I found this lovely plant at a creek, over a decade ago. Back then Cannabis was still illegal in the US. I didn’t touch it but shot photos of the plant, and then mind my own business.
The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 31⁄8 – 33⁄8 inches (80 – 85 millimeters). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border. The male has black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings. It can be found in meadows, fields, marshes, deserts, and at the edges of forests.
This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly colored soldier butterfly (or tropical queen, D. eresimus), in any case, it is not close to the plain tiger (D. chrysippus, African queen) as was long believed. There are seven subspecies.
Females lay one egg at a time on larval host plants. Larvae use these plants as a food source, whereas adult butterflies feed mainly on nectar from flowers. Unpalatability to avian predators is a feature of the butterfly; however, its level is highly variable. Unpalatability is correlated with the level of cardenolides obtained via the larval diet, but other compounds like alkaloids also play a part in promoting distastefulness.
Males patrol to search for females, who may mate up to 15 times a day. Male organs called hair-pencils play an important role in courtship, with males with lower hair-pencil counts being selected against. These hair-pencils may be involved in releasing pheromones during courtship that could attract female mates.
The following day, we made a trip to EPCOT to enjoy lunch with the Disney Princesses in Norway. There I wanted to see if Sara likes some fish. She dug into the fish and vegetables like her life depends on them. When the Disney Princesses came to our table, Katelynn and Rylee were ready for photos. Sara on the other hand rather enjoyed her meal.
After lunch, we walked around in the park. At that time of the year, Disney has the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival. A lot of Disney characters with wonderful flowers are on Display. Sara was tired; Katelynn and Rylee wanted to go into the Resort’s pool. So, we made our way back to the room to rest and change into bathing suites. The girls had a blast at the pool.
My favorite season has begun. And now it is time to get out the Halloween decorations. Since we have pallets from the greenhouse floor, cinder blocks, and soil delivery, Kevin and I wanted to make a pirate ship out of them. Unfortunately, that takes more time and planning than just slapping it together. It also needs to look good. So, we decided we would let the pirate ship go and make an old charred-looking fence out of some of the pallets. Meanwhile, I might get some more ideas about what I could do with the rest of them. The idea of the graveyard came to mind when I pulled my 5-foot skeleton out of the box and I sat it on the tree stump. Kevin still has to run the electric line up the hill and get the lights installed in the graveyard. But this has to wait.
International Rabbit Day promotes protecting and caring for domestic and wild rabbits every year on the fourth Saturday of September. Who doesn’t love a cute bunny rabbit? These soft, furry animals are enjoyed by many around the world. Often used as a symbol of fertility and or rebirth, many associate these adorable animals with spring and Easter.
Every year on the last Friday in September, Save the Koala Day raises awareness for the plight of the koala. It’s also a day to educate the public on the importance of conserving the koala’s natural habitat. Even though it’s called a koala bear, the koala isn’t actually a bear. Instead, the koala is a marsupial. This means that the koala is a mammal that carries its young in a pouch. In the late 18th century, English-speaking settlers in Australia called the animal a bear. These settlers thought the koala looked and behaved like a bear. Since then, many people call these animals koala bears. Australia provides the only natural habitat in the world for koala. Known as tree-hugging mammals, koalas live in eucalyptus trees. They grow up to 3 feet tall and weigh anywhere from 9 to 30 pounds.
September 24th is World Gorilla Day! Gorillas are one of the most endangered apes, whose population counts between 100,000 and 200,000 specimens. These giant apes are from Equatorial Africa and display behavior and emotions surprisingly similar to humans. We humans actually share no less than 98.3% of our genetic code with them. Along with chimpanzees and bonobos, we all descend from a single common ape-like ancestry!
Happy International Rabbit Day! Happy Save The Koala Day! Happy World Gorilla Day!
Benny is our latest addition to our family. We adopted him in December 2019. He’s very loving and loves to cuddle with Kevin when he watches TV. But he is also very skittish. Which can be annoying sometimes. Because he also runs from getting brushed. And Benny sheds so much in Summer. Well, we have to take the good with the bad. Benny’s best buddy is Ozzy. They are both about the same age. And they always love to tumble around and get in trouble together. Ozzy seems to be the leader, while Benny follows him. We all celebrated Benny’s Birthday together. The dogs ate already and therefore got a milk bone. Joshua, Chewbacca, and Benny had canned cat food. And Ozzy got a little bit of whipped cream.
In 2013, one September morning I began my hike I began from the other end of The Colony Shoreline Trail. From there I could get much closer to the lake and saw a lot of wildlife along the way. In the mornings it is warm, but not hot like in the late afternoons in those Texas Summers. So, I got the chance to observe a couple of Turkey Vultures and a Great Blue Heron looking for fish in the lake. I also saw some dragonflies, skippers, little fishes, a Mourning Dove, an Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, a couple of Fox Squirrels, and a Question Mark Butterfly. Yep, the Shoreline Trail was busy. It was a nice photo hike.
The Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi), also known as Cowles’ prairie lizard, the White Sands prairie lizard, or the White Sands swift, is a species of spiny lizard in the family Iguanidae. The species is native to the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and northcentral Mexico. Originally described in 1956 as Sceloporus undulatus cowlesi, a subspecies of the eastern fence lizard, subsequent DNA studies elevated the southwestern fence lizard to species status. The specific name, cowlesi, is in honor of American herpetologist Raymond Bridgman Cowles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_fence_lizard
In the late evening, we stayed in the park to see Disney’s Electrical Parade. The Electrical Parade is a nighttime parade, created by Robert Jani and project director Ron Miziker. It features floats and live performers covered in over 600,000 electronically controlled LED lights, and uses a synchronized soundtrack triggered by radio control along key areas of the parade route.
The show was hosted by Jiminy Cricket, the Blue Fairy, and revolved around the wishes of famous Disney characters – good and bad. The lights on Cinderella Castle changed colors throughout the show, reflecting the different stages of Wishes’ narrative. During different parts of the show, a “wishing star” firework was shot, cresting approximately 100 feet above the castle’s bright spires. While most of the characters in the show are only heard as part of the show’s music track, Wishes also featured an appearance from Tinker Bell as she flew from the tallest spire of Cinderella Castle. Wishes included 683 fireworks, that fired during the 557 cues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishes:_A_Magical_Gathering_of_Disney_Dreams
After the fireworks, we called it a day. It was a long day in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. We still had to wait for our turn to get to the bus which took us to the resort. The kids had a long day and almost fell asleep on the way. Kevin, Kristine, and I were tired as well. It was time to rest for another eventful day at Walt Disney World.
Paul and Jackie had a beautiful wedding last week. Family, friends, and former schoolmates met to celebrate with Paul and Jackie. There was plenty of food and alcohol with an open bar. And they also had a karaoke setup. Sara and Neveah sang Adele’s song “Easy On Me”. Sara enjoyed it.
The following morning, we had breakfast with Lisa before we returned home to Connecticut.
Today was the Fall Festival in Watertown, Connecticut. A lot of vendors and food trucks were present to sell homemade goods, and introduce themselves and their businesses. The Military, Police Department, and Boys Scout looked for recruiting kids and young adults. But when you look for me at a festival, look no further than the Artsy and Crafty canopy tents. And I love to look at dresses. Unfortunately, at the fairs and festivals, the vendors never have them in my size, which can be frustrating at times. However, it was a beautiful sunny day. While Sara walked around with her friends, Kevin and I hung out with Lily’s mom. We had quite a conversation and didn’t even notice how fast the time flew by. Once the vendors packed their items, it was time to leave the park.
Since Kevin parked on Goat Island, we walked from the Canadian Falls over to Luna Island. And from there we hiked the trail along Hell’s Half Acre, crossing the Goat Island pedestrian bridge to get to Prospect Point/Observation Point. Kevin, Sara, and I spent a little while there before we walked back to the parking lot on Goat Island. We had lunch in Wheatfield before we got ready for the wedding and the reception.
On Day Two, Kevin, Sara, and I went to Niagara Falls State Park in the morning. Five years ago, we were at Niagara Falls. But we never made it to Goat Island on that trip back then. This time, we planned to stay in the United States and go see the falls from the American side. On Goat Island, we’ve got a wonderful different view of the Horseshoe Falls. While we were standing at the rim, we saw Maid-of-the-Mist boats inching as close to the falls as possible. They wanted to give these tourists the experience of a lifetime. All the tourists wore ponchos. But some still came drenched out of the boats. Since we had a beautiful day and warm weather, their clothes dried up quickly. Due to the mist, Kevin, Sara, and I saw a very colorful rainbow that stretched from the Horseshoe Falls to the Bridal Veil Falls and American Falls in the Niagara Gorge.
In September 2013, Sara and I took a little trip to Isle Du Bois State Park at Lake Ray Roberts, which is just north of Lake Lewisville in North Texas. Sara and I watched the fisherman on the boats and the maintenance crew at the beach. Since it usually is still very warm in early September, we also observed some wildflowers and wildlife in the State Park. There were all kinds of bees, butterflies, lizards, and a roadrunner. It was Sara’s first roadrunner; she had seen in the wild. By noon, we left the park. It got too warm to stay any longer.
Before sunset, Kevin, Sara, and I drove to Fort Niagara State Park, at the corner of the lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario in Youngstown, New York. While Kevin and Sara spent some time at the playground, I went down to Fort Niagara State Park Beach. There I’ve got a good shot of Toronto across the lake. Due to our planet’s curve and some mist on Lake Ontario, the lower part of the skyline wasn’t visible from where my viewpoint in the US. Shortly, Kevin and Sara joined me to watch the sunset, which gave the lake a golden hue.
Sauromalus ater, also known as the Common Chuckwalla, is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It inhabits the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its range extends from eastern California, Nevada, and Utah south to Baja California and Sonora.
A major change took place there about 7,000 years ago when water volume was low. The connection between Lake Huron and Lake Erie was cut off and the Upper Great Lakes drained through the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence Valley. Only the flow from Lake Erie went over Niagara Falls, and a narrow gorge and shallow Riverbed were formed.
Today, the flow of water coming from the wider upper Great Gorge is channeled into the narrow section, thus creating the turbulent Whirlpool Rapids. The violent waters of the Whirlpool Rapids flow into the Eddy Basin before entering the Whirlpool.
September 9, 2022
Kevin, Sara, and I arrived in Niagara Falls in the late afternoon. We drove to our hotel, ate something, rested for a moment and went from there to the Whirlpool State Park. We didn’t want to deal with the big tourist crowds that evening. So, we were tourists away from the tourists. We saw the falls at night five years ago. I could wait until the following day. Kevin was in Wheatfield High School in the late 80s and early 90s. He knows this area like his back pocket.
At Whirlpool State Park Kevin, Sara, and I took a little hike on the Whirlpool Scenic Trail. It was very interesting to witness how the rushing waters of the rapids flow from the Eddy Basin into the Whirlpool, where the water is forced to circle around, hence the name “whirlpool”. Kevin also discovered a groundhog on the side of the river wall. That groundhog was so used to humans that it didn’t care, we were only a foot and a half away from its burrow. The chipmunks and squirrels came much closer. We think they are being fed by visitors.
The sun hadn’t set yet. So, we chose to go to a second destination, before we called it a day.
On Friday, we began our journey to Niagara Falls. One of Kevin’s best friends from Highschool got married on Saturday. And we were all invited to the wedding and reception. Katelynn couldn’t make it. She’s stuck in Dallas. But Kevin, Sara, and I went for a weekend trip to Western New York, again. Along the way, we saw some cool historic and natural places. One of them is the Erie Canal, which runs from the Hudson River all the way to Lake Erie. A part of the canal was built along the Mohawk River. When we made a stop at the Mohawk Valley Welcome Center near Fultonville, we saw what looked like a bridge, but is actually a moveable dam to control the flooding of the Mohawk River Valley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal
◊◊◊◊◊
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians. In effect, the canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region, the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York State. It has been called “The Nation’s First Superhighway.”
A canal from the Hudson to the Great Lakes was first proposed in the 1780s, but a formal survey was not conducted until 1808. The New York State Legislature authorized construction in 1817. Political opponents of the canal, and of its lead supporter New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, denigrated the project as “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Big Ditch”. Nonetheless, the canal saw quick success upon opening on October 26, 1825, with toll revenue covering the state’s construction debt within the first year of operation. The westward connection gave New York City a strong advantage over all other U.S. ports and brought major growth to canal cities such as Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.
The construction of the Erie Canal was a landmark civil engineering achievement in the early history of the United States. When built, the 363-mile (584 kilometer) canal was the second-longest in the world (after the Grand Canal in China). Initially 40 feet (12 meters) wide and 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep, the canal was expanded several times, most notably from 1905 to 1918 when the “Barge Canal” was built and over half the original route was abandoned. The modern Barge Canal measures 351 miles (565 kilometers) long, 120 feet (37 meters) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep. It has 34 locks, including the Waterford Flight, the steepest locks in the United States. When leaving the canal, boats must also traverse the Black Rock Lock to reach Lake Erie or the Troy Federal Lock to reach the tidal Hudson. The overall elevation difference is about 565 feet (172 meters).
The Erie’s peak year was 1855, when 33,000 commercial shipments took place. It continued to be competitive with railroads until about 1902, when tolls were abolished. Commercial traffic declined heavily in the latter half of the 20th century due to competition from trucking and the 1959 opening of the larger St. Lawrence Seaway. The canal’s last regularly-scheduled hauler, the Day Peckinpaugh, ended service in 1994.
Today, the Erie Canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft. It connects the three other canals in the New York State Canal System: the Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga–Seneca. Some long-distance boaters take the Erie as part of the Great Loop. The canal has also become a tourist attraction in its own right—a number of parks and museums are dedicated to its history. The Erie Canalway Trail is a popular cycling path that follows the canal across the state. In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to protect and promote the system.
Guess where we were this weekend. If you listen really closely to this Great Black-backed Gull, it might tell you at what edge it stands and watches the water rushing past its legs and feet. The gull gives you a few hints: “I’m at a river between two lakes. The river separates two vast countries. It gets very cold there in Winter. And the Summers can be warm and humid.”
The Pumpkins, squash, and beans are ready for harvest. And the bright light of the Harvest Moon allows us the extra time needed to finish the harvest. The leaves on the trees begin to turn color. The Summer’s sunshine gives way to the fall’s Darkening evenings.
The Harvest Full Moon is a time to find balance in our lives, of settling into a slower rhythm after the Summer’s adventures. It is a time of giving thanks and enjoying the abundance in our lives.
Last year in July, Kevin bought me a set of Autumn Tomte Nisse (Scandinavian aka. Swedish Gnomes). I was so excited and could barely wait for Autumn. I remembered that I wanted to do some photo shoots with these little guys. Here are the results of the first shooting. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do. Either way, I had a lot of fun with Sven, Christopher, and Gunnar. Yes, I picked some Swedish names for my gnomes as well. 😉
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus Apis of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmopolitan distribution of honey bees, introducing multiple subspecies into South America (early 16th century), North America (early 17th century), and Australia (early 19th century).
Honey bees are known for their construction of perennial colonial nests from wax, the large size of their colonies, and surplus production and storage of honey, distinguishing their hives as a prized foraging target of many animals, including honey badgers, bears and human hunter-gatherers. Only eight surviving species of honey bee are recognized, with a total of 43 subspecies, though historically 7 to 11 species are recognized. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees.
The best-known honey bee is the western honey bee, (Apis mellifera), which was domesticated for honey production and crop pollination. The only other domesticated bee is the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana), which occurs in South, Southeast, and East Asia. Only members of the genus Apis are true honey bees, but some other types of bees produce and store honey, and have been kept by humans for that purpose, including the stingless bees belonging to the genus Melipona and the Indian stingless or dammar bee Tetragonal iridipennis. Modern humans also use beeswax in making candles, soap, lip balms, and various cosmetics, as a lubricant and in mold-making using the lost wax process.
This rainy weather is so refreshing. We had a high of 64℉ (13℃), today. I opened our bedroom window, washed the sheets, and did more laundry while I had some beef cooking in the slow cooker. This is perfect house chore weather. It has been steadily raining since late yesterday afternoon. and we still expect more rain overnight. Nature keeps soaking it all up. As you can see in the photos, the leaves are still green. But it won’t take too long anymore before the trees wear their crimson and golden dresses again.
