Bugs on Blooms and Beetles on Beans

Japenese beetle on green beans.

Do you know what these are? Some kind of aphid, I assume, with very wooly 'brows'. That's my finger  behind the base of a mandevilla blossom.

Update July 3: I asked Cindy at Bug Safari if she could identify these little guys. Thanks you Cindy!   Here's her reply:

Your little mystery bugs are planthoppers, which are sort of "cousins" to aphids. Many of the planthopper nymphs sport fuzzy "tails". I looked on BugGuide, and yours seem to be a good match for the genus Acanalonia.

Pests on Petals. Small shasta daisy.

This little guy: less than half an inch long.

One Wish

'Wall Flowers' (lantana in foreground)

Welcome to the Seed Cafe

 Waiting line at the Seed Cafe. I have just refilled it, and here is the cardinal family and a bunch of sparrows. About a dozen different kinds of birds here, as well as the squirrels, who knock most of it out onto the ground, which there also feeds the chipmunks and the baby squirrels, who have not yet learned to climb the feeder pole.

The cardinals are rather bossy, and don't like to share with anyone.

 These two were sharing it all with a flock of sparrows. The chipmunk really has his cheek pouches stuffed. These pictures were all taken through a none-too-clean kitchen window, so they are not as good as I'd like them to be. I fill the feeder (about half full) every day, and consider it very 'cheap intertainment'. These little guys are such fun to watch. Spot catches a chipmunk every now and then. He tried to give me one as a present, this morning.  He looked so proud of himself, and not too pleased when I made him let it go.

Seeds for lunch

Oh, Boy, Lunch!

Yummmeeee. 

But I knocked it all on the ground for the little ones.

Table for three.

Dewy morning in mid-May.

Beads of dew on strawberry leaves.

Modified with 'watercolor' effect.

Every little point decorated with a clear bead.

Campion (a weed), about a one inch flower.

Christmas Cactus in mid-May.

Metamorphesis

Dewy Rose.

Potted begonia in the screen porch.

Wild March Weather

Feb. 29- warm, thunderstorms. Mar. first: upper 60's. Friday, March 2: 70, thunderstorms, tornado warnings! (No damage near us.) Sat, March 3: 40's...brrr. Sundays, same. Monday, Mar. 5: Surprise! 33*, and "the white stuff"!   (click pictures for larger view)

...................................

On our way Saturday, to Turfway park, south of Cincinnati, we passed this barn north of Frankfort, destroyed by the storms on Friday. This was probably 40 miles north of here.

OOps, That date on the photo should read: March 3, 2012.

We went to Turfway to watch State of Play's race. He is one of Team Valor's top 3-year-olds. He won by a nose. Yay! This photo taken from inside, through the not-so-clear window.

First sign of spring!

These are always the very first blooms, popping up in the center of the front bed, under the shelter of the winterberry trees. I found them there this morning.

Interestingly, I posted the first pictures of this clump in bloom last year on Feb. 17, same date as this year!  They did not appear until March 8 the year before, and March 5th in 2009. A pretty good indicator of the timing of the seasons.

AFTERNOON UPDATE: Photo above taken midmorning, cloudy. Here's some more, with the afternoon sun on them.

Watercolor pencil effect

I love what can be done with a less-than-perfect image, and a little editing with the filters in Photoscape! If you do not have that editing program, you can download it free at http://www.photoscape.org/ .

Aw, nuts! she spotted me!

Is this my 'best side'?

Autumn arrives!

My little Autumn crocus popped out today. It must officially be fall, now.

 

Buds, bees and butterflies

These nice clumps of some sort of allium are always just alive with all sorts of small bees and wasps, and other insects, as well as many butterflies, none of which pay any attention to me as I get the camera in close. I think these are a type of garlic. Together with allyssum the make a lovely white bed, very easy to grow. 

 Sipping Soda Through a Straw

Company for Dinner

Table for Two

And the next image of a short series, 'enhanced' with watercolor effect.

Surprise Lily in bloom

Lillies for thee

Watercolor pencil effect

I love what can be done with a less-than-perfect image, and a little tweaking with Photoscape. If you do not have this editing program, it can be downloaded free, at