About that new camera I mentioned…

Well, I got a new one, but I have to tell you the rest of the story.  We were about 3 hours from home when I remembered I never put my camera in the truck.  I did a frantic look-see in the glove box, hoping it was still in there, but it wasn’t.  I said “Oh sh*t, I forgot my camera!”  As it turned out, this was a perfect time for me to be forgetful, because in just 3 days was my birthday and guess who didn’t buy me anything?  So he says, “If you’d like, for your birthday present you can get yourself a new one”.  Hmmm, that sounds pretty good to me.  I knew I wanted to keep things simple and I didn’t want an expensive camera that requires expensive lenses.  So after some online research and shopping around, I decided this was the one I wanted.  A Nikon Coolpix P500.I’ve only had it since Wednesday, but so far, I really like it.  And I really like the color of it too!  I’m still learning the settings and other features.  I sure was glad I had it when we were driving along and saw this little cub along the edge of the road.  Such a cutie.  Mom and the rest of the kids crossed the road before we came along.  While we were watching it, Jim caught some motion in the review mirror and most likely, Mrs. Bear pushed this deer out of the woods.  The next day Little Doe brought her two fawns around.  Jim was stacking wood over on that side, so Little Doe had the kids hang around while she decided whether it was safe of not.  She decided to take them back from the direction they came from. I grabbed my camera and took some picture through the front window.   We’re finally seeing some pretty butterflies.  I just wish more of them would be on flowers and not on piles of poo.  I don’t know what kind of butterflies these are, but the small ones really blend with the sand, don’t they?This little bird was sitting in front of my blind, singing it’s heart out.  I got all excited and took a video of it.  After the fact I learned that unless you record your video in HD, there won’t be any audio.  Okay!  Won’t do that again. 

Another thing I’m learning is that HD videos take FOREVER to upload to YouTube.  I’ll have one for you in my next chapter.

So that’s my story and I’m very happy with my new camera. 

Not always pretty

A few blogs down, I have a picture of a swallowtail butterfly that was sunning itself on a fern.  I thought it was very pretty.  Lately we’ve been seeing swarms of them in the road and today I had Jim slow down so I could get a picture before they all flew off.  Did you know butterflies get salts and minerals from animal poop?  These are really getting into a pile of fresh bear poop.  In my opinion, this isn’t pretty!Another not so pretty thing I saw the other day was a leach.  This one was in a puddle and I can’t help but wonder how it got there?  There’s a pond nearby, but it’s not connected to this puddle in any way. 

Mrs. Robin and Mrs. Phoebe both let me take their pictures this week.

They’re still sitting on their eggs.  The Bluebirds and tree swallows are busy flying in and out of their bird houses getting bugs for their babies. 

 

This morning I sat out in my blind again.  As usual the lighting was intense and of course that was the time a deer came out in the open.  I was looking for fawns, but didn’t see any.  It is nice to see they finally have their pretty summer coats on.Every week new wildflowers starts to bloom.  This one is an Indian Paintbrush.

Rain

This is the first summer since we retired in 2007 that there’s been regular rainfalls.  The past 3 summers were very dry.  So this year, we’re seeing how different things are while having average weather.  One thing I’ve noticed more this year than the past is the number of butterflies out there.   Before this summer, all I could ever identify were Monarchs and Swallowtails and a few moths.   Now I know lots of different kinds.

The other day we were driving to Molly’s favorite swimming hole and I saw a patch of bergamot with pretty orange butterflies flitting all over them.  We had to back up so I could get some pictures of them.  They were really into these sweet purple flowers.  I now know these are Aphrodite butterflies.

 
Here’s a Red Admiral and a White Admiral.

  I’ve noticed how much earlier wildflowers are blooming because it’s not so dry.  Same for berries. Lots of blueberries, raspberries and hopefully blackberries too.  Rain really makes a difference.  It keeps Molly’s swimming holes full and fresh.
This morning we had a big storm go through and while the wind was blowing and the rain pouring down, the only creatures stirring  were the tiniest of them all…the little hummingbirds.  Rain doesn’t bother them one single bit!

On Second Thought…

After thinking about all the sweet, fragrant ingredients that go into the butterfly jam I think it would be a big mistake to put any of it outside the cabin.  Can you imagine how much the bears would like that stuff?  Sheesh, I’d have them coming in from all over the county.  I’ll stick with my little sand puddle I made for the butterflies and they’ll just have to get their sweetness from natural things.  

Jenny D thought it would attract a lot of ants and I’m sure she’s right about that.  We had a few ants around the sink both here and at home.  A few sprays of RAID took care of those little guys.

We picked more blueberries the other day and I made my annual Blueberry Pudding Cake using the berries in this picture.  Oh my, it’s so good! 

We checked another favorite blueberry patch, but this year it’s almost under water.  It’s a for real blueberry bog.  Sphagnum moss and everything.  Maybe next year if things are drier than this year.

Butterfly Jam

This recipe was in a recent issue of Wisconsin Outdoor News.  I haven’t tired it yet, but when I get some rotten fruit, I will.

Butterfly Jam
12 oz. beer
1 lb. brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
Some rotten fruit (bananas, plums, pears, peaches, grapes)

Blend together until thick enough to spread.  Let ferment, uncovered on the counter, overnight.  Spread on a plate or rocks and watch for butterfly visitors.  Refrigerate any remaining mix.

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Here’s an unusual capture by the trail cam of a pretty monarch butterfly passing by.  Ignore the temperature on the picture.  Obviously the sun was beating right down on the camera.