G's Blog: July

Jagged Ambush Bug June - JULY

I think this is either Dill or Fennel.

Who dat? It's on the aforementioned plant and is very small. 6 or 7mm maybe. Update: iNaturalist thinks Jagged Ambush Bug.

Jul. 24

Open mic playlist. Only two unedited songs so far. Hopefully in the coming days I can update with more songs, better edits, board audio.

Jul. 21

I've been taking this bar of Irish Spring soap with me when outdoors. Said to repel mosquitoes, I think I notice a reduction.

I might have to lower this one, a bit of a blockage for photography. Every solution creates a problem.

Meanwhile this one is about as high as I can get it, not as high as they recommend for squirrels. But, I have the chipmunks more in mind.

Project du jour, something I'd been procrastinating: squirrel/chipmunk baffles.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NZRG279

My first 111 may not be as woohoo as the 77777 I was anticipating in the other car, but even without the implied leading zeroes any reading of such low mileage is going to excite me for a while. (Probably the lowest reading I ever had in my life was over 20k.)

Geez - I thought it was black!

Jul. 20

Moon before sunset.

Jul. 19

Grammar question. Is it just me or could this have been written better? That is, unless they really are Mormons.

Not that I don't make spelling/grammar errors, it just amused me.

House Wren, trying to take over the Bluebird house. Not so fast I say.

Jul. 18

My first ever brand new car (left). Now I'll never see 77777 on the old one (right). I'm informed that's a silly reason to postpone the vehicle upgrade, though. Could be true.

Jul. 17
Jul. 15

Big and Little dippers. This is a combined image, it's not perfect by any means but it serves for ID. I wanted to see if the little dipper was in my fireflies photo, turns out it's only partially represented. Side notes: Sixty-odd years ago as a child in England, I didn't learn "big dipper", it was "the plough". Mind drifting back not quite so far in time but further north (Scotland): how clear and near it seemed. A 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ memory. Funny also that our local common luminescent beetle is known as the big dipper.

I recorded some but not all of the music at last night's open mic (Kent Lanes). Here is a playlist that, in time, will hopefully contain more than one of those songs. How nice to see and hear Linda Neiger and Eric again, welcome back you guys! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5x_IORwxg&list=PLdLC8TKWKGbE

Here in Ohio, our most common firefly is said to be "Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a lightning bug". I found this one in our porch.

This hue jumped out and grabbed me.

Citronella, a very small flower.

Jul. 14

Jul. 13

Detail of the shot below (used for Zoom background).

Almost midnight, more fireflies and star trails. Saturation boosted. I'll probably replace this if my buddy Dan removes the bogus red pixels and aircraft trails for me. 73 stacked images, essentially an almost 40 minute time-exposure.

Dan Gilbert's cleaned up version.

Found in the window deceased: Little Wood-Satyr. Hard to get this close when they're alive.
Two Bee Balm fans, both male.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The hindwing underside nails the ID.
I like the wing curvature, he didn't stop fluttering, my first Spicebush clue.
Spicebush Swallowtail

Jul. 12
I'd been trying to get back in the habit as it's not long before the upcoming big one (77777). I'd set a reminder about this one then totally forgot to monitor it. But lo and behold, when I parked at my destination I looked and there it was, the anticipated symmetry!

So - 1510 miles to go (as of this picture). Assuming 45.2 miles daily average, in 33.4 days I'll hit the big one. Wow - that just could land on my birthday!!
 

Jul. 11Some photos from today and recent days.

My Joe Pye patch is slowly expanding, now taller than me and starting to flower.

I liked how the late afternoon sun was being selective with the Bee Balm patch.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

Jul. 9

Star trails and fireflies last night, 84 stacked images (48 minutes). The bright one must be Jupiter.

Now I have an easy way to stack a lot of images I must do more star trails as last night was a bit cloudy. July 9 update: Dan Gilbert hopped it up a bit for me in Lightroom.

There was a video option which of course I had to try. Not so great.