Busy day

Tuesday, the sun came out and melted off more snow. Charlie and I headed to the woods to see how the rest of the fences faired out. We wanted to see if the Virginia Spring Beauties were still around and look for other signs that Spring was coming despite the snowfall.

I was surprised that the electric lines were just fine except in the places where the deer had knocked them off their insulators. I took an insulator count for replacement.

We found Pheasant Back mushrooms forming on a tree that fell over the winter.

This surely was a sign of spring!

In fact we had to sit down on the forest floor and get a closer look:

When we did, we found this in the leaves!

And we found Mayapples or as my Grandmother called them Maypole flowers. I don't know why but she did.

Of course there was Frank the Trooper Dude who decided to sit on a log and get in touch with Nature. He brought Birdie and they relaxed in the sunlight.

Hobby found some leeks or wild ramps just above the creek where water was actually flowing this Spring from the bountiful moisture and the snow melts.

Soon it will be time to walk along the creek and gather wild parsnip roots for a fresh veggie to be seasoned with wild garlic and some wild ramps. The parsnip and wild garlic are invasive species but eatable so why not eat them?

Wild parsnip roots:

Spring culinary delights await in the woods.

Flying Things

I have only seen about 3 Monarchs so far this year, but the Swallow Tail Butterflies have been very busy!

This patch of purple bee balm has been the HOT spot.

On these hot afternoons I sit in the shade on the north stoop and watch the activity.

In May I used good old compost dirt to fill in a dip in the yard. It took a few loads of BS dirt to make a nice spot.
I then planted sunflowers and spread packets of wildflower seeds and stomped it down. 
It has produced beautiful little flowers as well as the bachelor buttons and others that I can't identify.

Below is a 'magic' shot. I use ProCapture shooting [on a tripod] to catch the butterfly on the right landing. I merged two photos to get the sequence.

I got braver and thought I'd try it with the one Swallow Trail. The result is not perfect, however it was a fun challenge to do. Edited in ON1 Photo because I won't be a slave to Photoshop's rental.

The downside of shooting like that is getting a TON of photos to sort through which include a lot of misses. 

The ProCapture feature is really cool. When you press the shutter half way down, it starts to cycle when you hold the shutter down it saves the previous 10 shots [or whatever you program it to] and then up to 70 shots [I programed mine to a mere 5] of when you release the shutter.

So you have pre shots, and after shots to go through. As well as those taken while you held down the shutter.

However, it seems to be a great way to 'shoot' unexpected action.

The downside again, is having to go through those shots. However, I can see this as fantastic for trying to catch birds, butterflies, and equine running? I can also use the other two sequential modes for fast action. 
I'm still experimenting.

The butterflies and other insects move so fast, it is nearly impossible to time it with my slow finger on the shutter.

I used low sequential for these two shots. The Clearwing Hummingbird Moth was so exciting to see! Not only that, I got it with a bumble bee on the opposite side of the flower with both in midflight.

I spent over an hour by the back step watching these incredible insects fly about. 

I'm learning to be patient and observe things. This is something that was very hard for me to do.

However the intense heat and humidity actually helped me sit tight and watch from the shade.

And finally, my patience paid off with the spotting of a Monarch.

Fungi, Slime Mold, and Bumble

Cool damp dew-y mornings are the best times to go look for neat insects. I know, it probably is not on your list of things to do bright and early in the morning.

But that is my 'quiet' time to myself so I go and enjoy the nice easy slow walk through the pasture weeds on the edge of the forest. The birds and a few deer are my company as I stop and peer closely at yarrow, ox eye daisy and other plants.

I was rather disappointed. But finding this bumble bee was pretty exciting. The bumble has heavy dew on it and if you can see the photo large, you might be able to find the Bee Mite on it!

So...that slime mold that looked like fish eggs? 

24 hours later...it looked like this....

The log it was found on...

The yellow slime mold went from this

to this in 24 hours

The third day it turned brown and white. No photo of that. 

Slime molds are very hard to ID. So any ID will be a best guess. I am going with common names as I think they are more fun.

The white stuff could be White Finger Slime mold. The pinkish blob should be Wolf's Milk.

The next shot is of the log I found it on.

Note to self: Tie a piece of orange twine above the 

log next time! Because...
I wasn't able to find it again.

Oh, it has to be easy to find this stuff right?
Here is my boot from the morning walk.
See the little white spots on the log?

These are those little white spots. 
I could not ID this at all!

[I suspect that they are in the family of
Tube Slime Molds]

Just for size comparison, here is a dime 

with the tiny little fungi/slime mold?

I figured I had struck gold in discovering these little things. I tied some twine to the tree next to the log so I can go back and see how it changes.

I slowly walked through the damp area and peered at logs and just when I gave up to go home and check on things I saw something that caught my eye.

Chocolate Tube Slime Mold 

getting ready to fruit!

On another log nearby I found immature 

Chocolate Tube Slime Mold!

As it matures, it changes color

How amazingly lucky I was

to find these in different stages

in the same area!

Fruited CTSM:

I had company coming, so reluctantly headed back towards the house. 

I was bummed in a way because I'd read that these little slime molds change rather quickly and if I couldn't get back before too long, they may fruit and disappear.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered more 

Deadman's Fingers

They are so alien looking that I just had to add this Lego Alien to the photo. I've found this fungi several times this year and I wonder why I've never spotted it before?

Can you guess what I'll be doing today?

Little

I've always wanted to be a 'landscape' photographer and find beautiful mountains and wild open places to take magnificent photos.

Alas. I mostly find frustration. Oh sure, I get to places like Black Hawk Rock and can stand 195 feet or so above the valley. The stunning scenery just reminds me how lucky I am to live in the Driftless Region.

In truth, I live in a place with steep valleys and hillsides. The woods and forest is my place of comfort, not big wide open places. 

Face it. I like to study the little things around me. 

Take for instance the tiny mushrooms. I enjoyed slowly walking through our forest searching for tiny things that normally don't catch a person's eye.

I actually enjoy catching sight of tiny insects and other strange things.

Strange indeed to find a Samsung phone in my forest. I suspect I know where it came from but am confused as to why no one let me know they lost it in my forest.
I couldn't miss the opportunity to include the tiny soldiers in a 'call for help!'

And then there was Flying Ant Day! The red ants swarm and the ones with wings and do their thing. It isn't always one day, but it is pretty neat to come across them. Something else I wouldn't have found if I were always looking for the big scene.

The Crab Spider. So beautiful and hard to spot unless you are really looking for them on flowers. Another little 'thing'.

Orange Peel Fungi! So beautiful and bright in the moss. I was walking with Charlie just under the trees near a field. I stopped to check out the moss and under the brush was these wonderful spots of color. Little things that look like someone tossed down mini orange peels. 

This? I was looking at my mail and happened to look down. What a pretty little thing. I have no don't know what it is but it may be fungi from the ink cap family. There are dozens of different kinds. I happened to love the color in the morning light.

This Bumble must have stayed out too late? I like cold bees, I can get close to them.

Tiny Bee. There were dozens of them so busy on the fleabane. They were tricky to 'catch' on camera. I resorted to using the 'action' mode and it took several tries before I got a picture of one.

This one is a leaf cutter bee. Not the kind that builds big nests but is more solitary. 

Remember these pretty fungi?

Here they are now.

I imagine their work is done. They spread their spores and will wilt away and disappear.

I spent my 'free' time this week looking for more fungi while Rich was napping. See, it is always a good excuse to have to walk Charlie. He is little too. 

Little dog, little me, 

looking

for 

little 

things!

Buggin

Early mornings are my best times.

This morning I went out and started to 'dead' head the marigolds to keep them blossoming. I picked seeds from the 4 o'clocks and zinnias to have for next year. I clipped most of the yellow cosmos and had gathered enough of their seeds to plant an acre of them.

I nearly put my hand over a bumble bee when plucking marigolds. So I went in and grabbed my camera.

The early morning sunlight highlighted the Bumble! After I downloaded the photos, I noticed the little beetle below the Bumble.

I slowly walked around and looked at the flowers more carefully.

If I am right this butterfly is called a Skipper? I don't know but it was cool. The Skipper stayed there for quite a while and I was able to try more than one angle.

I moved around to the front of the porch and found this interesting tiny bee below a tiny orange marigold.

It was dead, probably killed by a spider?
Hanging by a mere thread.

Bug Drama.

I dig insects.
~~~~~~~
Monday I have to dive back into the billing saga of the utterly discombobulated way the Gundersen and the VA work or don't work together.

Neither entity it seems wants to actually pick up the phone and make real communications.
Gundersen won't recognize disabled veterans right to have emergencies billed to the VA per CMS guidelines. Won't? Can't?
The VA keeps asking for proper billing and paperwork or notes.

And Gundersen just told me last month to just pay them and then I could talk with the VA.

Someone at Gundersen doens't know very well how to handle veteran claims when the veteran is admitted in an emergency. As the gal in billing said, "It is awful hard to do unless we have an authorization number!"
Amazing comment coming from someone who handles billings for such a large health care system.