SwampThings

Cast A Big Shadow

2009-07-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

Mortar Mix Madness

2009-07-10T10:53:00.002-04:00

No pictures, just a list of lessons learned today.

Lesson one: Mortar mix and concrete mix are two very different beasts with entirely different temperaments. Right now I'm liking concrete more than mortar.

Lesson two: You can't really tell if your mortar mix has too much or not enough water in it until you start your application. While it looked dry in the wheelbarrow, it looked downright soggy when I started constructing my bird bath. Oy.

Lesson three: Eastern pondhawks (dragonflies) are a lot like cats...if you are working on something they like to get either on it or on you, or both. By the time I finished my task I counted no less than a dozen pondhawks "helping" me.

Now, Back to the Spiders

2009-07-09T08:15:00.005-04:00

My apologies for the delay in getting back to explain the handful of spiders pic. Let me just say that work has been quite hectic lately and I was simply too tired to post. Seems I am not the energizer bunny of cyberspace ;)

Now, for the spiders' tale of woe...

On Sunday Treebeard accompanied me to work. He is a park volunteer now and quite handy to have around. Not only is he very knowledgeable about all things natural, he really enjoys sharing his knowledge with others -- a valuable asset! He is also extremely observant. Just before closing time he noticed the spiders floating on the canal and called me over. We fished them out and I immediately suspected we had found the contents of a mud dauber's (or dirt dauber, if you prefer) nest.

If you are not familiar with daubers, let me give you a brief rundown...A dauber is a spider wasp, she builds a nest of mud that consists of a series of individual chambers. The wasp hunts spiders, stings them and crams several into a chamber, laying an egg on the last one before sealing the chamber. The spiders are not dead -- dead ones would decay and that would be a bad thing. When the egg hatches, the young grub begins to munch on the bounty left by its mom. After it eats what has been provided and grows sufficiently, it pupates and then emerges as an adult the next spring. Pretty cool, eh?

If you look at the pictures below you will notice an egg on a spider's leg in the first photo and in the second you will see a grub munching away on a spider's abdomen.

How the contents of a dauber's nest ended up floating in the canal is a mystery. Some critter looking for a snack may have broken open the nest or perhaps the wake of a passing boat saturated a nest that had been built under the dock, causing it to dissolve. It's anyone's guess.

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Addendum:

Jason tells me that the terms dirt dauber and mud dauber refer to two very different types of wasps. Dirt daubers use dry dirt and regurgitated water to construct their nests while the mud daubers use actual mud. Jason was afraid I would be offended by his contridiction of my use of the terms -- silly Jason.
My post deals with mud daubers by this definition, so if you preferred to call them dirt daubers, don't. ;)

Check out Jason's most excellent photos on his web page: http://www.xenogere.com
He also has some very nice cats...

A Handful of Spiders

2009-07-06T19:29:00.002-04:00

Yep, they're alive but they have been effectively paralyzed by the stings of a mud dauber. A couple of them waved a leg or two at me, but only weakly. (Still, I bet SIL and FC will both be having kittens if they happen to stop by - hehe)

I'll be back tomorrow to explain how they came to be in my hand...

Feeling Blue

2009-07-05T08:04:00.005-04:00

A male Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea) covered in dew.

A somewhat drier male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis).

A morning glory (Ipomoea sp.) that Treebeard left for me.
Yes, I know they are noxious weeds and the bane of farm fields, but I love them anyway. Treebeard trained this one away from the garden and provided a trellis of sticks for it to grow up.
He is such a thoughtful fellow.

Antlion Anger

2009-07-04T20:37:00.003-04:00

Hey, you!
Yeah, you, Ranger Lady.
Let me outta this box. NOW!

Spidey Sense

2009-07-03T18:13:00.004-04:00

Treebeard and I went for a walk today as I had the day off. We went down a trail that hasn't had much use in a while and as a result it was criss-crossed with numerous spider webs. We did a lot of bobbing and weaving and sometimes outright crawling to avoid destroying the webs. Despite the fact that I am having camera focusing issues at the moment, I did try to snag a few shots of some of the more interesting arachnids to share with you. Sorry they're a little fuzzy...

A spined micrathena (Micrathena gracilis) munching on a yellow fly that got caught in its web. Man, I love it when that happens!! Just in case you are blissfully ignorant of the nature of yellow flies, those suckers BITE. Go spidey!

A personal favorite, the spiny-backed orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis). It is gracious enough to decorate its web with little fluffs of silk making it much easier to see and thereby avoid walking into.

Tucked away in the top of a shrub rather than stretched across the trail, was this labyrinth orbweaver (Metepeira labyrinthea). It has a complex little web, usually with a dead leaf in the center for shelter.

Coolest spider of the day is in the picture below.
Take a look and see if you can spot it before you scroll down to the caption...

Did you see her?
It's a northern black widow (Lactrodectus variolus). Her cobweb was just above the leaf litter beside the trail. We probably wouldn't have noticed her....

...if she hadn't had a web full of little ones!

Same Road, Different Snake

2009-06-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

In just a few minutes Treebeard and I are heading off to the city to see our "baby" -- all 6'3" of him ;) It's hard to believe that our little Flamebrain turns 25 today. Where does time go?

Before we go I wanted to share a few images of another snake I saw this past week in the work swamp. It was on the same road as the rattler -- the work swamp is a snaky place, doncha know :) This one is an eastern kingsnake. When I saw it, it was quite busy pushing its way into a turtle nest to get the eggs.

Have a terrific Friday.

Snake Crossing

2009-06-25T13:45:00.004-04:00

When patrolling the swamp I always keep an eye out for pedestrians. This particular one took its own sweet time crossing the road but I certainly didn't mind. I think rattlesnakes are quite beautiful and I enjoyed having the opportunity to watch it for a minute or two.

Click to enlarge the photo and see if you can spot the bear tracks...

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a little post script...

As Hugh pointed out in the comments section, this snake had quite a rattle:

The Frustration of Fungi

2009-06-13T20:58:00.004-04:00

I would very much like to have a mycologist at my beck and call. Fungi are so very cool and so massively frustrating to identify. For example, each year I find a particular bolete, bright yellow with cinnamon pores and olive spores. You'd think such a distinctive mushroom would be easily IDed, even by a rank amateur such as myself. But no, I can't find it anywhere. ARGH.

Below are photos of some of the fungi I found while out late this afternoon. Sure, I have a guess as to what each one is...but a guess is a dangerous thing when IDing mushrooms ;) Well, no matter the species, I found them all to be interesting to look at.

Throwing Pots

2009-06-12T17:40:00.004-04:00

Wasps are fascinating. I love to watch them at work building their nests, whether they be paper or mud or a hole in the ground. Unfortunately, I don't always get to see the building part. Case in point, the mud pots below. I found them as they are, fastened to a small tree in the parking lot at work. The top pot is complete and sealed up, probably with a few small, smooth-skinned caterpillars inside - along with an egg. The lower pot will probably be full soon and capped. If the female is successful, then her offspring will emerge in the course of time. But, there is always the chance that another species will emerge instead -- the world is full of parasites and squatters ;)

Pots of a potter wasp, perhaps in the genus Eumenes

Bee Condo

2009-06-11T15:27:00.002-04:00

We are always eager to find ways to encourage native bees to take up residence in our yard. We have plenty of unmowed areas and a few dead snags, but we wanted to get these little pollinators closer to the garden. Treebeard made a couple of bee condos and drilled holes of various diameters. As you can see from the third photo, we already have tenants!

Next we plan to make a sand mound for ground nesting bees/wasps. We had a bunch of residents last year when the house was under construction so I expect we will be successful.

Tread lightly and share your space :)

Early Morning

2009-06-10T20:26:00.003-04:00

In the damp of the early morning I prowl the yard, one eye on the tree line. I know I'll have to go in once the sun creeps up over the tulip poplars, but until then I have some freedom.

First I check the prothonotary nest box - all is well. Mama prothonotary is tucked away inside and Papa is making the rounds, singing for all he's worth. Next, the wren's nest under the porch. Her babies have hatched and it's driving my indoor cats crazy. Somewhere out in the wild fringe of the yard we also have nesting indigo buntings and blue grosbeaks. Just across the road I can see the summer tanagers. We haven't pinpointed their nest yet. Treebeard carefully checks on the bluebirds -- one egg so far in their second brood of the year. The wood thrush that wakes us each morning in just out of sight singing its song. Mama turkey has her babies out in the tall grass somewhere. All seems well with the avian crew that calls our property home.

On to the garden, quickly now the sun is getting higher. In the garden all the insects are drowsy. A pollen covered bumblebee slowly stirs after spending the night in a squash blossom. And a yellow bear (Spilosoma virginica) is suffering from bed head following its most recent molt.

Sun's all the way up now and I have to leave for work. Sigh. I'm already looking forward to sunset. Seems I have become crepuscular ;)

Down, But Not Out

2009-06-08T07:40:00.003-04:00

A dastardly tick has laid me low. After several days of fever, headache, chills, joint pain and fatigue I finally realized I was sick (I just kept working along, thinking I must be a little dehydrated...duh, did I mention confusion was another symptom :p ) A trip to the doctor with tick log in hand seemed in order. Since I almost never run a fever I was pretty sure I had managed to get some tick-borne illness. I immediately suspected the tick that had managed to escape my regular checks by hiding at the base of my ponytail. (All that hair is gone now -- a tick will be hard pressed to hide in what I have left!)

Most likely diagnosis: Ehrlichiosis. I should get the results of the blood tests back early this week. Meanwhile I am taking doxycycline - the first antibiotic that has entered my body in the past 18 or 20 years. The good news is that I feel much better, not 100%, but better. The bad news is that I have to stay inside for the full course of the antibiotic -- 20 DAYS!!! The antibiotic makes me more sensitive to the sun and since I'm a redhead (strawberry blonde variety), I'm already prone to burn :(

Anyway, I just wanted to touch base and let you know why I haven't been answering your comments or posting anything new. Hope to be back soon. Meanwhile, y'all have fun out there and don't forget to check for ticks!

Par-tay!

2009-05-30T21:06:00.002-04:00

Zebra swallowtails on bear scat.

Waiting For Dinner

2009-05-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

On a lone blade of grass, in the middle of the trail, the ticks line up to wait for take-out. You don't want to be on the menu but you can't let the little suckers scare you out of the woods -- there's too much to see out there. Just be diligent about checking yourself for the bothersome little beasts.

I carry a small vial when I'm out and about. The one I use at work is filled with 90% ethyl alcohol and any ticks that are crawling on my clothes or on me get to go swimming in it. Any that I find attached go into a separate vial, also filled with alcohol. Periodically I package up the vials and their attendant paperwork and mail them off to the folks at Environmental Health as part of a continuing tick study.

While in the home swamp I carry a little container of soapy water for the crawlers and any that sneak past me and attach get taped to the calendar as soon as I find them and pull them out. A simple reminder to check for any signs of tick-borne illness.

Is it a pain? Absolutely. Am I gonna let them keep me trapped inside? Absolutely not.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-05-28T13:29:00.005-04:00

The squash are blooming,

The tomatoes are coming along,

New potatoes are ready to dig,

And the raised beds are keeping us supplied with salad essentials.

Plus, we've begun harvesting a few blueberries -- and we weren't even expecting them to bear this year!

Life is good.

Under the Boardwalk

2009-05-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Low light + macro zoom = fuzzy pictures. Oh well, I've never claimed to be a photographer!

Our recent heavy rain showers have the male southern toads (Bufo terrestris) out singing again. There were two under the boardwalk on Monday trying as hard as they could to attract females.

While they weren't having too much luck with the lady toads, they were proving very attractive to the female mosquitoes. If you look closely at the second toad you will see at least seven of the little suckers on his back.

They were also attracting the attention of several red-bellied water snakes (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster). One snake had a couple of nice lumps in its mid-section.

But it, too, was being annoyed by mosquitoes.

That Tendril Has Eyes

2009-05-26T06:26:00.004-04:00

Three snapshots of the cutest little northern rough green snake that was hanging out in a grape vine along the boardwalk at the work swamp yesterday. Treebeard happened upon it while he was trying to get a better look at an insect. Luckily for me, the little fellow stayed put while Treebeard fetched me from the office. I included the last shot so you could appreciate how small the snake was and how well it blended in with its surroundings.

The Leprechaun Lied

2009-05-24T20:47:00.003-04:00

And so the dream is shattered...

A double rainbow should equal two pots of gold, right?
No such luck -- even though one of the rainbows ended in our side yard.
There weren't even any Skittles!
We got ripped off :(

Cool Dragon

2009-05-22T20:41:00.003-04:00

Green Darner, Anax junius
You have to watch your step around here on these cool mornings lest you step on a dragon.

Clueless

2009-05-20T20:07:00.002-04:00

Never have I learned the fine art of keying out daddy longlegs (AKA harvestman). Sure, I know they belong to the order Opiliones, but beyond that I'm clueless as to genus and species.
Still, that doesn't stop me from appreciating the little beasties and their habits.
And NO! They are not venomous and yes, they can bite if they want to -- which they usually do not.

Head Above Water - Barely

2009-05-18T20:59:00.001-04:00

It certainly has been nice to have rain this spring.

The Sometimes Underappreciated

2009-05-17T20:36:00.001-04:00

As I have indicated in the past, I love the little things. Even if those things are ones that some might find less than lovable.

Snails fascinate me, but I am lousy at trying to ID them. Anyone know of a book or a website that might help quell my ignorance?
I can tell you that the little girl/guy was on a pawpaw leaf...

And then there are the spiders. I do love 'em. Great big hairy ones or little bitty shiny ones...it doesn't matter 'cause they are all cool. This is one of two wolf spiders that popped out of the mulch that another ranger and I were spreading in the butterfly garden. We had to take a moment to examine it -- my colleague is as crazy as I am!

This was another of our finds, a very dark American toad. He was the same color as the soil of the area and fabulously warty. The other ranger, we'll call him Scranton from now on, spotted him just off the boardwalk and jumped down to scoop him up.

And speaking of the boardwalk...I was out this morning listening to birds and frogs and such when I got a very pleasant surprize. Seems I was sharing the walkway with a nice big ole' bobcat. I don't know who was more startled, me or the cat! He jumped off the boardwalk before I could get my camera up and that's a shame. He was quite close.

Life Can Be (in) The Pits

2009-05-16T22:35:00.003-04:00

Check out the little blue-gray lumps in this skink's "armpit" ... those are ticks.
He had them on the other side as well.

Okay, all together now --- EEEWWW

Click the photo to fully appreciate the infestation.