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Cardinals

Cardinals

This must have been the year of the cardinals in my backyard. On my frequent trips in my backyard to do garden work or feed the birds, I occasionally came across a cardinal feather. They accumulated over the months and now I have a small collection. I do not keep feathers for long and soon [...]

Ant Bait

Ant Bait

Every year ants come in the house under the back door and look around for food. There’s not much here; the typical floor fare is a fallen cheerio or two. There must be more here than I think because they keep coming in. After around two weeks, I get tired of seeing them underfoot [...]

Moth and Off

Moth and Off

Continued from the Green Caterpillar. This is a combo entry, more below.
After 34 days, the moth finally emerged from its pupa on May 27. The moth is plain and shades of brown. The image indicates that it has light yellow on its wings, but I think that is just a reflection of the flash. The [...]

Spined Soldier Bug

Spined Soldier Bug

May 4th while outside looking at the different kinds of bees that were visiting the white clover in my backyard, I happened upon a cloverleaf with a cluster of bug eggs. I brought the leaf inside the house because I intended to record the hatching with my scanner. It has been a while since I’ve [...]

Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Cardinal

Rose-breasted grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
About the bird: mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov
These well-dressed birds frequent our feeder. They prefer the hopper feeder and they exhibit territorial behavior at the feeder. When the hopper feeder is empty, they will feed on the ground. Recently the hopper feeder was empty and there were at least 11 rose-breasted grosbeaks on the ground under [...]