Today it wasn’t too hot outside, so we decided to go for a nature walk (and get some exercise at the same time). We don’t get to spend much time outside at our house this time of the year because the mosquitoes are horrible, so we have to go elsewhere to enjoy the outdoors. We walked between 4.5 and 5 miles total. Eamon did very well for having such short legs. We only carried him for a little while. Last week when we went to the same park, I pushed him in the stroller and vowed that he was big enough to walk. Today was much more enjoyable without having to push him! My arms will thank me tomorrow.

The critters apparently thought it was a good day to be out, also, and I took a few pictures. Unfortunately I didn’t photograph everything. We saw two millipedes, a caterpillar, a funnel-web spider, (along with lots of other spiders and webs), many butterflies and skippers, birds, squirrels, lizards, bees, ducks, geese, dragonflies, and damselflies…I probably forgot something.

I had several interesting conversations with Eamon along the way about different leaves, flowers, seeds, etc. that we found on the path. He told me that pinecones come from a pinecone tree and acorns come from an acorn tree. How funny! Of course, I corrected him and he learned so much from the whole experience.

As we walked along the shaded paths in the woods, we heard birds and cicadas singing, frogs croaking, squirrels barking, geese honking, and ducks quacking. It was such a peaceful time and it was wonderful to be with my family.

Click on each picture for more information about it.

Yesterday my daddy had an appointment with his doctor because he had abnormal results from a routine blood test. As he was telling me the doctor thought it was “nothing to worry about,” I saw this beautiful spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus) on my lantana. Such a peaceful picture to go along with wonderful news.

This butterfly is said to mimic the foul tasting pipevine swallowtail to ward off predators. It also looks similar to the black swallowtail and red spotted purple. The reason it is called a spicebush butterfly is because spicebush and sassafras are its host plants where it lays its eggs. It is a swallowtail because of the spoon-like appendage on the bottom of its wings. This one is supposedly a female because the male’s coloration is more green instead of blue.

Getting a good picture proved difficult because it kept moving its wings trying to dry or warm them and didn’t sit still to drink the nectar. Eventually it found a sunny place to sit and relax with its wings opened.

Okay…I will mention Mike’s HUGE caterpillar. I found it on a tomato plant in my garden. I was going to get rid of it, but Mike thought it was so beautiful and wanted to keep it in a jar (He actually wanted to lacquer it). The caterpillar eventually outgrew the jar. Then I put it in our “Ladybug Lantern” that we have had ladybugs and even raised Painted Lady butterflies in (from caterpillar to chrysalis, to butterfly, through mating, to eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis, to adult butterfly). The caterpillar is called a tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata). Since I rescued my tomato plants from it, it has eaten 4 small green tomatoes, and many tomato leaves. I have no idea which larval stage it is in. It’s supposed to burrow into the ground to pupate, so I’m not sure how that will happen since there’s no soil in its indoor habitat.
Find out more about hornworms.

When I first got him off my tomato plant, he looked like this.

After several tomatoes and leaves…

Here is a close-up of his spots.

These are his false-legs.

I always try to stay aware of the wildlife around me because the boys and I love to observe whatever we happen to find. Today as I was going to the mailbox, I happened to see a Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia). It is absolutely beautiful! Notice the eye spots it uses to frighten any predators. Butterflies really enjoy my marigolds! Most of the flowers and plants I have in my yard I chose because they attract butterflies, hummingbirds, or wildlife. Some they like for nectar or seeds and others butterflies and moths use for host plants to lay their eggs on so the caterpillars hatch out onto the right kind of plant they like to eat. Most butterflies are very specific in their host plants. For example, Monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants.

In this picture, it’s wings are closed.

In this one, you can see the inside and outside of the wings.

Isn’t it beautiful!

I also have a picture of a male Eastern Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis). I have been trying for a long time to get a good picture of one, but I can’t do it. I have several pairs of these birds and they love to eat seeds from my coreopsis, bee balm, and blanket flowers. I really enjoy watching them because they are so beautiful!