Monthly Archives: October 2011

Mantis Laying Eggs

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Monday, October 31, 2011,

Here are a couple of shots of a female, (obviously), Praying Mantis laying eggs on a Goldenrod stem. This was not an obvious fact when I first came across this scene. I was walking through the farm fields at Avalon – has anyone noticed how many of my recent posts come from Avalon? – when something, maybe it was movement, I really don’t know, caught my eye. When I first saw it, I knew I was seeing something cool. (Yes, I am a product of my generation.) Some sort of large segmented worm that was seated in a leaf bud was making a cocoon for itself.

At this point I should maybe explain that Joe Kayaker is in need of bifocals that he does not yet wear. There could be some vanity at work here but let’s get back to the story at hand. Anyways, I took off my glasses and leaned in close for a better look. So cool, really. I really love nature at work. But at this point, I’m still seeing what I think is some weird caterpillar or segmented worm, although I don’t know of any worms that make cocoons. So I re-goggle myself (I can see, I can see!) and switch cameras for a wider angle (less close-up) and there is a mantis laying eggs. What I thought was a weird sort of worm was, instead, a pregnant abdomen and the leaf bud turned out to be the wings of an upside down Praying Mantis. I laughed right out loud. A real “duh!” moment for me but, hey, still very cool nonetheless.

What these pics don’t show is how ALIVE the abdomen was. It was moving this way and that while it was  creating the Ootheca, or egg case. The back end of this critter seemed to have a mind of its own. Eyes, too, for that matter. It really seemed to be independent of the mantis. In fact, the rest of the Mantis’ body never moved during the twenty minutes I spent documenting this experience. Meanwhile, that back end was bending in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible. I usually think of insect bodies being stiff and tough. Exoskeletons, right? Not in this case. The abdomen was downright supple. It even looked soft and puffy in places. Ah well, Mother Nature never ceases to educate and entertain me. JK

Chickadee At Avalon

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011,

I like Chickadees. I just do. They’re so sociable and charming that they don’t need to be draped in colorful garb. I hesitate to use the term “cute” but let’s face it, these little buggers are indeed cute. This guy was was feeding amongst the seed heads in the furthest of the farm fields at Avalon Preserve. My good friend and the head of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, Sue, is very fond of telling us to save the seed heads, don’t cut your flowers, and she’s right. There’s a good deal of food and nutrition to be had in those “dead flowers”and birds need that stuff. Other animals as well. Those cute (Oh! There’s that word again.) chipmunks that we all enjoy seeing are big seed eaters too. The pretty petals may be gone but those flowers still attract plenty of wildlife, so keep the seed heads and enjoy the view. JK

JK


Juvenile Cardinals At Sweetbriar

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Monday, October 3, 2011,

Here are two young Cardinals that I saw at Sweetbriar. I’m fairly certain that they were from the same clutch as both of these birds and an adult pair were all traveling together and remained close during the half-hour or so that I was taking these pics. The bird in the first photo appears to be well on its way to male coloration while the bird in the second pic seems to be female. This is just conjecture on my part. I didn’t look under any skirts to check. I do notice that the female’s bill is already red. More conjecture here, but maybe females can achieve red bills sooner than males because they don’t need to use as much red pigment in their feathers. I don’t know any of this; I’m just making a guess. I don’t really know the ways of nature. I just wonder at them. JK

JK