Of Moths and Butterflies

Since it is winter and so cold and wet outside, we will talk about something that is close to my heart and has fascinated me for a long time.

Look at this tree bark. Doesn't it look strange? It is slightly lighter on one section. In fact, it almost looks like a fungus on the tree. It took us nearly half an hour to spot this. We searched high and low but it blended in so well. We walked everywhere, searching the ground, the leaves, the trees. Nothing. Finally, when I was about to give up completely, this bit of fungus stood out. I said, "Look at that" and then my son said, "That's it!" He had been climbing the oak tree out back when this big, beautiful moth landed on his hand. He had let it crawl on him for a moment. Then it flew away. It's wings were so large and it glided so gently through the air, it looked like a small bird.

When we found it again, I touched it and it took flight. It landed on my daughter's pants this time. Wow! What a beauty! One of my great joys in life is finding and identifying birds, plants, flowers and moths and butterflies. It brings me so much satisfaction to correctly label something. We found out this wonderful bark-colored moth is called a Common Lytrosis. What a horrid name for something so splendid.

After admiring her and taking pictures, we let her go. How do we know it's a girl? Her antennae give it away. She has very fine, thin antennae. Let's examine another moth we found several years ago, so you can see the difference between a male and a female.

We found Neon when he was a big, fat, juicy caterpillar. We loved his little "feet", as it appeared he was wearing running shoes. He looks to be praying here. Isn't that sweet?

He was very large, measuring about 3-4 inches in length. We decided after taking pictures, to put him in a bug box and feed him some leaves. He was so bloated, he refused to eat. Lo and behold!, we were pleasantly surprised to find him start a cocoon immediately.

Here he is after he finished his new home. I had no idea how long he would remain as such and after a few weeks, he was still in a cocoon and we figured he had died or something, for he would not emerge. We didn't want to disrupt him, though, so we set the bug box on the porch and left him...and we are sorry to say, we forgot about him. Many months passed. Fall and winter came and went. In the spring, on one particularly warm day, my daughter saw him emerging.

And he was magnificent! We had never seen a moth so large and so beautiful. We took pictures and reported him to a forestry service, who were quite pleased to know of his existence, as there had been no reported sightings of this type for a long time in our area.

Can you tell he is a "he" now? Look at his "fan" antennae! He is proudly showing them off, hoping to attract a female.

We let him go and he flew to a tree to finish drying his wings. His proper name is Polyphemus Moth...another dreadful name.

Now, this...this is a butterfly, of the name Hackberry Emperor. Isn't that a fine name? He is very lovely to look at and is a good mid-size butterfly. Very gentle. See his proboscis? That is what he uses to dab at nectar with. His "tongue", if you will. Here is a wonderful page that describes all the parts of a butterfly for you to learn: 

http://www.cambridgebutterfly.com/conservatory/butterflies/parts-of-a-butterfly

I have to tell you, we found another large caterpillar in the early fall, one of which we'd never seen before. Before I was able to photograph him (her?), he cocooned himself. He had "false eyes" on his backside. We have researched but I cannot figure out what he is. He will winter in his jar and hopefully emerge in the spring, to surprise us with his beauty and reveal his true nature. I am looking forward to sharing pictures of him at that time.

I hope these photos will spark a bit of curiosity and  you will search for some caterpillars. Maybe you will find a chrysalis (or cocoon). I have found many in the past and we always leave them alone. If you touch one, it will shake and rattle and make noises. This is to ward off potential predators. The one we have in a jar used to shake himself inside his cocoon for at least five minutes if his jar was accidentally bumped. He has stopped doing that now. I think he is settling down; turning into a butterfly is hard work!

Enjoy finding and classifying butterflies and moths! Let me know what you find!

Coming to a Close

Oh autumn! Your splendor is waning. The leaves are falling fast, to be trampled under foot. Crunchy leaves piled against an old fence. Children running, kicking them into the air, as the wind so often does. Just a few short weeks ago, such beauty to behold. Now, the trees bend against the strong winds of an early winter. The trees creak and moan. How quickly the seasons seem to pass us by; faster than when I was a child and longed to "grow up".

The leaves also hide secrets. Hidden beside them, in plain sight; a copperhead goes unseen. For a moment. 

Be careful where you tread. They are notorious for blending in, but as such, we have never come across an aggressive one. 

To shake the autumn chill, one must simply collect a bit of dried wood and set it ablaze. The flames, how they dance and leap! Fingers are held over the fire, but not too close. Rub your hands together. That helps. Toes somehow make their way over. I have heard on more than one occasion..."What is that smell? Oh...it's my shoes starting to melt!" Yes. Do be careful.

Amazing how the colors turn from red to orange, to yellow, to purple, then white, as the fire slowly burns. One never tires of looking at it. Reflection comes when entranced by it's glow. As the year comes to an end, looking back on our days...were they meaningful? Did we make a difference?  And a hopeful feeling emerges. Of looking forward, to the future. What will the coming year bring?

Thanksgiving has passed. Christmas will soon be over. And another year will begin. Another year on Happiness Hill.

Autumn's Chill

Hard to believe that it's nearly November...but the signs are in the air. The fields have recently been harvested of wheat. Billowing dust poured across roads as the combine harvester moved slowly through the tall, waving grasses . Mice scampered from field to meadow, trying to escape the blades. Where we live there are rolling fields all around us...planted yearly with rotating crops of soybean, cotton, corn, wheat, winter wheat and other grains. 

Often-times, if you drive by our house in the early night, you will see a bonfire off in the distance. The bonfire is a time of fun and laughter. We roast marshmallows (or "marshies", as we like to call them) and tell stories and jokes. There is something particularly cozy about snuggling up under jackets near a warm fire, outdoors under a blanket of stars.  Let's see how many we can count. Oh, there's the Little Dipper! The frosty air nips your nose (and sometimes toes) and it's always fun to make spears from long pieces of wood that you have burned the tips off of and gently rubbed until a point has formed.

Hikes are particularly delightful in fall. You can even hike at a brisk pace and feel comfortable. We like to go to state parks for the breath-taking scenery. It doesn't matter what you eat after a long hike...everything tastes wonderful when you have worked so hard to get here!

LBL-Land Between the Lakes

 

Being out in nature is a balm for the soul. It does my spirit good to sit near a lake or a river, watch the birds flying about or dipping their bills into the water to catch a fish. Big, puffy clouds are always a welcome sight and sunshine is a must. Cool weather, a nice breeze. Quiet. Oh, but to have it all at once.........truly this must be a bit of heaven on earth!

While you sit day-dreaming, you may find yourself surrounded by many friends. If you sit quietly and for a while, you will encounter the most delightful little creatures. If you are loud, the creatures of the forest can hear you from miles away and will leap and bound, to get as far from you as possible. But if you can sneak up upon them, you will startle them and yourself and the surprise and wonder of it all will be an inspiration to your soul!

Crunchy leaves falling down, trampled under foot. Beauty to behold that makes all other seasons envious. A whisper of what's to come stirs the trees. Soon...soon, it will be bitter cold, barren trees and empty woods. The animals will be hiding and we will be indoors, staying warm. But for now, here on the farm, we joyously celebrate the season and all it has to offer. We relish in it's glory. We bask in the last warm rays of the sun, close our eyes to the gentle breeze and sigh with a contentment that only autumn can bring.

New Buns

Two weeks ago, the sweetest little additions joined our farm. Our wonderful momma rabbit, Queenie,  gave birth to her third litter of kits. She had fourteen babies this time. Of course, they can never sustain that many and so several have met their demise. I am happy to report that, at present, nine are still alive.

There is always at least one who is a runt. So much tinier than the others...barely able to fight his or her way to the front of the line when it's time to eat. Rabbits only feed their young a few times a day and are only in the nest box for a few seconds at a time. Babies have to be strong and fast! The black rabbit, as you can see, is about half the size of the grey rabbit. I hold Queenie in a funny, upright "sitting" position and let the baby nurse at least once a day, so it grows. She allows me to do this, because as I said, she is the most wonderful and loving mother. The baby then has a chance to thrive and grow as well as the others, though it will always be smaller.

My son is currently designing and building new hutches for our rabbits. This was the first hutch he ever made. On the left, where the soda bottle water bottle hangs, is Queenie's pen. You can see her nest box inside. We place the nest box inside a few days before she is due to give birth. She rips out all of the fur on her tummy, exposing her teats and  lines the box with her fur the day before or the day that she gives birth.

Off on the other side is her mate, Sergeant.

This is our pretty boy, Prince Thistledown. Have you ever seen thistle down? It is fluffy and white. He is one of Queenie's babies, from her second litter. He is the most beautiful rabbit I have ever seen. His fur is thick and so soft! He has pretty pink ears and red eyes. He is also very gentle-natured. We found a female mate just for him. She looks exactly like Queenie. When we got her, she wasn't in the best of health, so we have isolated her and are taking care of her...helping her put on weight and get strong before we let them breed. We have named her Princess Tumbleweed.

In Bloom

 

Tulip

 Tulip

 Collard blooms

Peach

Wild Cherry

 Red Oak

 Wood Sorrel

 Easter Lily (Daffodil)

 Heart's Ease

 Hen Bit (Dead Nettle)

Beauty Everywhere!

Hens and Eggs

What can I say? The picture speaks for itself! The hens are so happy that spring has arrived! It sure took it's time and it's not sure if it wants to stay...but for now, the girls happily buzz all over the yard, finding little bugs and digging and scratching the day away.

Everything is green! Blooms arrive on fruit trees, new grass grows frantically, leaf buds uncurl into tiny leaves, tiny flowers are everywhere. The hills are alive! Frogs croak down at the pond. Tadpoles swim in streams and baby salamander eggs float in the scum near the shore.

 

 proudly strutting

Eggs! The girls are so happy to have fresh food that they are laying more and more eggs. The days get longer...the eggs start popping out! We collect for several days, then we wash them all and store them away, to be used as yummy egg salad, for breakfast meals, or in cakes and pies, or however else you please. These are the best eggs I have ever eaten in my life. It's so hard to buy store-bought after seeing the gorgeous yolks in farm fresh eggs.

freshly washed

Can you guess which are farm fresh? I bet you can! Their rich, dark yolks give them away. These are winter eggs, too! In the spring and summer months, the yolks are even darker! Just another reason to raise your own hens and have fresh eggs....they are so much healthier for you!

Spring has finally arrived...

and with it, come the babies!

The sounds of cheep-cheep fill the air! Another batch of freshly hatched baby chicks now reside on Happiness Hill. They don't know it yet, but they will have such a happy and good life here. The animals of our farm are dearly loved, petted and doted on daily. They get good pasture for grazing and plenty of room to run around. There are ten fluffy balls of cuteness in all, five of which are Buff Orpingtons and five of which are White Leghorns. These are my favorite breeds of hen.

...and there are goats! Four baby goats!

In the afternoon hours one cold day, Nellie gave birth to twin boys. Since it was her very first time as a mom, her sweet sister, Bonnie, was there to lend a helping hoof. She took care of everything....from cleaning up after the mess, to helping lick the babies clean. Me and my son rushed down the hill and sat and watched for the longest time. We finally decided it was too cold and we put a small heater in the goat house. We grabbed towels and ruffled the babies fur, to finish drying them off completely. Then we left them alone, to do whatever it is that goats do. Within hours, both babies were warm and standing and nursing well.

 one of the sweet baby boys (we castrated both males)

 Cinnamon (the boy), being licked by Bonnie and 

Blue Beauty (the girl)

After several days of anxious expectation (when *is* she going to have those babies!?), Bonnie gave birth to a boy and a girl. It happened in the wee hours of the morning, long before we were awake. She had accidentally knocked over the heater and it had turned off. She didn't have any help from Nellie and she had obviously had a hard time giving birth to the HUGE, long-legged boy. He was a little bigger than Nellie's 3 day old boys! 

I had rushed down to the goat house that morning, after dreaming that she had had her babies and they were dead, having frozen to death. The ground was covered in frost and I had to be careful not to slip. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and off to one side, all alone, was a baby, curled up in a ball. And off to the other side, huddled alone, was another baby; eyes wide open, head hanging to one side, looking decidedly dead also!

I saw blood all over Bonnie's backside and two placentas laying on the ground. 

I picked each baby up and they were ice cold. I began rubbing them and motioning frantically out the door for someone to come and help. Finally, I saw my son walking down the hill and I yelled to him that the heater wouldn't come on and he needed to grab some towels.

To make a long story short......they finally came around, though it took much coaxing and rubbing. We weren't sure if sweet baby Cinnamon was going to make it. It took him over a day to find his feet. Meaning, each time he stood, he sprawled out on the ground like some cartoon goat, a foot going in each direction of the compass. We plan to sell Cinnamon in a few months, when he is weaned.

  

All of the baby goats have blue eyes.We named the sweet, tiny baby girl Blue Beauty....after her mother, Bonnie Blue. We are keeping her.  She is half Saanen, one quarter Nubian and one quarter Boer.

We also got a batch of fourteen baby buns a few days after the goats were born. It was Queenie's third litter of babies. Unfortunately, five have died. This is the way it goes with rabbits.  Despite losing a few, life goes on for the rest. The cycle continues and a new year begins on the farm. New grass, new growth, new babies and new adventures are waiting to be had on Happiness Hill.