Bug Days of Summer

Yes, I know that August is typically referred to as the Dog Days of summer, but I've been seein' a lot of bugs lately!

I was back at one of my favorite places today while I was waiting to hear that Mom was back home and ready for me to come out and visit.  Some of you who are from the Huber Heights, Ohio area may recognize the location from one of the pictures, but it's not the most obvious view.  I'll let you know at the end of the post.  OK, so I was back at this place and over by the pond and along the trail, there were quite a few bugs to keep me company!  One particular flying demon kept buzzing my head, but I didn't even get a good look at it.

Yeah, still obsessing on the clouds.  But aren't they pretty?  C'mon, admit it!

The pond has a lot more algae on it than I remember for this time of the year, but there's also a lot less of the pond than I remember!  That couldn't be due to it being such a hot summer, could it?

Looking toward the fishing pier . . . most of the fishing being done wasn't from the pier, but beyond it, right at the bank.

I have absolutely no clue what this critter is, but he almost literally dropped in on my walk; just a couple of inches from where I was standing.  I thought it only polite to spend a minute or two with him and share him with y'all.

I promise, I only took 2 cloud shots today.  No more after this one!

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!  I've not been fortunate enough before to catch two different  types of butterflies so close together.  I wish the blue one had stayed around a little longer though.

I don't know what kind of berries these are, but I sure didn't see much of any kind of flower or berry.  Another product of the hot summer I'm assuming.

I almost missed this guy, but the web was glistening.  I like how you can't really see the web, but the debris that's trapped in it makes your mind know it's there.

And of course, if there are bugs by a pond, there will most likely be frogs.  I caught this one after he'd jumped a couple of times.  Find him hiding?

It was another hot day, but fortunately, no headache today.  That meant I was able to make the most of a short visit to Carriage Hill for my photo opportunities today.  Haven't decided where to go tomorrow . . . maybe back to the Butterfly House at Cox Arboretum?  I'm thinking that's a good possibility.  But, now it's time to head outside to mow the front yard.  I think I'm really only mowing the weeds since it's been so hot, but it still needs to be done, darn it!  I wonder if I could get away with having a goat and letting it groom the lawn for me??

Flutterin' By

I'm guessing you won't be able to figure out where I was today . . . 

Not even with these wonderful clues . . .

I finally made it out to Cox Arboretum's Butterfly House!!  It was a nice day (a bit on the hot side, but nothing like last week) and I figured it would be the last chance to check it out before Mom got back from her trip (picked her up at 5:30 this evening).

SO glad I went.  I did see a lot of Monarch Butterflies, and some of the smaller moths, but there was at least one beautiful surprise AND several caterpillars!

Loved the flowers, even though I didn't really pay attention to most of the names of them . . .

One of the caterpillars!

I really wish this had been completely in focus, but I still love it!

I spotted this Black Swallowtail clinging to the screen relatively high up (almost got a crick in the neck watching him).

Fortunately, he decided to move to the vegetation closer to eye level for me!  (Is it just me, or does this seem to be an almost Batman pose?)

Beautiful, beautiful colors!

I loved how close I was able to zoom in on this shot.  LOVE the vein-like quality of the wings.  I can almost feel the texture of the wings just looking at the picture.

This little guy was hidden away, but the workers were kind enough to point him out to everyone.  He was right by the exit door, so he was the image that remained in my head, mostly because of the green/blue combination, and how he was hanging upside down.

I do want to go back in about a week and see if there are different butterflies, more butterflies, etc. The Butterfly House is only through August 26th, so I'd really like to make it back every week to see the changes.  We'll see how well I manage that.

W W W Wegerzyn (I may have to rename it Againerzyn)

Really wanted to go out to Germantown MetroPark today, but when I got there, it was deserted.  So I decided to head over to Wegerzyn, again.  It was HOT, and I'm glad I made it a short trip!  I went to a different section, so hopefully I'm not duplicating shots.

No real commentary to the pics today; too hot to think about what my brain might have been stuck on for today's pics.  Just enjoy the nature shots in the comfort of your air conditioned domicile.

Time for a cold one!

Lest there be any confusion, let me state plainly that I do NOT like hot weather.  Nor apparently does hot weather like me.  I tend to get severe headaches when the temps start approaching the upper 80s, and if it's also humid, I live on Extra Strength Excedrin & Benadryl, and cold caffeine.

Since we've had the last several days in the 90s, I've been fighting headaches mostly with caffeine and chocolate.  I'd gladly pop the Excedrin, except I'm scheduled to donate blood tomorrow.  That means I'm not supposed to have anything w/ aspirin in it 48 hours prior to donating.  The headaches haven't been debilitating, but they are annoying.

So, in an effort to get my mind off the heat and humidity outside, I'm posting pictures from winters past, or snow storms, or ice storms.

When I took these first pics, I lived in a 3rd floor apartment.  I'm assuming the paw prints were left by squirrels.

This pic was taken through the window - I had to sequester the beasties before I could think of opening the patio door.

Yup, beasties were successfully sequestered, and I ventured outside for a few minutes.

This was taken at Mom's house later that same day - there was a lot of drifting snow . . .

I liked the way the snow stuck to the chimney, heavier in spots than in others.

I'd forgotten how much snow the pine trees could hold!

One of my friends has 5+ acres of land with their house, and one winter decided to build a small ice rink; the kids had a blast.  Unfortunately that winter, it only got cold enough for the rink a couple of times.

This is what frost on the grass looks like at 7 a.m. in October, up close.  It was too freaking early to be up, let alone shivering at a soccer tournament.

This is what the same frost on the grass looks like from a distance - more like a light dusting of snow!  I almost wished I was out there playing, just to help stay warm.

These last photos are from the ice storm in February of 2011.  The parking lot at the apartment was more like a skating rink than parking lot, and it took forever to clean off the car windows.  I think I turned the defrost on for at least 15 minutes before it started to melt any of the ice.

Yes, it was beautiful to look at, but it was treacherous to get around on.

I do believe I'm feeling cooler now.  It is time to make sure I get more fluids in me, along w/ another round of Benadryl . . . might have to hit the cold caffeine though . . . Diet Mt. Dew, I hope you're ice cold by now.