Cape May

Just back from Cape May, and will be back to the blog soon again.

Grackle

Snowy egrets watch the great egrets dance.

No Mow progress

That brown lawn is being prepared for a low-mow area of grass. Special grass seed will result in a low maintenance lawn area. The first of what we hope will be many areas and further lower our carbon footprint.

Cuts made in the lawn in which the special seed is placed. The fall rains will help germinate the seed.

Orange sulphur on bidens

Vulture

Fun with Fungi

These were seen on Oak Path and by the tennis courts. Anyone have an idea for a name?

That's my key to give you an idea of the size.

Mostly meadow

Meadow view

Bee, Bidens and Boltonia

Cranefly on wall

Honeybee on mistflower

Pink aster

Meadow view

Deer at dusk.

Twilight Walk

After dinner I took a walk around campus. The only time today when it was not raining.

Moon over Gwynedd House

Where has the moon gone?

Meadow walk

On my walk in the meadow today I got 4 photos of a Monarch on Bidens, shown here, and Boltonia below.

Here is a Monarch on Boltonia. There was more than one Monarch.

But to see them expect to get wet feet.,

Dragonfly ID

This little dragonfly I photographed on Sept 1st. I was able to identify it as an Autumn Meadowhawk, with the help of my guide books.

I took this photo on Sept 2nd , but could not identify the dragonfly. Yesterday I decided to put the image on Bug Guide and within 6 minutes it was identified as a shadow darner. It is one of the mosiac darners, which have beautifully patterned males.

Here is the 2nd image that I sent to Bug Guide. It took a little longer for someone to identify this bug as a damselfly, a great spreadwing.

Here is the great spreadwing that I photographed in 2009. This ID business is not always easy.

Today there were at least 4 dragonflies on the wing, but unless they sit, I don't stand a chance of identifying them.

Singularly attractive

Sometimes just one flower can be most attractive. Hibiscus.

Rose

Rose of Sharon

Coreopsis

Queens

Our beekeeper has been raising his own queens, but they need to have a white dot on the back. The white is this year's color.

Captured queen is being marked.

Queen is marked with white dot.

The marked queen is released into hive.

Queen cell. We have another good queen, so this cell is destroyed.

Queen larvae

Drinking royal jelly.

Busy day for Beekeeper

Even though the bees are now collecting pollen, it has been a tough summer and they still need to be fed.

The bees are fed sugar water and a protein patty.

The bees are still being fed to get the hives ready for winter.

Checking for beetles. We had only one!!!

Checking the trays