Butterfly Wrangler

For anyone that doesn't already know this Jill and I have a soft spot for moths, bugs, butterflies and other insects.  Pollinators are a critical player in the web of life for everyone involved in the food chain - namely critters and people.  I struggle with the role of the nasty, sociopathic and invasive insect called the German yellow jacket wasp.  However that is another story and I digress.  

There's acres and acres of native prairie out back with a large medley of forbs - many of which were selected because they bloom consecutively throughout the pollinator season.  That way there is always pollen and nectar for our six-legged friends right up thru the fall of the year.  And seeds for the over-wintering birds.

Some of you reading this likely live in the city and may be puzzling about making a difference.  Urban wild habitat establishments can indeed have a measurable impact.  If more people took it upon themselves to propagate pollinator-friendly native plants - including milkweed - desirable insects would have one additional of six legs-up on a general decline of habitat elsewhere.  Urban wild habitat does made a difference.

The plantings around the house is largely native and there is milkweed absolutely everywhere.  And I mean everywhere.  In recent years milkweed has spread throughout the turf grass in the yard. The result is that mowing the lawn has become something of an obstacle course.  Any milkweed - if for some reason - did have to be removed was inspected first for evidence of monarch eggs or larvae. 

Which led to this...

click on images for a closer look

 

No, we're not propagating milkweed on malted beverages.  Those beer bottles have been repurposed as vases for milkweed rescued from the yard because it had eggs or caterpillars on it.  And as a consequence the screen porch has now become a nursery for monarch butterfly larvae. 

How many can you count?







Ordinarily we would not recommend interfering-with or molesting wildlife - especially during the breeding or nesting season - yet sometimes human intervention has to occur if there is no other alternative.







After only a short while these monarch caterpillars have grown-up and begun their process of metamorphosis to an adult butterfly. 

And not a moment too soon as it would be nice to reclaim the futon without the caterpillar frass on the slip cover.












The slick thing about the screen porch is that following the emergence of these adult monarch butterflies all we have to do is open a door and let them flutter their way out.

Besides - a creative repurposing of beer bottles before they're off to be recycled...

Friday Music

This tune has a reputation as an anti-war song - yet about the time Buffalo Springfield had become the house band at the Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip - Stephen Stills was inspired to write the track because the Strip experienced rioting at curfew time.  Hollywood culture clashes with the establishment. 

The single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and persists as number 63 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 

I think that the Athens, Georgia band Widespread Panic performs one of the best covers of this song.  And if you listen to the words it remains timely to this day.  Turn-up the volume on your workstation and enjoy…

Blonde Bomber Makes a Run For It

From a trail camera near the house is this photo of one happy Labrador retriever running at full-tilt. 

Betcha don't know how you can tell she is in her element.........?

click on the blonde dog for a closer look

........when there's poo to roll in she's got a big shit-eating grin on her face!

Road Hazard

The other day I exited the automobile following a run to town on an errand and immediately caught a whiff of dairy air.  The smell of manure.  Oddly-enough it was limited to the immediate vicinity and not dominating the atmosphere like a pungent miasma.

Ah ha.  That wasn't just mud from a field I drove thru on the roadway - it was cow shit.

Raising a toast to rural life...

click on the tire for a better look at the fresh poo

 

Lazarus

Ordinarily I wouldn't make a big production about wildlife in my yard unless their behavior or conditions of their existence begin to become destructive or cause other harm.  If you chose to live in rural America critters are part of the landscape and you share it with them. 

Having said that - if a groundhog begins tunneling and undermining the foundation of your barn you may have to intervene.  Same for mice in your basement.  Or a colony of sociopathic German yellow jacket wasps in the wall of your wife’s potting shed.   Speaking about insect infestations – how about a million, bazillion stinky lady bugs sunning themselves on the sunny side of your house before they move in for the winter?  Ugh.   And then there is the reoccurring matter of ground squirrels tunneling and inhabiting your mound system – or POWTS (Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System). 

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing personal against ground squirrels – the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel - Spermophilus tridecemlineatus in particular.  I bear them no grudge.  Nevertheless, the construction of a septic mound and all of its attendant operating systems is quite expensive and to risk its operating efficiency or life span at the hands of tunneling rodents comes with no small amount of consternation.  I have attempted live-trapping them to tittle effect.  They are masters of eventually escaping thru the bars of my smallest live trap.  I dare not attempt poisoning them as a dead squirrel may cause no small amount of harm to a curious and hungry Labrador retriever.  I could shoot them like a sniper – yet that requires rising early and burning daylight when other pressing shores demand attention.  Or there is the always reliable Victor Rat Trap.  Or is it? 

I recently set the trap in the photo – baited with irresistible peanut butter and anchored by means of a stiff wire inserted into the turf – namely to prevent an overnight varmint from easily carrying-off the trap along with a deceased squirrel. 

Twice I found the trap was sprung, the bait gone and no squirrel corpse to provide evidence of its efficacy.  Although it is entirely possible another predator absconded with any deceased squirrel caught in the trap. 

And then one day – as I was working in the garden – I discerned an audible SNAP!  Focusing on the mound I spied a squirrel twitching in the trap and immediately falling still.  I allowed the situation to chill for about twenty minutes and calmly walked to the trap, opened the spring-loaded bale and dropped a presumably dead squirrel to the ground.  Setting the trap aside I reached to pick-up the decedent for disposal when it suddenly arose from the dead and limped sideways in a crab-like fashion about ten feet from me.  This rodent was obviously not well - yet seemingly far from the grip of death. 
 
Determined to end its misery I walked back to the garage to fetch a pistol and returned to the squirrel that had now launched into a loud and clamorous, chattering alarm call.  Chambering a round I prepared to deliver a merciful coup de grâce when the squirrel (now seemingly unimpaired) darted away and disappeared from view with normal ground squirrel haste. 
 
I am not quick to invoke biblical connation to such inexplicable events but that rodent was the gopher equivalent of Lazarus.  Probably a good thing I didn’t shoot it as it was meant to live on.  Meanwhile, they’re still burrowing in the mound and likely a bit more wary of the trap and the guy in the garden. 
 
Back to the drawing board....
  

The Garden Chronicles

click on images to enlarge

It has been a slow and late start to getting the garden in this year – which may be an indirect blessing with early cool and wet weather.  Nevertheless, I’m not in a rush anyways as veggies are gonna grow on their own schedule depending on the summer temps and rainfall. 

 

 

 

 

In any event, everything that’s planned for this year is in or has had its first sowing.  With the first row up and at’em, green beans got a second sowing a couple of days ago. 

 

I was concerned about the German Butter Ball spuds getting drowned in the monsoons of a couple of weeks ago but they’ve peeked from the depths and got another layer of dirt over their trench today.  The Kakai pumpkins remain a concern with only one seed germinating – so a second sowing was performed on Friday. 

 

Fingers-crossed.  Peas and tomatoes are looking good and the broccoli is very happy behind its border fence.  No rabbits allowed.  Stay-tuned for periodic updates. 

 

 



Vive le jardin magnifique!

Foxglove



click on images for a closer look

Nope.  That is not newly-fallen snow in the tall grass prairie.  It happens to be Smooth Penstemon - Penstemon digitalis. 

 

A member of the snapdragon family this showy native to the prairie is commonly called foxglove or beardtongue.  Native Americans and folk-healers have made use of this plant for medicinal purposes for both people and animals.  And when it blooms...BAM!  There it is. 

 

 

 

On our pollinator habitat this is the first species to materialize in large quantities.  And there is an abundance of this blooming beauty. Acres upon acres of the stuff.  This flower appears during late spring or early summer for about a month and then it’s gone.  

 

Long-tongued bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, miner bees, butterflies, Sphinx moths, and hummingbirds favor this plant.  The name Beardtongue is a consequence of the hairy reproductive parts found within the flower.

Fire Station Number One

click on images to enlarge

If you ever wanted to see a community gather-together, absolutely busting with pride, today was one of those days.  After several attempts a referendum was passed to modernize the two fire stations for the Brussels Union Gardner Fire Department. 

Fire Station Number One – located just outside of the town of Brussels – is a brand new facility replacing the old, worn and cramped fire station located in town. 

It is now home not only to the fire department but county emergency services including the Door County Sheriff.  For the first time ever 24/7 staffing of an ambulance has begun for this Southern Door community. 









There was a terrific turnout of the community, an open house with tours, a formal dedication of the facility complete with all of the appropriate recognition of fulltime emergency services personnel and an all-volunteer fire department. 

 

 

 

The local parish priest was called-upon to bless the facility and all those who serve.  I also learned something today – who Saint Florian is. 











St. Florian—an officer in the Roman army - was put to death for refusing to kill Christians as ordered by Emperor Diocletian.  He was martyred.   According to the legend - during his life - Florian put out a massive fire with only one bucket of water, saving a village from ruin.  Many years after it is said that a man was saved from a deadly fire when he called on St. Florian, begging for his intercession.  As a consequence St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters.

A First

While I have captured photos of insect life on the trail cameras it is generally restricted to critters crawling-across or collecting on the lens.  This might possibly be a first.  Feel free to click on the photo for a closer look...

Failure To Thrive

Over the years I have blogged about the best roasted pumpkin seeds in the world - both here and at the former Wauwatosa Blog.  This is no small deal - these seeds are the pumpkin seed equivalent of crack cocaine.  Absolutely addicting.

The problem lately has been obtaining enough gourds to get larger quantities of seed into the kitchen supply chain.  The 2016 and 2017 growing seasons were marked by an insufficient inventory of Kakai pumpkins largely a consequence of failure top thrive.  Poor seed germination.  I thought initially it was due to wet conditions or some sort of blight.  Or the unlikely possibility that I was doing something wrong.  Yet my pal Six Deuce was experiencing the same issues - dismal survivability.

There is this notation of the packet of the 2018 seeds - 30% more seeds as germination is below Federal standard at 61%.  Heck, until now I had no clue there was a Federal germination standard.  Jung Seed clearly stands by their product.  Bravo for them.

Hmmm.  Maybe something else is afoot?  Not operator error on the part of the gardener?  Just plain-old failure to germinate.





I planted two hills of kakai seeds - likely sixteen in all.  As of yesterday I had one successful sprout.

I replanted and will keep my fingers crossed.  Probably should do what my pal Six Deuce has been doing - starting the seeds indoors for transplanting...

Friday Music

Funny thing it is that an obscure folk song from Mexico becomes a charting Top 40 hit and a permanent ranking (number 354) on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time – the only one on the list sung in a language other than English.  Adapted by Ritchie Valens in 1958 all of that changed.  Crank-up the volume on your office workstation and get your ‘Happy Feet’ warmed-up for La Bamba…..

Summer Solstice

If you look outside it is quite light enough to putter in your garden, cut the grass, plow a field or read a book.  That is because today is the summer solstice.

The cause of all of this daylight is a consequence of the Northern Hemisphere dipping toward the sun allowing our northern half of Mother Earth to bathe in direct sunlight for longer than any other day of the year.  Our neighbors to the north (including the state of Alaska) are going to enjoy anywhere from sixteen to twenty-four hours of sunlight.

The solstice occurs because Earth does not spin upright, but leans 23.5 degrees on a tilted axis.  Astronomers have long wondered if our Neolithic ancestors constructed the monuments at Stonehenge to mark events like today.  Or maybe - as the scientists contend - the tilting of the sun contributed to creating the conditions for life here on our Third Rock from the sun.  Me?  I'm going to sit on my porch and enjoy a Merlot with the girls in my  life.  Ponder that. 

Learn more about this astronomical phenomenon here…

Fawns

I promised you fawn photos awhile ago.  Here is your dose of cuteness for this week...

click on images to enlarge

Stroke of a Pen

The president has issued an executive order to negate an executive action.  This is the first time (I think) that Trump has reversed himself.

Raising a toast to first aid for a self-inflicted wound.

Cheers!

Bird In The Bush

A week ago I reported on the replacement of brown thrashers by catbirds in the gnarly, prickly, snaggy, perilous and generally nuisance-some rose bush growing against the attached garage.  (Truthfully it does make a decent home if you are a nesting songbird).

I regret to inform my readers that last weekend I snuck a photo of the nest to see what was up.  There was a broken egg and what appeared to be a little hatchling in the shadows.

click on the images for a close-up

I was concerned as the egg looked like it was a bit 'yolky' for a timely hatch.  And following another twenty-four hours checked again and by all outward appearances and without any adults coming or going from the nest I have an aborted hatchelling or otherwise dead bird in the nest.




I haven't a clue as to the circumstances - a cowbird killed it and subsequently laid its own egg as a replacement - a catbird will destroy and remove a cowbird egg under these circumstances.

Alas, the nest now appears abandoned for the season.

Nature can be a cruel Mother. 

How To Make The Russia Investigation Go Away

If you think about it one of the most remarkable aspects of the Russia affair is that it would be so easy for Donald Trump to act like something resembling a responsible president of the United States.  Am I not correct?

He could simply say that whatever effect Russian meddling had on the 2016 election - it was unacceptable and the integrity of American elections must not be compromised. Never.  Ever. 

Then he could direct someone like Vice President Pence to lead a task force to make recommendations on how to secure elections in the future from both hacking and foreign propaganda efforts.

Most everyone would say that he’s doing the right thing and he wouldn’t look so paranoid, dishonest and defensive.

Move along.

Nothing more to see here....

Noteable Quoteable

It is worth noting that yesterday was the 78th anniversary of the signing of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs into law. While it would be unfair to make a direct comparison with the disastrous effect of Smoot-Hawley ... it is worth noting that sometimes the economy can be a fickle creature, and if these decisions have negative ramifications the effect might impact both the GDP and the GOP.  

-Thorn Run Partners' Jason Rosenstock

Peninsula Century Spring Classic

click on image to enlarge

 

The angry, yellow and orange radar image that you see above interrupted our annual participation in Door County's spring century ride.  It was a wash-out.  All kidding aside we heard from one cyclist about a lightning strike on the road that was so close he could smell the ozone afterwards.

Nevertheless, the monsoons did abate as the storms blew out over the big pond.  And even though the bicycling was truncated the sun eventually reappeared, we circled our wagons on the porch for a refreshing adult beverage, grilled delicious pork products to round-out a magnificent summer meal and celebrate many past and future years of friendship.

When it rains it pours and when the sun shines you cheer-up.





















Raising a toast to good weather, good food and good friends. 

Cheers!

Porch Beer

If you're in the mood and looking for a good porch beer I would recommend you consider Clawhammer Pilsner from the Door County Brewing Company of Baileys Harbor.  We brought this back with us from Saturday's Door County Beer Festival. 

Clawhammer is a classic German style pilsner brewed with an American point of view.  Dry, crisp, and refreshing with a hoppy note from the German Bavarian hops used in the brew.

Served icy-cold this beer is as delicious as it is simple.

You can learn more here.

Cheers!

Dutch Brunch Visits The Platz

Our bicycling friends recently returned from a trip to the Netherlands and brought with them a craving for poffertjes - mini Dutch pancakes.  They even went so far as to purchase cast iron poffertjes pans on Amazon.  

These baby pancake puffs are traditionally served with unsalted, sweet cream butter and sieved powdered sugar.   We included blueberries, sliced strawberries and vanilla ice cream.  After-all, what’s Sunday brunch without ice cream…

click on images for a better look

 

New Recruits

The changing of the seasons brings all sorts of newcomers - fawns, turtle hatchlings, mosquitoes and more.  Including this years first recruit class of tree swallows....

click on image to enlarge

 

If you want to learn more about birds, birding, affordable housing for our feathered friends feel free to use the search function tool in the upper left corner of the blog's home page.  If you type in tree swallow that will give a start on posts containing those key words over the years.

Cheers!

Friday Music

This song was released in 1969 on Neil Young’s album - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Young's first album with backing band Crazy Horse.   Released as a single the following year, it reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. 
 
Young has never said who the Cinnamon Girl is – deferring to the listener any lyric interpretations.   
 
The liner notes to Young’s compilation album – Decade - reveal that Down by the River, Cinnamon Girl, and Cowgirl in the Sand were all composed  in a single afternoon – while Young was sick with a 103 degree temperature.   They were recorded after being together with the band Crazy Horse for only 2 weeks. 
 
Neil Young and Promise of the Real perform Cinnamon Girl at Farm Aid 2017 at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, on September 16. 
 
Long may you run, Neil Young…
 

Porch Setting

Canoe Paddler. 

Leinenkugel’s Canoe Paddler is a slightly spicy and smooth addition to Leinenkugel’s seasonal portfolio. This Kölsch-style beer is brewed with a touch of rye for a slightly spicy flavor and clean, dry finish. A German classic that’s perfect for winding down and relaxing.  Available March thru July....

Beauty Contest

Most of the resident whitetails have completed their molt of their drab, grey winter coat and they're now sporting the handsome, ruddy, rusty-red of summer.  Stunningly beautiful in my estimation and when these deer move into a hayfield they're easy to spot up to a half mile away contrasted against the bright green of the clover or alfalfa. 

You be the judge. 

click on a photo for a closer look

 

This is also the time to see the new recruits of the year as the resident does have begun dropping their fawns.  Not dropping literally - but birthing their offspring.  Singles and twins - although Jill spotted triplets a week ago.  I'm hoping for photographic evidence so fingers crossed on that account. 

Anyway, lest you think that all deer look alike I remain convinced that sometimes you can tell them apart by means of unique markings, a scar or maybe just the 'look' about them.  That deer in the photo above is likely the same one nursing her little one here.