... Arf! Arf? (says Rover)

Hold onto your hats - I'm blipping a spider today!!! Me, the original arachnaphobe. But, really, isn't this the cutest little thing ever? He is about the size of half a pencil eraser and I had to use the 4x close up filter with a heavily cropped image to get his fuzzy little face. His tiny little jaw kept opening and closing as I snapped the shots and I had the sudden and irrational idea that he was trying to bark, much like one of those tiny little dogs that people carry around in their purses.

Go ahead, look at him in uber-cute large!

So, this shot is dedicated to Vodkaman who continues to dazzle us all with his unbelievable shots of insects and spiders ... and lizards. Dave, I will never come close to your shots, but little Rover and I are sending this out to you. Yes, I named him Rover because of the whole dog thing. I think this is some sort of jumping spider, but I could be totally wrong. By the way, if you'd like to see a picture of Rover in his dog-web, click HERE

The hummingbirds are definitely trying to bulk up before their fall migration, meaning that the feeders are non-stop from dawn to dusk. The young downy woodpeckers are working on their zen moves. Mimsy has been scarce for the last few days, but the discarded peanut shells on her front porch suggest that she is well.

While I was on the audubon walk this morning, I saw my first black Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. According to the naturalist who led the walk, the female butterflies carry a gene marker that makes some of them black rather than yellow. It doesn't occur all that often, making them somewhat unusual. Wish I'd been able to get a better shot, but this one wasn't cooperating.
I also found a small paper wasp nest with several large wasps hanging about. I popped my camera in close for two shots and them got the hell out of their faces. No idea what kind they are, but they looked like they could do some damage.

And I have to give a big shout out to Ryan at Blip Central! He sent a press release this week to our local papers regarding my 0ne-year blip-day and I got a call from the Herald today - they want to interview me and show some of my favorite blip shots! So, Monday I am going down to their office for the interview and will take a USB drive with a selection of shots. How cool is that? So, Ryan, if you are reading this - thank you!

Glad you liked my romantic damsel dude yesterday. I still don't know what kind of damsel it was - and in truth, it was probably a female - but I think a degree of literary license is permitted here. Anyway, the little brown charmer made it to Spotlight, so thank you.

And Happy Thursday!