Two Moderate Successes

 Two of the plants I'm trying to get to grow in my gardens are alive. I won't call say, "and well," because they are struggling, but there is hope, and neither one cost me money, so, hey.

First is the Anise Hyssop. This hitchhiked here with a plant from Betsy. I moved that one, and it bloomed, although the flowers aren't in focus. And the flowers are very small.

Betsy gave me a second stalk of it this year, and it lived, but no flowers.

You may remember that I was trying to get the Bigbract Verbena to grow in the rock garden. Well, it's alive. It's certainly not as lush as in the cracks in the paved road shoulder. Maybe it needs more harsh treatment.

And a freebie... an attractive camo grassphopper! S/he's not very big, but is an adult because it has wings.

I edited quite a lot today, did laundry and am working on the maps for the hike. It's a huge job, and I really shouldn't have left it this late.

See Bigbract Verbena

Two Little Green Friends

These pictures were not taken today, not even this week, but this is a good day to share them.

First up is a six-spotted tiger beetle, Cicindela sexguttata. These can be ferocious if you are a small arthropod like a spider, insect nymph, ant, fly, etc. They might bite a human if they are handled, but only defensively. They may have six white spots or more or fewer. Here's another picture of a tiger beetle from 2019.

I have a funny tiger beetle story. Because of their bright metallic green color, they are easily seen. I was riding my bike when I was a kid, and there was one flying toward me. I was moving fast on the bike toward it, right? Suddenly, I had swallowed it! It happened so fast I didn't even react except for the funny feeling afterwards that was sort of gross, although it had to be all in my imagination because it went right down my throat.

You'll have to look harder to find the other little green bug.

Did you find a grasshopper? It's almost perfectly camouflaged. And it's fully grown- the wings extend past the body. I looked closely to be sure it's not a katydid, but it has muscular grasshopper legs.

The humidity level today pretty much made me non-functional except for a few things. I have picked up a small job this summer that will only take a few hours a week, and I need the money. I did that this morning. I took my car in to have a brake job. I had a zoom meeting. And then I had to walk to pick up the car this afternoon. Dang, car repairs are expensive!

We just had that promised line of severe weather. Strong winds, thunderstorm. One lightning strike was very close. Water overwhelming the eave troughs. Things seem to have calmed down now. I don't think any trees broke near me, so that's good.

Miles walked in 2026: 181.8
Just a road walk to get the car.

See Grasshoppers

Pipsqueak and Big Squeak

 
Not sure how this pipsqueak got in the house, but this grasshopper was in my bedroom this morning! On a grasshopper scale, it was big, almost three inches long. Handsome in a grasshoppery sort of way. Full-grown- see the long wings extending past the body? But still a pipsqueak.



There are hundreds of species of grasshopper. You may be shocked to learn that I am not particularly motivated to figure out this one's exact ID. But all grasshoppers are Orthoptera (along with katydids and crickets).

Nice headshot. Serious camouflage if it weren't sitting on a piece of light-colored fabric.



This afternoon, I heard a big squeak from my deck. Who's out there? The hairy woodpecker! Crummy pictures through a dirty window, and it was a fast visit. I didn't catch him or her in the birdbath, but maybe that was the attraction.



Bye, bye!



In other news: I worked all morning on the book. Finished yesterday's work list in the afternoon, and walked to the post office.

	See Colored Heads and Striped Legs
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A Good Day to Be Green

 
This seems to be the week for insects. If this little one hadn't been bright green and sitting on a blue trash can, I probably wouldn't even have seen it. Its body is only a little more than an quarter-inch long. But look at those antennae!



It might be a young grasshopper, but with those antennae, it might also be a young katydid. Young for sure- no wings yet. It's a pretty good match for the picture of a fork-tailed bush katydid nymph. At any rate, it made me smile.

	See a full grown katydid
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You Have to Look Closer

 
I went out in the field today to collect some small milkweed buds for dinner (they are yummy). Just looks like a messy overgrown weed patch, right?



I nearly missed my chance for that treat this year. The flowers are beginning to open. But I found a few tight buds I could harvest. Milkweed is so common, but so beautiful.



Hunting for small buds, I was pleased to find several of these guys- Monarch caterpillars. Don't worry. There is so much milkweed in this field, and I took so few buds, I'm not endangering the butterflies.



I filled my container and was headed back for the house when I spotted this bud that I could have harvested. But there was something more interesting on the plant. Can you find them?



Which do you prefer, tails or heads? Two fresh little grasshoppers waiting for the right moment to check out the world beyond their doorstep.

	See Need Something Green
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