Swamp Milkweed

The Swamp Milkweed has been flourishing with the wet weather.  

It has spread in the garden around the patio and is attracting a great variety of butterflies and bees.

The photos above and below are of a hummingbird moth.

Below is a Giant Swallowtail.

The Giant Swallowtail is the largest butterfly species in Ohio and is uncommon in developed areas.

This is the first time I have seen either of these species.

Mid Ohio

Last Friday Patrick and I drove down to Cousin Mary Lou's farm.  

She's leasing a field to the owner of this Scottish Highland cow and her offspring.  The mother was only about 4 feet tall at the shoulder.  She chose her own suitor who was a different breed.  

We woke up early the next day to take Patrick and Mary Lou's son Jim to the Teen Defensive Driving Class at Mid Ohio Racetrack.  I snuck this photo before the class started.  The window at left looks on the race track.  

After dropping the boys off, Mary Lou and I drove to her little house on the Lake Erie shore.  She had just harvested most of her corn crop, so we had our fill.  

We also took a long walk, hung out on the porch and drank her favorite cocktail - the Sea breeze - while waiting for her husband Mark to pick up the boys and bring them to the lake.

Both Jim and Patrick enjoyed the class.  

Let's hope they are better drivers for having taken it.

Goings on about the yard

Bee on Butterfly Milkweed

Bee carrying grass to bee house

Bee placing grass in bee house

Common Mountain Mint (small white flowers) flourishing in bed by house (and in wild bed on hillside)

Purple Coneflower, native Bee Balm, Butterfly Milkweed and New England Aster finally getting a foothold in wild bed on hillside

Robin on nest in Wisteria

American Goldfinches finally eating from thistle feeder.

I used to have several pairs that fed from the feeder all year round.  I moved the feeder several years ago so I could have a better view from the house.  They were not happy and left the yard.  

After many moves, I must have found a spot they like.

Buck on his almost daily stroll through the back yard.

This morning he decided to nibble on my roses.  That would not do.  I stepped outside to scold him.  He listened politely for a minute then proceeded on his way across the yard.

The last full moon was called a Buck Moon.

Soggy Summer

It rained twice as much as normal in June - 4 inches fell on June 28.  

That's a lot of water.

The first section of my neighbor's dock does not float.  That was fine last year.

On June 29 that first section washed away.

He told me the hull on his boat has damage from collision with large logs that floated downstream.

With all the rain and wind the dead Ash is loosing large limbs.  

This one must have weighed 100 pounds.  I put in a work order to our lawn service, but did not have much hope of them coming out soon.  

A few days ago I came home to find our neighbor had sawed it into 1 1/2 foot sections.  He helped me carry it all to the wood pile.   

He also keeps the thistle and other weeds out of his yard; best neighbor ever.

There was a pile of logs and sticks - and a few 2 x 4's - along the lowest level of the lawn.   The water level must have risen over the seawall.

That has never happened since we moved here in 1993.

Ruta

Today was the first time I monitored since my good friend Ruta passed away.

The Metroparks has agreed to allow her family to bury her ashes in Oak Openings and we took time to locate an appropriate place in Campbell Prairie.

Ruta loved Campbell Prairie and was not happy when told she was not allowed to monitor there without special permission after Karner Blue butterflies were introduced several years ago.  She would confide to me that she would sneak in from time to time without permission.  

Ruta will be in good company.  

The Metroparks has given permission only once before for ashes to be buried in the parks - and that was for Lou Campbell and his wife.

We used Ruta's handwritten maps to locate the Canada Frostweed.  

The maps are scanned onto our iPad, which we have used for the last several years.  Ruta was not fond of the iPad, preferring to jot down counts and associated species on scraps of paper she stuffed into her pockets.  

She would have found it amusing that our documentation app was not working today and we kept our notes - once again - on paper.

The Karner Blue population has been struggling and we didn't see any today.  The meadow was aflutter with hundreds of Great Spangled Fritillaries, though.  

The Bishop's House

The Toledo Day Nursery had their garden tour today in the Old West End.  I was posted to the garden at the Bishop's house.  

I only had my phone camera and with the cloudy skies, the garden was difficult to capture.  There is no access from the street so it is a wonderful secret oasis behind the cathedral.

I haven't been inside the cathedral for over twenty years and couldn't resist a peak.

Volunteers from the parish were there and mentioned the cathedral has recently been voted the most beautiful in Ohio.  Tours are available upon request.

The building was begun in 1925.  It took four years to build the walls but the cathedral wasn't completely finished until 1941.

After my shift was over I walked through the rest of the gardens.  As I crossed Monroe Street to return to Glenwood Lutheran Church and my car I came across this marker on the grounds of the Art Museum.

Who knew?!  And why is the marker where it is?

Damsels and Dragons and Unicorns

Monday mornings are extra monitoring days.  We go to places that aren't monitored on a regular schedule.

This past Monday I mistakenly went back to Blue Creek (instead of Wiregrass Lake - which used to be named Bumpus Pond - confusing!).  

I took advantage of the mistake by taking a walk on the trail there, which goes along a ditch, small ponds and meadows.

The damselfly above is a female Ebony Jewelwing - a damselfly.  Below is the male.

There is a healthy population of Common Milkweed in the meadow.  It is just starting to bloom and should attract butterflies.  I'll try and get back to see them.

I had to send this photo in to Bugguide.com.  Apparently, a female or immature Meadowhawk is as detailed an identification as can be made.  Meadowhawks are dragonflies.

This is a Unicorn Clubtail - another dragonfly.  

I spotted him on Seigert Lake in Sidecut Metropark after stopping by on my way home.

American Water Willow - was blooming nearby.