Wildlife

It is turtle egg laying season again. Our dog practically broke my neck in her eagerness to check out this turtle on our embankment the other day. We made sure that dogs and children watched from a considerable distance. M commented, "Mommy, turtles lay eggs so slowly!" Yeah, well, it took some time for her to be born, too, as I recall...

We have lots of ladybugs this year. Unfortunately, I think it maybe because we have so many aphids.
And lots of other weird and wonderful bugs have been making an appearance recently, too. Also less wonderful is the start of mosquito and evil-orange-squash-destroying-bug season.
My husband took this photo of a bee. Luckily, we seem to have lots of these.
My husband also took this photo yesterday from our yard. Birds Birds Birds.
And, finally, it seems to be a bumper year for frogs. The girls find them all over the place. Big sister frog...
And little sister frog...
We even had a baby frog on the inside of our toilet window last night.

cosmos and creatures

We have cosmos of many different colors going now. I have to start collecting the seeds and sowing them on the embankment.



The place where the turtle laid eggs on the path was all dug up by something. I guess we probably won't have any baby turtles. Here is the post where the turtle laid the eggs in case you missed it http://gardeningingifu.blogspot.com/2009/06/turtle-and-raspberries.html
It wasn't me! She may eat her roof and a few cosmos, but Jackie says she didn't eat the turtle eggs.

mostly flowers and a turtle

We saw our friend the turtle, or maybe it was another turtle, in the pumpkin patch the other morning. I think her eggs got eaten by a mole or other burrowing animal.
White and pink lilies are blooming.
butterflies on a pumpkin leaf
Sunflower has survived the horrible dusty bugs and looks as if it may flower.
marigolds are really coming along
good (left) and evil (right) on a pumpkin plant

turtle and raspberries

Yesterday, I was headed out to the pumpkin patch, zapper racket in hand, ready to kill some evil orange bugs, when I saw this turtle on the path up the embankment laying eggs.
It was pretty hard packed dirt as we use the path daily. Used, I should say. She dug a hole, laid her eggs (I presume) and covered them up again with her rear legs. If I hadn't seen it, we wouldn't have noticed and the baby turtles would be squished.
From the opposite angle, showing her position smack dab in the middle of the path.
Here is a close up of Mama Turtle headed back to the river. I read the incubation period for turtle eggs is 2-3 months, so we may or may not be back by the time they hatch.
The raspberry and blackberry bushes are on the far side of the embankment. Out of sight out of mind. I really need to weed them. Luckily, we had followed the turtle and noticed the raspberries were starting to ripen.
The girls ate 2 each. The verdict was "Yummy"