Today is one of those wet, dreary days that invites thoughts – albeit briefly – of simply getting back into bed and pulling the covers over your head. Of course, when you farm (or if you have kids, pets, or other obligations, as most of us do), that’s merely a briefly-entertained fantasy that you quickly pop like a soap bubble. Mud or no, chores must be done, animals must be fed, and other tasks must be addressed. And while finding beauty on a day like this may seem difficult, it’s really not: it’s there, just waiting to be found.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Gaily Green ‘Gainst Gray”Category: Wildlife
Around The Farm: Copious Castings And Curious Caverns
It’s been warm and rainy here and the ground is thoroughly saturated…which means lots of mud: sucking mud that tries to swallow your boots and coats surfaces with slippery goop that invites spontaneous acrobatics that sometimes result in getting up close and personal with said mud. While farmers may not like the mud, worms sure do. And it wasn’t difficult to tell that the worms had come out en masse overnight because they left telltale “calling cards” everywhere.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Copious Castings And Curious Caverns”Around The Farm: Spooktacular Spiders
What’s Halloween without spiders? Certainly, bats, witches, ghosts, and all manner of ghouls are heavily featured in the day’s imagery, but spiders are right there, too. Despite the widespread biases against spiders, they are beautiful and fascinating creatures, worthy of respect and appreciation. We’re lucky to have a great variety of spiders on the farm, like those you’ll see in this post.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Spooktacular Spiders”Update #2: The Legend Of The Headless Caterpillar
As mentioned in my earlier post, there were signs that the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was approaching the final phase of its growth before metamorphosis. Little did I know that what happened after its dramatic color change would be quite a shocker…just in time for Halloween, the headless caterpillar!
Continue reading “Update #2: The Legend Of The Headless Caterpillar”Update: Raising An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
I’m happy to share that, yes, the caterpillar is still alive. And there’s a new development that leads me to believe that it’s nearly time for it to form its chrysalis, heralding its impending transformation into a beautiful butterfly!
Continue reading “Update: Raising An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar”Haiku: Silken Symmetry
The spiders here run the gamut from large to small. This particular orb weaver is tiny…so tiny that, to the naked eye, she looks like a speck. I’d noticed this line of objects atop the rooster tractor and when I looked very closely, saw that the diminutive arachnid was perched in the middle of the line. Do you see her?