's humongous, with an abdomen the size of a grape, only shaped exactly like the buds on my Rose of Sharon, where she resides.
Green Lynx in North Carolina (Eastern variation): http://bugguide.net/node/view/10094.
Green Lynx in San Diego (Western variation): http://bugguide.net/node/view/33666.

Green Lynx Spider on my Rose of Sharon bush.

Green Lynx's abdomen = same shape/size as flower buds.

Green Lynx in her original position.

Before I noticed her, I was marveling at this strange web nearby. I don't know if it's the Green Lynx's or somebody else's. Weird, isn't it?

Web of the Green Lynx spider?

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Adult male Picoides nuttallii. "A small woodpecker confined primarily to the oak woodlands of California." — Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Nuttalls_Woodpecker/id.
You can listen to the "Typical Voice" of Nuttall's Woodpecker there, too.


When this guy started pecking at the tree over my head where I was sitting in the back yard, I thought at first that he was an Acorn Woodpecker. We see them pretty often. The white markings on his back gave him away, though. Now that I look at the images online, the Acorn and Nuttall's don't look very much alike: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker/id.

Frog on a Lily Pad

Bradley took this picture of our medium-sized frog sitting on a lily pad this morning before the frogger hopped into the water, making a little mini-croak as he/she did.

Green Grasshopper Nymph

I believe this is a Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca) Nymph on my Mum plant. Its body has the same velvety texture as the Mum's leaves.

Herb Garden

Mom gave me the remainder of her Watercress seeds (thanks, ma!), and I finally did away with my past prime Swiss Chard to make room for the newcomer. I've never grown Watercress before, so wish me luck.

Pictured and labeled are the current members of my herb garden along with other plants (non-edible) that I grow nearby. This spot on my patio gets filtered shade throughout the hottest part of the day, so the potted guys do well here. This time of year, they'd burn up in full sun, even though their instructions call for "full sun."

In the upper picture: Thyme, Chives, Ginger, Basil, Sage, Parsley, Peppermint, Watercress (to be), and Spearmint along with non-edibles including Jade, Coral Bells, Mums, Ivy, Creeping Jenny, Agapanthus, and various succulents. (Click picture for larger image.)

In the lower picture: Herbs that grow in other parts of the garden. Rosemary (the creeping, trailing kind), Oregano (recovering in a shady spot from getting roasted while I was away), Curry Plant (not the curry one cooks with — it's sold as an herb anyway, smells delicious), and Fennel (has quickly grown to about six feet tall and is mingling with tomato plants).

Western Conifer Seed Bugs

Leptoglossus occidentalis. A Leaf-Footed Bug in the "True Bugs" category. Also known as "The Walky Bug" and "The Flick Bug." And here's an awesome page (in French, but so what?) on all kinds of Leaf-Footed Bugs.

My guess was that these are Stink Bugs, but that is not the case, though they will stink you if you mess with 'em. Or so they say. I'm happy not to know first-hand.

Various websites say these guys like to suck sap out of trees like Pines, Spruces, and Pistachios, but lately I keep finding them on my Red Yucca's developing seed pods. Perhaps they provide yummy, nutritious sap? Red Yucca plants are poisonous to humans, but for buggy-bugs, maybe not. The seed pods, if not good for food, are apparently just peachy for doin' it.

Last, a picture of Red Yucca flower stalks with developing seed pods and even some impossible to distinguish Western Conifer Seed Bugs. The stalks are now taller than I am — like, seven or eight feet high. A great plant. Great plant.

Spider Lilies (& Water Lilies)

When I got back from Wisconsin and Minnesota, our pond was looking great, thanks very much to Bradley. Both of the Water Lilies were blooming, and the Spider Lily was blooming for the first time. I missed the first few flowers, but luckily they just kept on coming.

Above and below: Spider Lily. I love it!

Below: Water Lily. I'm not sure which variety it is. While I was gone, Bradley spotted one of our froglets sitting on a lily pad. Isn't that funny?! By the way, all three tadpoles are froglets now. I don't yet know at what point one knows a froglet has become a frog, but I'll find out.

Pond Plants & Surrounding

This might help. Labeled. Click to enlarge image.

The Beacons' Wooden Bear

Watering Logs: Pukall Lumber, Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

See more of my pictures of Pukall at: Middle Stanza and here.

Minocqua, Wisconsin: Two Times, Two Cameras

Wisconsin Fly that Looks Like a Bee

For the life of me, I can't find a match for this bug. There were several of these on the wood pile behind The Beacons. One of the groundsmen ("Big" or "Little" Dave?) saw me taking pictures and said, without looking closely, that they're Deer Flies, which deliver a powerfully painful sting.  However. . .

. . . this guy is hairier than a Deer Fly, has a way more projectile blond mustache, lacks the Deer Fly's prominent orange antennae, and sports eyeballs that look like welding goggles. By the way, the picture isn't good for judging scale. I guesstimate that this fly is about eight times as big as a Common House Fly.

I'm going to have to make this post without an identification, sorry. The bug is awesome, though, right?

Fawn, Fern, Deer, Wisconsin River

Above: Bambi eating ferns on the property across from The Beacons in Minocqua, Wisconsin. Below: Deer peeking out at me from behind the trees, same area.

Below: Deer eating underwater weeds while wading in the shallows of the Wisconsin River near the town of Eagle River. Farther below: Pictures of the same part of the Wisconsin River. You can see the same deer (center, tiny) in the first shot.

Dragonflies & Damselflies of Oneida & Vilas Counties, Wisconsin

Following are the lovely dragonflies I photographed while on vacation with family. My amateur identifications are based the Wisconsin Odonata Survey.

Male Calico Pennant Dragonfly

Celithemis elisa (Hagen, 1861).
Photographed this gorgeous dragonfly in the wildflowers near State Highway 70 alongside the Wisconsin River in the Eagle River area (Vilas County). We stopped there on the way back from visiting my Uncle Jack and Aunt Charmaine in Phelps.

Female Calico Pennant Dragonfly

At the pond at Pukall Lumber, pictured below under Twelve-Spotted Skimmer.

Northern Bluet Damselfly

Enallagma annexum (Charpentier, 1840).

Same location as the Calico Pennant.

Canada Darner Dragonfly 

Aeshna canadensis (Walker, 1908).
This really big guy appeared to be sleeping on the underside of the deck above mom and dad's condo on Lake Minocqua, Wisconsin. Early morning, used flash.

Lancet Clubtail Dragonfly

Gomphus exilis (Selys, 1854).

This fellow kept flying around my head when I was swimming (below) in Lake Minocqua on the northwest side of The Beacons' boat dock. Once I got out of the water and grabbed my camera, I caught him resting on this patriotically colored ski boat (above). 

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula pulchella (Drury, 1773).

This huge dragonfly was acting king of the puddles at Pukall Lumber Company in Woodruff, Wisconsin, where we stopped to take pictures of the watered logs (below the dragonfly picture). After a lot of waiting around, he eventually landed. What a beauty!

Four-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula quadrimaculata (Linnaeus, 1758).

This guy, which I originally mistook as a female because of his neutral coloring, was also perched by the Pukall pond. Man, it was warm and humid that day.

Tule Bluet Damselfly

Enallagma carunculatum (Morse, 1895).

There were absolute tons of these around The Beacons. This pic was taken with the Minolta. 

Some Favorite Wisconsinites: Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, and Red-Winged Blackbird

It's breathtaking to look up and see an American Bald Eagle flying low overhead. Taking pictures was difficult because of the overcast sky, but I did my best. The Eagle above was flying over the swamp behind The Beacons. There's one that has a nest in the Norwegian Red Pines right next to mom and dad's condo. Boy, do I wish I'd had my camera when we were swimming in Lake Minocqua and that Eagle swooped down right next to us and grabbed a fish out of the water. It was actually a little scary because, for a second, I thought he/she was going to dive-bomb us.

This pair of Bald Eagles (above) perched in a Birch tree just down the lake shore a bit from the Four Seasons restaurant in Arbor Vitae. We went for the Friday night fish fry as well as lovely views of Big Arbor Vitae Lake. The seagull-like sounds of Eagles while we ate was an added bonus. Below: mom and dad at our table at Four Seasons. (Note to self: Above and below, Minolta.)

I've always loved Blue Jays. Here in Los Angeles County, we see a lot of Western Scrub Jays, who are absolute freaks for peanuts. Seeing Blue Jays, though, took me back. A sucker for complementary colors, I was particularly interested in taking a picture of a Jay in the one dead pine with burnt orange needles. Below: Blue Jay (times three) at The Beacons in Minocqua.

I used to see a lot of super-glossy Red-Winged Blackbirds on roadside fenceposts in Iowa City when I was in grad school at UI. My favorite bike ride was south of town down Sand Road (I think that was the name), where I got to see all kinds of roadside birds in addition to sheep, goats, and of course, hogs. Oh, Memory Lane...

Below: This Red-Winged Blackbird stood on a small stump (or part of a submerged log) on the seemingly unnamed swamp near Huber Bay of Lake Minocqua (and near the less beautiful Save More parking lot).

P.S. My pond is jealous of the prolific wild water lilies all about Northern Wisconsin.