Monthly Archives: August 2011

The Unknown Turn

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Randy Tindall

I looked down the at the tattered sheet of paper laying beside the path.  Despite having been shredded by shotgun pellets, it was still legible.  “Trail Begins Again Here”, it said.  A few feet farther along, Nadia and I emerged … Continue reading →

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The Hoarder on the Deck: Our Trashline Orb-weaver

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Randy Tindall

I don’t think we’ve reached the point where intervention is called for, but we have a hoarder in our backyard.  Not the kind that buys twenty tubes of toothpaste when it goes on sale, but more like the type that … Continue reading →

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New Native Plant Pages

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Randy Tindall

I have posted the first two of a collection of pages dedicated to the native plants Nadia has identified in our yard.  You can find them in the Our Native Plants pull-down menu.  I hope to add about one per … Continue reading →

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Through the Keyhole

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Randy Tindall

It takes patience to walk a beagle.  It is not an exercise for the terminally rushed, nor is it for those who want to cover a lot of ground and work up a sweat.  Beagles have other agendas. It doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Musings, Pets | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Fair Trade

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Randy Tindall

We may not have any more parsley in our yard, but we should soon have a bumper crop of Black Swallowtails.

Posted in Gardening, Insects, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Lotta Damn Gall(s)

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Randy Tindall

  (NOTE: Full confession—I goofed!  The following article is partially incorrect. The apple-like galls are NOT caused by one of the generations of a cynipid wasp, but rather by Polystepha pilulae, a midge, a mere dipteran, not a noble hymenopteran.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Insect pests, Insects, Landscaping, Native Plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments