Eureka!

Every summer I try to get a photo of one of these "dog day" cicadas and every summer I fail in varying degrees.  They are canny things and if you move too suddenly they are off in a flurry.  Several weeks ago when I was on our deck, on crash-landed head first on the table in front of me. I had the macro lens with me and thought I'd finally got my big moment...until he picked himself up, landed briefly on my chest, crashed into the window and then flew away.  

So, today, after I'd dealt with a small butterfly emergency, I spotted this one just sitting on the deck.   Quick as a flash, I grabbed the macro lens, got down on my belly and inched my way towards the behemoth.  Click, click, click...and then I noticed some tiny fly on its head, probably doing something dastardly.  Turns out that I was able to pick the cicada up (yes, with my bare hands, no less) and move it to a sunflower leaf where I took this photo.  To see a shot with the fly, click HERE

Dog Day Cicadas emerge every year, although each brood stays in ground for 3 years.  They can be heard singing on hot days in August in September in my part of the country, giving rise to their name.  This one has either been parasitized or is just at the end of its life.  Or, maybe, just maybe, it was too chilly for him to fly.  Whatever the case, I finally got my shot of a cicada - hey, I'll take it any way I can get it!

I had one monarch emerge last night, so it was released around 11 this morning. He flew straight off and went in memory of a friend's daughter who would have been 26 today.  #67 emerged around noon and I discovered a while ago that his proboscis had not properly "zippered" which would mean that he'd be unable to feed.  Fortunately, I'd read up on how to fix this so I got my tools out (toothpick and sugar water) and gently coaxed him to stick his tongue out a half-dozen times until the proboscis zipped properly.  That's the first time I've ever had to do that, so I was a bit shaky during the process.  I'm keeping him overnight to make sure all is well before sending him on his way tomorrow.  

I am probably going to have a short break in monarch releases but I still have 38 chrysalids that will emerge in the next 10 days and approximately 20 more caterpillars.  Soooo, that means I can take many more release requests.  It also means that I'll release over 100 monarchs before the season ends in early- October. Wow.

Nice visit with MIL this morning, then some errands.  Hubs is working on the race car, getting ready for next weekend's endurance race, the last of the season.  SIL is out with friends and the little dog is fast asleep.  The cats are staying upstairs away from the terrifying Bijon.  That's life on the Lane.

xo
Debbi

PS:  Two hummers in the garden this morning, both juveniles. Also a pair of cardinals feeding their last brood of the year who must have just fledged in the last few days.  Late brood.