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Here and There…Now and Then |
Iris, Caleb, and Steve
After the memorial service today, we had the family, including those from out of town (those that were staying in town for the night, anyway) over for dinner. I hadn’t taken any pictures earlier in the day. It simply wasn’t appropriate and the opportunities were fairly slim, anyway. So, I pulled out the camera and took some as everyone chatted, ate, and enjoyed being together. This isn’t a wonderfully posed picture but it does convey the casual nature of the evening.
Terminal B, Reagan National Airport
Dorothy flew home this evening for the service tomorrow and we picked her up at Reagan National Airport. It’s been redone since the old days when it was a dark and cramped space. Terminal B is large, airy, and quite pretty. During the day, it’s quite bright, but of course, less so at night. Dorothy’s flight was delayed so we had a bit of time to kill I took some pictures showing the high, vaulted ceiling and the tall, glass wall facing the runway.
Agelenidaea (Funnel Weaver)
Late in the summer, spider webs start to appear in pretty great numbers in the ground cover throughout our yard. For the most part, the spiders themselves are not seen, but once in a while, if you are patient, they will come out. This appears to be one of the funnel weavers or possibly a grass spider from the family Agelenidaea. It’s a largish spider and fairly menacing looking from the front. Their webs are horizontal and have a small funnel-like tube off to one side. They retreat into this ‘den’ when startled.
Sunset
I’m still playing catch-up on my posts. This evening I was looking around for things to photograph. It was too dark to easily get pictures in the yard and I didn’t really have any ideas. Then, I was blessed with a subject that I didn’t have to go far to see.
The sun set into the west, as it tends to do, and the clouds lit up beautifully.
A Blade of Grass
I went out with the macro lens this evening and took pictures of small things. The insects that were so prevalent throughout the summer are starting to be a little more scarce. I took some fairly extreme close-up pictures of leaves and flowers but decided to post this one. It is a single blade of grass (fescue, to be more precise). It has the evening sun shining through it, highlighting the veins in the leaf.
As the fall progresses, I find that I have to look a bit harder for subjects for photography. The insects that are in such great abundance in the summer are gone and that makes it more work. Plants are interesting but photographing them in an interesting way. I guess I need to get a bit farther out, away from the yard and into the woods. But, with how busy we’ve been, it hasn’t been easy.
Mrs. Huey’s Extended Family
When I was in eighth grade, we had just moved back to the USA after a year abroad. My best friend from childhood had moved away in the meantime, so in some ways it was like moving to a new place. One of the new friends I made was Rob. We were in homeroom together (sorted by last name) and we because very good friends. He lived about a block from the school and I went home with him after school on occasion. Those were good times and Rob’s mom was a big part of that, always welcoming and encouraging. She passed away a week ago and will be missed by her family and friends. I ‘just happened’ to have my camera today, so I was available to take family photos after lunch.
Colchicum autumnale (Autumn Crocus)
I have planted quite a few bulbs since we moved to this house about nine years ago. I do that every few years, adding to what I have, replacing those that have stopped blooming, etc. Early on I planted some autumn crocuses (Colchicum autumnale) along the edge of the pachysandra outside our front door. The pachysandra has expanded a bit and surrounded them, but they are still blooming. This one has a little bee on it, as well, adding to the interest, to me, at any rate.
Once In A Blue Mood
I typically pull up bindweed (a.k.a. morning glory) wherever it is to be found, but the one exception is this purple variety growing outside our front door. The generic bindweed has white flowers and is a serious pest all around. This one, which has been self-seeding for a few years now, has wonderful, dark purple flowers that go well with the blue enamel of the cup and bowl that Cathy has put on the concrete bench (a.k.a. the Stone Table) in front of our front porch. It’s especially pretty in the morning light, which is handy, because by afternoon the morning glory has faded. The blue thing on the left is the remains of a ceramic hand, the thumb, I believe.
Clivia miniata (Natal Lily)
Every summer we move our fairly large clivia outside. In years past we put it under a large viburnum where it could get watered by the rain and where it was out of the direct sun that seems to burn the leaves quite badly. This year we put it on the back stoop, still out of the hot afternoon sun but also where it needed to be watered regularly. Actually, it doesn’t seem to mind getting fairly dry between waterings, which makes it an ideal house plant. It bloomed quite profusely this summer and is still going strong.
Genus Ammophila (Thread-waisted Wasp)
It was only last week, on September 11, 2015, that I posted a picture of a thread-waisted wasp in the genus Ammophila. Generally I try to avoid pictures of the same type of animal or plant in the same year. Sometimes they are different enough, like the nymphs and adult large milkweed bug pictures, posted on August 29, 2015 and earlier today. Nevertheless, I’m posting this because I think it’s a cool picture and it lets you see this wasp from a different angle. Besides, this is my blog and I can do what I want. If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to come here and see my pictures. One of my favorite things about this picture is the pollen that is all over the wasps thorax.
Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug)
On August 29, 2015 I posted a picture of nymphs of large milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus). They quickly grow into adults, like this one. They are mostly gone now, off to wherever adult milkweed bugs go. I think they are really cool looking. I especially like that you can see one of its three simple eyes (the red dot above the larger, compound eye). Many insects have them, but usually we don’t get close enough to see them very well.
Hardy Begonia
A few years ago, Cathy bought a hardy begonia and had it in a planter outside our front door. For a while now, it’s been growing in the ground along the front of the front steps. This year, they are growing like gangbusters and look really good.
The leaves have red veins when looked at from behind, which is what we see in the morning as we come out the door. Also, in the morning, the sun is shining on the leaves, which really lights them up. This picture was taken in the evening, though. The leaves are still pretty, although perhaps not quite so much as in the morning.
Of course, the flowers add considerably and it’s been in bloom pretty much all summer. The pale pink flowers are not particularly spectacular on their own but they are lovely hovering above the green of the leaves.
A Jaunty Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
There were a lot of birds in the back yard this morning, coming down to the bird bath on the edge of our patio. They often fly to the lower branches of the nearest maple tree first, and then fly down to the edge of the bath. The goldfinches often land on a metal pole, even closer. Then there are the catbirds (grey catbirds, to be precise, Dumetella carolinensis). They land in and around the potted plants and often perch on this leaning garden ornament (which doesn’t light up any more, but we haven’t gotten around to removing it). I especially like watching the way birds stand on sloping and moving objects, with a sophisticated auto-balancing system that works wonderfully to keep them upright with little or no effort.
Cupido comyntas Eastern Tailed-Blue
I’ve found a way to get a bit closer in. This photo of an eastern tailed-blue turned out nicely. It was bopping from flower to flower and let me get quite near, which was unusual, and I got a couple pretty clear shots. It’s a pretty little thing and the upper side of its wings are a lovely, metallic blue with the same orange spots, which are quite striking against that blue. But I wasn’t able to get any pictures with its wings open. Maybe next time.
Lake Bernard Frank
Cathy and I drove to the small parking area on the far side of Lake Frank today and walked up toward Meadowside Nature Center and back. It was a beautiful day, although it got fairly hot by the time we were back at the car. I took pictures, as you won’t be surprised to learn, but I wasn’t particularly excited about any of them. This one was reasonably good, although a picture of a muddy stream isn’t all that special. The trees are pretty, though.
Morning Rainbow
About an hour after I got up, I noticed that the light out front was quite warm colored. That often means there is a good sunrise but when I looked out the color, while pretty, was fairly flat and not really suited for a picture. I happened to look out the kitchen window (which faces west south west), and not only was the color about the same but there was a rainbow going all the way across the sky. I woke Cathy and we both enjoyed it for about fifteen minutes and (surprise!) I took a few pictures. Rainbows are somewhat hard to photograph well. They generally aren’t as bright in the picture as they seemed in real life. Also, the surrounding scenery usually comes out darker than it really was. This one turned out reasonably well, though.
Genus Ammophila (Thread-waisted Wasp)
This is one of a few species of Ammophila (the thread-waisted wasps), probably (but by no means certainly) Ammophila nigricans or Ammophila procera. They are difficult to identify, particularly from photographs and in this case, my photographs don’t show some of the distinguishing characteristics. In any case, this is one of only a few I’ve seen this summer. The wings are hiding the long, thread-like petiole, but it’s quite distinctive. I managed to get three decent pictures of this one before she flew away (I’m guessing on the sex—the orange is paler on the males but without them being side by side, it’s not always easy to tell).
Lucilia sericata (Common Green Bottle Fly)
I hope you aren’t too tired of insect photographs. It won’t be long and they will be a lot harder to find, so my photography will shift into autumnal mode, with colored leaves and such. For now, the insects are still going string. We were supposed to have heavy rain today and in Annapolis they got nearly 3¾″. We got enough to make the ground wet, but not under trees.
This is a common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata), also known as a sheep blow fly. While the larvae feed on flesh, they only eat partially decomposed tissue. They have actually been used to clean wounds, eating the necrotic tissue and leaving healthy tissue alone.
Queen Elizabeth II
I know it’s not much of a picture, but on the windowsill in our kitchen is this small tin. On it are faded and worn likenesses of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was made to commemorate her coronation on June 2, 1953.
Her reign actually began over a year earlier, on February 6, 1952, upon the death of her father, George VI. Today, September 9, 2015, she surpassed her great, great, grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch in history.
We’re not really into monarchy here in the United States. We think we have a better system, even if it was born out of the Anglo tradition. In any case, I wish her well and many more years of health.
Euschistus Species (Stink Bug)
I came across a little stink bug this evening. It isn’t the “dreaded” brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) that made such a stink the last few years (if you’ll pardon the expression). The genus consists of about 20 species in our area and the darkish spot at the center of the scutellum (the triangular bit in the center of its back) and less obvious dark patches on the wings (not really visible in this angle) are distinguishing to the genus. It’s a little fellow and it was climbing around close to the ground on the leaves of blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum).