Monthly Archives: June 2015

Neurocolpus nubilus (Clouded plant bug)

Photograph taken on Friday, June 12, 2015 by Henry
Neurocolpus nubilus (Clouded plant bug)

Neurocolpus nubilus (Clouded plant bug)

We have a daisy like flower called feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) growing in various places around our yard. It’s a happy plant and although it self-seeds fairly liberally, it isn’t so invasive that it’s a real pest. I was taking pictures of the flowers today when I noticed this bug crawling from flower to flower. It is one of the plant bugs in the genus Tanacetum and I think it is T. parthenium, the clouded plant bug, although I’m not 100% sure of the species. They all look fairly similar. I’ll update this once I hear the expert opinion of This image at BugGuide.net.

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Brandon and Solomon

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 11, 2015 by Henry
Brandon and Solomon

Brandon and Solomon

I happened to send a text last week to our good friend Kristine and it turns out she was going to be in town this week with her son, Brandon. So, we had them over for dinner this evening. I don’t suppose many of you will be at all surprised that I took some pictures, particularly of Brandon. We went out into the back yard and I got pictures of him jumping and doing hand stands, as well as some of him just sitting in the grass. Those turned out pretty well.

Before they left, however, Solomon wanted to come out and get into some pictures. I have a few of Solomon sitting on Kristine’s shoulder but he really wanted to have his picture taken with Brandon. Brandon, on the other hand, was a little less enthusiastic about it, but he reluctantly agreed. Here is one of the pictures that I got of them. I think it’s pretty good, don’t you?

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Day Lily

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 by Henry
Day Lily

Day Lily

This is the first day lily of the year in our yard. To me, this marks the transition from spring to summer and although it’s been cool and pleasant (and rainy) the last few days, the forecast is for hot and humid tomorrow and through the weekend.

While spring flowers are relatively fleeting (except the daffodils, I suppose, which last a while, summer flowers are more enduring. Not the individual flowers, which are generally here one day and gone the next. But using day lilies as an example, they tend to bloom continually, with new flowers each day, for weeks or in some cases all summer.

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Leucauge venusta (Orchard Orbweaver)

Photograph taken on Tuesday, June 09, 2015 by Henry
Leucauge venusta (Orchard Orbweaver)

Leucauge venusta (Orchard Orbweaver)

As I was going out to look for things to photograph this evening, Cathy mentioned a spider web above one of her patio pots. It was an orchard orbweaver (Leucauge venusta), a fairly common, outdoor spider in these parts. This will be my fifth orbweaver photo since I started the blog and my second this year, but never mind.

I know not everyone likes spiders but, particularly outdoors, they are quite good friends to have and I don’t mind them at all. This one is particularly beautiful, I think.

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Orgyia leucostigma (White-marked Tussock Moth)

Photograph taken on Monday, June 08, 2015 by Henry
Orgyia leucostigma (White-marked Tussock Moth)

Orgyia leucostigma (White-marked Tussock Moth)

When I left to head to work this morning I noticed this little lad (or lass) on the tire of my car. I took a few pictures of it there before moving it down onto the pavement and taking a few more, including this one. It’s a fairly pretty little caterpillar, although the tussock moths are pests of trees and therefore not necessarily desirable visitors. Note that contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.

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Kellan and Me

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 07, 2015 by Henry
Kellan and Me

Kellan and Me

Before church this afternoon (our gathering is not until 2:30 on Sundays) a bunch of us went to York Castle for ice cream. If you happen to be in the Montgomery College (Rockville) neighborhood on a hot afternoon (or anytime, really), you could make worse choices for a refreshing snack. I went with Caribbean cherry (although I’m not entirely sure how that differs from mainland, North American cherry) and was not disappointed. Cathy had lychee, which is quite different but also very good. A lot of folks played it safe with mango, which is always a sure thing. I was taking pictures and Kellan wasn’t sure he wanted his taken until I suggested we take one together. He smiled for the picture that Abbie took with my camera after this but I’m posing pictures that I took, so that’s what you get. Taking a selfie with an SLR isn’t quite as easy as with a phone, but this one turned out pretty well.

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WCA Graduation

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 06, 2015 by Henry
WCA Graduation

WCA Graduation

Dorothy graduated last year, of course, so we didn’t really have any need to participate in the graduation process this year. However, a lot of Dorothy’s friends, many of whom are also the children of our friends, were graduating today. I took a few pictures at the reception back at the school after the ceremony. My favorite photo opportunity, and I think I speak for many, is the traditional throwing of the mortarboards. I took a sequence of eight pictures as the graduates exuberantly threw their hats into the air and turned it into this animated image. Although it would have been slightly better if the camera had been on a tripod, I managed to keep relatively still between shots so the background only moves a little.

Congratulations to all of this year’s graduates!

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Lexi

Photograph taken on Friday, June 05, 2015 by Henry
Lexi

Lexi

Lexi and her mom Jean were up in Maryland late this afternoon and we managed to snag them for dinner at the Silver Diner. It would have been a shame for them to have been this close and not get to see them. Today was Lexi’s last day of high school and as you can (possibly) see, Lexi has had her friends sign her shirt. Graduation is still a few days away but she’s done and looking forward to the summer before heading off in July for early college classes. Because she is on the lacrosse team at school, they take an intensive class during the summer so they can take a slightly lighter load during the fall and still get the required credits in by the Christmas break.

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Red Wing Boots

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 04, 2015 by Henry
Kendra's Red Wings

Kendra’s Red Wings

Dorothy and Kendra went to a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion this evening. When they got home, or when Kendra dropped Dorothy off at home, anyway, we visited with them for a while. These are Kendra’s Red Wing boots. I don’t suppose there is much to say about them, except that they look like well built shoes. Not a lot in the way of traction on the soles, but sturdy and comfortable.

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Water Droplets on Verbascum

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 03, 2015 by Henry
Water Droplets on Verbascum

Water Droplets on Verbascum

When I went out to the car this morning the grass was fairly heavy with dew. Generally I don’t like getting my shoes all wet walking to the car but occasionally it’s worth venturing out into the grass to see what else has been covered by droplets of water. In this case, a common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) was absolutely covered with little beads of water, its velvety surface increasing it’s holding capacity. The picture isn’t actually all that good, but it’s what I have for today.

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Whelk Spiral

Photograph taken on Tuesday, June 02, 2015 by Henry
Whelk Shell

Whelk Shell

When I got home this evening I went out back to look for things to photograph. For quite some time now this whelk shell, which I believe is from a channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus), has been on our back patio. I’m not sure where it came from, whether it was found on one of our beach weeks, or if it’s something Cathy has had for a long time, or what. Anyway, I was looking at the spiral at the top end of the shell and thought it would make an interesting photograph. So, I set it on the table out back and set my camera down aimed at it. This is a 1/5 second exposure at f/16.

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Raindrops on Roses

Photograph taken on Monday, June 01, 2015 by Henry
Rose 'New Dawn'

Rose ‘New Dawn’

We’ve been in need of rain. I don’t pay particular attention to rainfall amount for particular months but generally April and May are pretty rainy. This year, May has been on the dry side. Recently the lawn has started to look like it often does in early August. Well, the rain came today (but of course, it’s now June). One downside to the rain is that it knocks the petals off the roses. The multiflora is pretty well finished, but the ‘New Dawn’ growing beside it on the fence is just really getting started. Here’s a picture of ‘New Dawn’ with drops of rain, a la Oscar Hammerstein.

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