My kids always try to guess the male and female ones–for some reason, one tends to stay in the grass, and the other flits in the air, but I can never remember which is which. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, to get the kids out of bed after 10 when it’s dark outside and jump around in the grass (watching out for ticks, of course).
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We have some here, though this year has been low due to the lack of rain. Occasionally we would have one splat on the windshield of the car, and it was interesting to see the bright glow when the chemicals suddenly mixed, though felt sorry for the bug.
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Adult ant lion, which has the biggest physical size change in metamorphosis from larval to adult phase. Adults are sometimes called lacewings as they flutter and look a little like dragonfly’s in flight. The larval stage is a little crablike predator that stays in the bottom of the conical depression it digs in the dirt, waiting for an ant to fall in and get caught in the avalanche of dirt it kicks up
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Thanks for this. I did not realize there was such a big change in metamorphosis. Our children like to play with the antlions too
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These red flowers (Decliptera suberecta, AKA Uruguayan Firecracker) and yellow flowers (Verbascum olympicum) get started blooming in July. Both are perennial but the foliage ln the yellow flowering ones look better treated as an annual. So I yank them in the winter and then move the earliest seedlings into their spots in spring. All of these pictures were taken later in July of last year as this year’s crop isn’t as far along. Both like the heat provided in our hell strip, the narrow planting area between the street and sidewalk. The red one in particular never did much anywhere else here in bayside Berkeley where temperatures are too mild for these two.
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That’s a good question, I checked on iNaturalist and apparently we do get Fireflies (Lampyris noctiluca) in the UK - though sadly I’ve never seen one. 
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I used to get a snack at the college bookstore (Wayne State U, Detroit) back in the late ‘80s called Anita’s Fruit and Nut Bar. Wish I had kept a wrapper or found Anita for the recipe. It was mostly raw dried apricots and figs mashed together with chunks of almonds. It was amazing. I have actually recently gathered some ingredients, but having a hard time figs these days. I’ll keep looking around.
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I couldn’t get to sleep last night and went out on the back porch to watch the lightening bugs. Splendid.
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Isn’t that area incredible, Randy?! Enjoy. So jealous!
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I don’t wish it on anyone but I guess misery likes some company. Sleep can be elusive or thin at best most nights for me too. Are you taking anything to help? In addition to 10 mg of melatonin and a swig of Z Quil I take 5 mg of Zolpidium as much as every other night or a Tizanadine in between. Of course if I have nothing urgent the next day I’ll skip those and just take a nap the next day as needed. It was a lot tougher when I was still teaching and got just a couple hours two nights in a row.
Good luck,
sometimes Sleepless in Berkeley
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Speaking of sleeping I have a fruit that can help with that lol. Jk. It’s deadly. One seed can kill you. I keep it , and other things like the destroying angel mushrooms that can kill you from one bite, behind glass doors on my shelf. My cats can’t open it and no one should be in my house without me and a if they break in and eat something…. Is on them. Then leaves can causes rashes worse than poison Ivy.
Tung fruit.
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Whoa! What do you keep them for??? Careful you don’t mix it up with something else, like a Granny Smith!
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Took it from a kid playing with it. Then made him show me where it was and I approached the home owners and pointed it out and cut it down for free. But wanted to keep one of the fruits. I like the way it smells.
Though not at the moment, often my drawers are full of the toxic Carolina cherry leaves. They have my favorite scent. I put them in mesh bags about the size of a sock and as they dry my drawers and room smells like cherry. Before I had pets I had deadly nightshade growing and the deadly oleander and used the deadly sago palms to scent my kitchen. I like deadly plants. Eventually I’ll have another greenhouse and will have it full of deadly plants. I have some dark botanical collections that I don’t generally share.
Speaking of apples I’ve even had some fruits of the “manchineel” tree before. Known as “ the little apple of death “
“When ingested, the fruit is reportedly “pleasantly sweet” at first, with a subsequent “strange peppery feeling … gradually progress[ing] to a burning, tearing sensation and tightness of the throat.” Symptoms continue to worsen until the patient can "barely swallow solid food because of the excruciating pain and the feeling of a huge obstructing pharyngeal lump.” - from Wikipedia.
It’s always been creepy , and interesting, that someone can make a salad that tastes sweet made with multiple toxic plants that kills with half a day or someone could fry up battered amanitas where just one bit is all it takes to kill you and there is no cure. All they can do is give you organ transplants. People often are worried about snakes and stuff, and their kids getting bitten, but don’t realize they had 10 plants in their yard thst can kill you. I’ve been at places and seen people tossing the manchineel fruit around and smelling it and I let them know if they feel sleep under that tree and the dew dripped on then it could cause their skin to peel off in places and go blind if it was dripping on their eyes. I’ve been on jobs where the oleanders were cut down and they were going to burn them and I pointed out don’t let the smoke get you it can cause your lungs to lock up and even kill you.
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in his “cave” peering out.
Close up of her face. Was trying to see if the I13 camera was actually that good. To be honest, i preferred by i7+ .
Today has been such an annoying day. Fired 6 people and basically shut the company almost completely down. Kept two employees. Told them I have a idea for them and see how they feel. They always work 9-7 Monday to Friday. I am giving them a $5 raise each. Beyond what I feel like discussing just annoyed for the time being. So I’m going to be working for a company 5am-1pm Monday to Friday with a paid 1/2 lunch. Then I’ll be working doing my pond stuff from 2-8pm Monday through Friday plus weekend. I’ll be at the gym half an hour around 830. Then try to go to bed by 1030. Lots of hours. It will be weird hopping back into employee mode 40 hours a week and boss mode another 40 lol. Will be learning something new. Working in a metal fabrication company using splicers and presses making mostly street signs and metal caps they said.
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Transitions are tough. Prayers your way.
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Not sure whether to send condolences that you’re planning to have to work so hard with some of it not on your preferred terms -or- congratulations that you still can. Both I guess.
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It’s fine. It’s by choice mostly. Covid jacked up some things. Went from being able to have my entire 10 employee crew on a single job site. Running siding on 3 sides of a house at time and framing ect… to just 3-4 employees per job site. So I had to spend 3x as much time lining out 3 times the jobs for the same amount of people. I was spending 20-25 hours a week on the phone lining stuff out. Had to buy tons of extra tools. Had a entire tool trailer and about 10k worth of tools stolen. Then came the chance to do the pond stuff. That was supposed to be at 60 hours a week with training. The guy had heart surgery though and the Forman quit so I went to 25 hours a week and no training. I just don’t feel like going back into construction and so I’ll do that minimally and keep a small crew of 2-3 busy with larger projects. I’ll work 40 hours a week with the metal company and have enough time during the week to still do the 20 hours of pond stuff. At worst case if it’s working out I’ll bounce back to running construction full time.
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We had a surprise visit on the back deck this afternoon. I don’t think I’ve ever had a snake on the deck before. We don’t have that many snakes here, and not near the busier part of the house. I don’t think I have ever seen one like this. Seems to be a fox snake. Took off fast, when I stepped out to get a picture. I should have tried through the screen.
Really beautiful little guest.
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Some photos from around the yard this evening:
Wild raspberries. They were delicious.
Some years ago the power company cleared trees from under the lines out by the road. They cut down almost all the quaking aspens, which are some of my favorites. 2 years ago, I found some saplings growing in the same place, dug them out and transplanted them closer to the road, where they wouldn’t interfere with the lines. They are all growing and look healthy!
Some Queen Ann’s Lace.
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Beautiful time of year. Two of my kids and I picked wild blackcap raspberries today , too! Thanks!
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