It’s been a tough few weeks in the Rusty Patch Garden. I am dealing with another surge of cancer uncertainty accompanying the failure of a kidney. I am again wishing for a medical advocate or Lynch Symptom expert who can help me weave this genetic tapestry – so I don’t have to try to make create the big picture alone. It’s scary that something as important as my life is segmented into Gynecology, Urology, Dermatology, Hematology – but I am a whole, integrated human unit, not parts. Even so, it is quite a relief to have free healthcare throughout all this. If 1 in 259 people have Lynch Syndrome and most don’t know it, how many people are dying young and unnecessarily because they can’t afford the yearly colonoscopies and other monitoring?
On top of that, it’s taken the insects a while to rebound from the wildfire smoke and the cooler, cloudy days.
Wasps are so elegant.
This asshole stashed something in this Swamp Milkweed and then pulled it out… looking closer… zooming in… yep, it’s a Monarch caterpillar. Chewed in half and covered in goo.
It’s not easy being a Monarch Caterpillar. This one was dead, suspended by spiderweb.
The dragonfly diversity continues to spark joy.
This Twelve-Spotted King Skimmer is probably the catch of the season. It’s absolutely mammoth. Plant native plants, friends. You won’t regret it.
The first butterfly is a Northern Pearly-Eye, I’ve seen it fluttering a lot but it only lands the trees so photos are rare. The orange one is a new sighting – some kind of Comma. Then the Dun Skippers, so nostalgic.
I thought I was doing this for the bees – I had no idea how much I needed to be part of an ecosystem.
Flies!
Is this creature not absolute perfection?!
Thank goodness some Monarch Caterpillars made it to adulthood. Haven’t found any chrysalises yet, but they aren’t just on milkweed, could be anywhere.
Misc.
Only one moth for you this week, but what a cutie!
This is the Rusty Patch’s FIRST Spring Peeper! I am ecstatic.
This Grey Squirrel is a Grey Squirrel and this Black Squirrel is a Grey Squirrel.
Something about this chipmunk’s narrow face makes me want to fucking scream. Cute aggression is real.
All the creatures enjoy my pathways.
Some outside spiders…
… and a continuation of the unbroken line of cellar spiders indoors. Usually we only get one clutch of spiders per year, and this year we had THREE. Now, we did have a bit of an outbreak of fruit flies so obviously the ecosystem could support them. But the first batch had 26 spiderlings. Not sure of the others but could be 75-100 spiders in this dang house. They will sort themselves out in time. I think this female is eating the silk sac the babies birthed from. And for over a week she will watch over them. And in the foreground, you can see another spider. I believe it is female also, and I hypothesize that it is the spiderlings’ grandmother. Keeping other spiders away and bringing food. They don’t fight except a couple ‘don’t frickin’ touch me’ taps, and the ‘grandmother’ stays for about a week. Then one day soon, I will check on them and the mother will be gone as well, and the babies will slowly spread out.
Our very good girl Milwaulkee on her last day on Earth. There were so many good smells that day. I miss you I miss you I miss you.
BYEE
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