Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Bugs And Stuff


This, my loves, is a Georgia Thumper and since scale is impossible to judge from a picture like that I will be happy to tell you that it was about 4 inches long. A magnificent grasshopper and I still remember the first one I saw as a child because, well, they're simply amazing. They are not as harmful as we would think and there's a brief article about them HERE if you want to know more.

Speaking of magnificent bugs, here are two of our Golden Orb Weavers, aka banana spiders which are living on my front porch.


The large one, of course, is a female, the smaller one is her suitor. That is a very, very large spider but there's a bigger one right outside the back porch. 


That's what she looks like when the morning sun hits her. Once again- scale- but I will tell you that in the last 24 hours she has caught and eaten an entire bumblebee. And not a small one. 

Ah. Summer in North Florida. Like aging, it is not for wimps. 

I've had a very fine day and did go out and pick a few pounds of edamame pods and also a nice supper's worth of peas. And a few okra. And three shiny eggplants. 


I weeded as I went and it was hot, sweaty, itchy work but I can hardly think of anything more satisfying. And then I came in and sat in front of the TV in the AC and shelled those field peas. 

I'm about to go make our supper, of course, and there will be okra and eggplant and a venison meatloaf. You know me and you know there's nothing that makes me as happy on a homemaker basis as feeling all pioneer woman and shit. With, of course, my AC, my deep freeze, my washing machine, my gas stove, and my television which brings me such fun and mindless entertainment as the Real Housewives of NYC. 
Carol is my favorite. Ramona is obviously insane. Luanne has made a huge mistake in marrying that guy. Dorinda is someone I could totally be friends with. Bethany is gaining my grudging respect, and I don't have much to say about the rest of them. 

And oh- I found another new brown egg today. The ladies are gettin' busy. 

Love...Ms. Moon

8 comments:

  1. That is one big ass grasshopper! We have a spider of the ordinary variety who spins her web on our deck. I love to go out in the morning sun to see what she's caught. Evidently she's partial to flies. Do you think you could ship me some edamame? YUMMM!

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    1. These dang edamames are so labor-intensive to pick that I barely want to eat them myself! But if I was sending them off I would send some to you.
      Do you ever catch flies and give them to your spider?

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  2. I'm so glad you posted that picture of the grasshopper. I grew up in Tuscaloosa and had those buggers outside our house in the summer time. I've tried to explain them to my family but didn't know what they were called but now I do. They sure are beautiful. Alicia

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    1. Aren't they? I mean, they just are. The colors, the designs. They're quite remarkable.

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  3. I've never heard of a Georgia Thumper! We always called those grasshoppers Lubbers. I photographed one this summer near my brother's house, actually. They're both beautiful and horrifying!

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