Saturday, October 30, 2010

Are You Tired of Seeing Skippers?

After such a late spring and wet summer, it's been nice to have a mild fall.  It has gotten cold enough that some of the annuals are finished for the season, but some have been oblivious to the temps, and are still blooming nicely.  I thought the tomatoes would be finished, and maybe they are, but I'm going to wait until I'm certain.

It has been quite windy this week, and I didn't have the energy to battle it, so I got a lot of housework done.  It was still windy yesterday, but not as much as it had been.  That whole system caused even more problems and damage to other states, so I shouldn't complain.  I was able to get some gardening done and some critter photos taken yesterday.

Today, I finally finished spreading my compost around, and saw that my plants don't appear to be damaged from the neighbor's 2, 4-D.  I need to look into it further to see if it's the new growth that will show the puckering.  My kale needs to be picked soon, and that is closer to the fence than the little lettuce plants I was worried about.   Thanks to the folks who gave me information about that in my wildflower post.

By the way, click on the link in my sidebar to get to the Camera Critters site.

This squirrel is quite the character.  I think it was hoping Heidi would give chase so it could run quickly up the tree.



I need to go see if these the same kinds of Skipper Randy identified for me last week.  Thanks, Randy!

On a pentas in the front yard:


On verbena bonariensis:


When I saw this butterfly, I ran inside for my camera, because I don't see these often.  I wish I had a better memory, because I'm sure I've had it identified before, but couldn't find it in my book just now.  I'm wondering if it's a skipper of some kind.  I only got 3 photos taken before it flew off, so I was tickled one of them turned out OK.

(Randy let me know this is a checkered skipper.  Thanks, Randy, now I remember I've had at least one here before.)


Stink bug:


 Thanks, Rose, for letting me know this is a spotted cucumber beetle, and not a Japanese beetle.  I don't know how I came up with that, because I did a search for kinds of beetles to see if I could tell what it was.  These are nasty ones, but it sounds like they don't do as much damage as Japanese beetles.


I had to include this photo of Heidi enjoying the cushion of the pile of leaves.


I better get this posted before the day is over!  I  hope your weekend is going well!  Thanks for hosting Camera Critters, Misty Dawn!

21 comments:

  1. here is so many inspirations!

    have a nice time,
    Paula

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  2. It looks like you are having fun in the fall with your grandson.

    I never get tired of skippers and talk to them when I see them, and the rest of the wild critters around here too.

    Hope you have a lovely Sunday ~ FlowerLady

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  3. You are still ahead of me, we had a frost 3 days ago,It was the longest growing season with 221 days of no freeze.I roasted all my peppers yesterday and packed them in some olive oil.Probably make some Fried Green Tomatoes today.

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  4. Judging from your header, Sue, it looks like you have been having fun in this lovely fall weather! A pile of leaves, a dog, and a grandchild--doesn't get much better than this!

    You must be in a warmer area than we are--we got our first hard frost a couple of nights ago, and my annuals are done for the year. I haven't seen any skippers in awhile either, so it's good to see yours. I can't help identify the unusual butterfly you have, but I do know that is not a Japanese beetle; someone called it a cucumber beetle, but I'm not sure. Unfortunately, I know exactly what a Japanese beetle looks like and the damage it can cause:)

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  5. Sue,
    That is a Checkered Skipper, we had them here yesterday. Either Common Checkered Skipper or White Checkered Skipper, you have to dissect them to tell them apart.

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  6. Whatever their names, I never tire of seeing butterflies in my garden. I love your header, Sue. You are right, no post is complete without a pic of Miss Heidi. She is a handsome girl--and it looks as though she is enjoying a bit of Indian Summer.

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  7. Wonderful series of critters. Your Heidi is a beautiful dog.

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  8. I'm going to have to be more observant in my gardens, next year, since I'm sure I've seen skippers but haven't know that's what they are! Are they a type of butterfly or something entirely different?

    Love the squirrel photo! He does look like he wants Heidi to chase him! Love the picture of you and your grandson and that's a beautiful shot of Heidi, too.

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  9. Haven't seen many butterflies lately.
    Glad you're enjoying the season.

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  10. Tired of seeing skippers? Not a bit. Your shots are so great. The squirrel, on the other hand--we have one hanging around here, and I suspect he's made it into the attic, despite the cats. Drastic measures may be needed.

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  11. By the way, Sue, I love the background and appearance of your blog. It is distinctive and wonderful.

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  12. Hi Sue, I love your new blog look too. Great header photo! One can never tire of Skippers. I love them and have never seen the yellow or checkered one. I saw a Monarch the other day! Amazing as most are in Mexico now. We had a really warm day 80! I am afraid it will have a very short life. So enjoy the butterflies while you have them. Lovely photos! ;>)

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  13. Great shots! Heidi looks quite content.

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  14. I never tire of the skippers, either, and have been seeing an abundance of them in the garden. Love that critter camera!

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  15. Sue the new header is so sweet! I love that you'll roll around in the leaves with your sweet grandson!

    I'm seeing a lot of skippers here too and so happy that you've had them id'd. I'm horrible at remembering the names of all the critters.

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  16. Oh I had tons of skippers this summer. We've already had 2 hard frosts, so our flowers are all done.

    Great shots!

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  17. I love your header shot too, so playful with your grandbaby & your Heidi. :) Never get tired of seeing the flying critters in my garden.

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  18. That squirrel photo is so beautiful, as if it is having a mimic with the bark, which are very artistic too. I now have a fancy for taking photos of the barks so i noticed it aside from the squirrel. The skippers are plenty here, so i am not so enthused by them, unlike the butterflies. But that greyish checkered one is lovely though.

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  19. Love your header photo...we have a lot of Skippers here too. Oh dear I just spotted some cucumber beetles yesterday..

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  20. Same exact comment???
    Not good...sounds like spam.
    Will delete.

    ReplyDelete

I welcome comments and questions from anyone, including those who do it anonymously. Some people find my posts by doing searches, and I like hearing from them. I guess spammers won't even read this message, but I will delete spam as soon as I see it.