Thursday, June 16, 2011

Coons, Bears, and Hogs

This Gulf Frittillary cocCOON is attached to the underside of a garden hose where it leaves the faucet. It is a pretty radical looking coccoon to start with, but what really lepidopterates my mind is the fact that just a few hours earlier, it was a caterpillar hanging there.
In the morning walk with Bear, I spotted a faded orange GF caterpillar hanging from that spot puparing to change to a new phase in it's career.
I didn't have my camera ... (remember, I was attached to Bear by a leash) so I missed that shot.

Speaking of BEARS, our Bear got a new toy last week. It's an inhairitance from a fine dog who owned a best buddy of Junior. That pup is gone now, but his toy lives on by tormenting Bear relentlessly.
There is an inner ball that rotates in the larger outer ball and that inner ball has slots for inserting doggy treats. As you roll it a treat occasionally drops out.
Bear rolls it a lot.

It's noisy and challenging and Bear loves it.

The HOG plums are ripening and falling.
 I am especially proud of these little ripened ovaries as I planted their momma tree from a seed. Forced by competition with a black cherry tree (that I also planted from seed), she has grown uncharacteristically tall and straight. I think her DBH must be a good 5-6 inches now.

I have been collecting her fruits for the seeds this year. I want to start them and then plant them as a hedgerow along my southern boundary. It's mostly woods on the adjoining property, but the occasional occupants did some recent clearing and it makes me grouchy to see it.
Plus, these are great native wildlife plants with...
 ... plum purty flowers in the spring.

9 comments:

Cathy S. said...

Have you ever tried to make jam or jelly from those? I always wondered if they were edible (for humans, I mean).

R.Powers said...

Cathy S,
I eat them fresh, but have not made jelly. I have tasted it though and it is good.

Caroline said...

Those look a lot like the wild plums of the SD prairie. There is a hedge similarly planted by a former neighbor, the fruit is honey sweet and the flowers are big insect attractors. The migrating warblers love so stop by and snack on the pollinators, a winning situation for birdwatchers and warblers, maybe not so much for bugs.

Thunder said...

Of course you know what I would do with few lbs of those!

lisa said...

That cocCoon is pretty radical! Bear looks like he is enjoying that new toy! And those plums look good!

Aunty Belle said...

Whoa!!

Yore new look done give me a start, FC. Gracious. Looks good, but I ain't shure whar' I si.

Love the word play in this post. Clever,

How is ya fillin' all this summer time wif' no students?

Ericka said...

yum, plums!

i discovered that i have grapes. we shall see of what sort as the summer progresses.

Banjo52 said...

Do you worry about Bear's new toy giving him anxiety attacks? That's what it would do to me, but I suppose he's a more Zen mammal . . .

Anonymous said...

They make the world's best jelly......and are getting harder to find here in north FL.

Birdie