Flutterby

Most trail camera photos consist of (in this order) ground cover blowing in the wind, deer, turkey, raccoons, possums, rabbits, coyotes, various birds, mink and recently a rumble of river otters.

Then there is this.....

click on the butterfly for a closer look

Quote of the Day

President Trump is a rolling disaster of mendacity, corruption and prejudice.

- Michael Gerson

  Whitehouse Policy Advisor and Speechwriter to President George W. Bush 

Friday Music

Beanland was a roots rock jam band, based in Oxford, Mississippi, which performed and recorded primarily from 1986 to 1993.  They enjoyed a loyal and local following.  Hat-tip to Son-In-Law for sharing....

The Garden Chronicles

Quick update on the garden.

Things are really happening. 

Sweet peppers, green beans, three varieties of lettuce:  romaine, red leaf and Bibb along with spinach.  Baby carrots, beets and broccoli. 

An avalanche of pickles occurred late this afternoon and they're already scrubbed, sliced and soaking in my pickle barrel. 



Gonna do a run of kosher dill pickles this weekend.


Vive le jardin magnifique!

Flying Tiger

Meet Papilio glaucus - the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Characterized by yellow wings and black tiger stripes it is difficult not to take notice of this flashy butterfly.  The specimen captured in the photo is a paler phase.

Habitat is mixed conifer/deciduous forest and open land including urban settings.  It feeds-upon alder, willow and poplar and favors wetter habitat.  In Wisconsin it reproduces two generations.



click on the image for a close-up

Who Else Eats Milkweed?

Just in case you were operating under the assumption that the only thing that eats milkweed is the monarch butterfly last week you read that the milkweed tussock caterpillar or milkweed tiger moth dines on this plant too.  There is also this: 

click on image to enlarge

 

Meet - Aphis nerii - an aphid of the family Aphididae.  The common name is oleander aphid or milkweed aphid.  Gross, eh?    

When I spied this my first impression was that this was pollen.  But that didn't make any sense.  Milkweed doesn't have yellow pollen on its leaves.  Upon close examination this suspected 'pollen' was moving.  It was an infestation of tiny yellow aphids feasting on the milkweed and sucking its vital force from it like a horde of little vampires. 

A large colony like this will eventually lead to death of the milkweed plant.  And get this - the colony grows by means of parthenogenesis.  The young are produced asexually as the females give birth to live nymphs without the participation of males. 

This is too gross for words.  Jill chopped-off the infested portion of the milkweed plant and properly sealed it in a plastic bag to roast in the sun. 

Death to the nasty, sticky, sap-sucking, vampires.

Achtung Schützenfest!

Schützenfest was a part of last weekend's activities and will likely persist into the coming weekend as Six Deuce and Sid return to complete repairs of a remaining deer stand, zero their rifles and perhaps indulge in some adult beverages and deer camp-style cooking. 

You may care to know how Schützenfest found its way to the Door peninsula.

As the legend goes a German sharpshooter (schütze) shot an eagle from the sky that had attacked him as a small child.  In the states this act would land you in jail; nevertheless, the people of his village were so impressed by this feat that they crowned him 'king' for the year and a celebration followed.

A more realistic explanation is that 15th century soldiers were returning from war to reoccupy their farms and shops and their return was celebrated with a shooting festival. 

In any event Schützenfest has likely been around longer than Oktoberfest and the German tradition celebrating marksmen and marksmanship occurs from summer to autumn and persists almost 500 years to modern times. 


It's a rather big deal and as evidence of this fact the Schützenfest held in Hannover Germany is such a really huge deal that it has become the largest of marksman festivals.  A parade of 10,000 participants from Germany and other parts of the world stretches about 7.5 miles making it the longest parade in Europe and probably the world.  Of course there are carnival rides, a humongous Ferris Wheel, five massive beer tents along with music, dancing and other entertainment to accompany the feats of marksmanship.

click on my 100 yard 3/4 inch group for a closer look

Around here the event is quite subdued although there is the shooting tradition followed afterwards by adult beverages and some really good food.  The company of friends is particularly enjoyable.

Prosit!