October 27, 2024

Here we are on the last blog-day of October, 2024.  We've watched the plants and animals appear each week of this year (since April 14) .  Each day I do a walk-around of the back yard and photograph anything I can find that will help you understand how the year is progressing.

Now things are really settling down into rest mode.  But not everything is asleep yet.  Let's see how the various components of a backyard go together.  Here was the Pond on October 2, 2024.  

October 27, 2024 

Here it is on October 10, 2024.  One would think that not much life is  swimming around by this date.  But it depends on where you look.  Even with the leaf-catching net over the pond (as in this picture from October 24, 2024 ), there are plenty of fishes to be seen.  Since they aren't being fed now, you might be surprised to see how much life and color are represented in this photo.  By the way, that pink fish with the red freckle on its neck region  (in picture 2) is one of the descendants of some  of the earliest fishes born in this Pond.

How about Frog Life in the Pond?  Here is one of the Froggs (looks like Froggy) on October 23, 2024, under the leaf net.  Last week I showed you one of them with the net removed from over the pictures.   (The three shots show the face as I fish it out of the dark overhang.)   They tend to sink to the bottom of the Pond to spend the winter out of sight (but not out of mind).  I do miss them during that time.  So if you don't see many frog pictures this winter, you must just remember that they ARE THERE, just becoming harder and harder to spot due to netting, leaves, darkness, and especially their tendency to drop to the bottom of the Pond for the winter, all the usual things that make our beautiful little Froggs less accessible to out inquisitive little beady eyes. 

Let's see what smaller creatures were out there this past week or two.  Of course, the Leafhoppers showed up.  These first two were from genus Erythridula.   The third was from Eratoneura.  

In the following line, the first two are from Erasmoneura, in fact, they are the same species.  The third one is a bright-yellow Microleafhopper.  By the way, these Leafhoppers are Bugs, and we will be seeing more Bugs after I talk a bit about the Beetles!

Let's look at the Beetles.  This week has been a shocker!  I never saw so many Asian Lady Beetles!  All over the plants outside, and indoors too.  I felt I should sleep with my mouth closed, since there were so many landing on the ceiling right above my head!  Really!  I try not to overexaggerate about these things, but this time it is still going to look like an exaggeration!  NO KIDDING!

That was all true!  The Bugs, on the other hand, were easy to count!  Not the totality like the Beetles, but a lot of Bugs anyway.  First off, two that you know by heart already: a Zelus luridus Assassin Bug, and an Eastern Box Elder Bug.

Here's a Harmostes fraterculus, a member of Scentless Plant Bugs.  Next is Neoneides muticus, a member of Stilt Bugs.   

 Here are a few Stink Bugs.  We've seen the Green Stink Bug a couple of weeks ago.  I just love that color!   Third is in genus Banasa.  If you, like the old me, thought Stink implied ugly, here's a surprise!

Yes, we still have the good old Drymus unus around, even though I must have blinked - I promised you'd see them mating, but what happened?  For this next fellow, which seems to belong to the Genus Cremastobombycia,  a member of Leaf Blotch Miner Moths, I still haven't gotten an ID because it lay so close to the background I couldn't get a lateral view, which would have been what was needed for an ID.  The only ID I got for the third Bug was Plant Bug!  I love those WHITE eyes!

The Flower life in the backyard was the end of the New England Asters.  We may get another week of these pictures, but that will be about it for Flowers.

However, this was the third week of October and so the trees were in their heyday.  Burr Oak did its fair share of celebrating!

But here's the very beautiful end to this display of colors - the Euonymus (Burning Bush) that welcomes you to my humble abode!

So now we've seen a pretty good (though short) representation of Fall at this latitude.  Monday night may be a good time to try to see the Northern Lights again.  Protect and enjoy this planet while we can!  Love, Martha