Today in the Ottawa Valley, you couldn't help but be outside, enjoying the spectacular weather...sunny, clear blue skies, with just a wee hint of fall in the air so that a cotton sweater felt okay.And off into the world we went to see what we could see....
Crap! First up, a sulphur yellow and black spider, sittin', waitin'....I'm not a spider lover, but I do appreciate them as long as I'm in control of where they are.In this case, just hanging around on the stair railing of a friend's deck. I can look, and he (perhaps she?) can't touch. So we're good.
I continued on my merry little way, and lord knows how I ever happened to notice this fuzzy little critter...again, suphur yellow, with black and white horns, about 1 1/2 inches long and cute as a bug's, er, ear!
It's a bit fuzzy (the picture I mean) but perhaps it's a swallowtail? Time for me to go back to grade 5 I think. I used to teach it for a year or two..now I can't remember anything, and so, no, I'm not smarter than a fifth grader! I
do remember pupa, chrysalis, caterpillar, and butterfly stages, but isn't it a little late in the year (September 13th) to be turning into a butterfly or chrsyalis or anything?While pondering this deep thought, I looked down on my leg -because the two women I was wandering around with were screaming "Oh, my god! Look! I haven't seen one of these in ages and ages!" Look at your leg! So I did...Speechless ( for about a minute) because I hadn't see a Praying Mantis for about 10 years, and never, ever have I had one crawling up my leg to say "Hello, I think I'll eat you!"
So, we moved her off my leg, and introduced her to a teeny martini before letting her loose to meet her sole mate...
Final bug of the blog today was this bee dahlia, just chowing down, barely moving, and humming a happy song...as were we!
I really should have paid a lot more attention in grade five..both taking it and teaching it.
