Pipe-Vine Swallowtail Chrysalis

So...Justin was right and the caterpillar was getting ready to bed down. Or perhaps he was so stressed without his only source of food that he decided to go early?

I wish i had gotten a chance to take a picture of him as a caterpillar since they are so unique looking. If you look closely, you can see the silk holding him on top.

Apparently, it will only take a few weeks for him to emerge.

Oh, i am so excited!

How can we ever doubt the existence or goodness of God when we have something like metamorphosis?

Eagle Hurst Ranch

13 year Periodical Cicada Skin

this is Jasper's bossy face

http://eaglehurstranch.com/

We had an enjoyable time here with some folks from our church. Laid-back and lovely. The Huzzah (is it a creek or river?) is so pretty.

The only down-side was no pets allowed. But we were helped out by a good friend, and later, by a good sister when we didn't feel like rushing home. The dogs didn't seem to miss us at all.

There were so many dead Luna moths. I saw one fresh out of it's chrysalis, but when we went back to look more closely, it had been dismembered and only it's wings were left.

Tullaia was brave and went on a horseback ride. She said, "Mama, i am just like Almanzo! I love horses." (Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder)

I was also brave and went with her. The last time i remember riding a horse, it coughed green stuff all over my arms and went sprinting with me on it's back.

We took home an interesting looking caterpillar. It is a pipe-vine swallowtail and it only eats...pipe-vines. Well, we don't have pipe-vine and i was gonna go searching for some in Forest Park today, but i am pretty sure it is already bedding down for the month. If that is the case, we will have a gorgeous, big butterfly in a while. I think i will plant some pipe-vine for future beauties.

Candy Cane Stripe Zinnia

Country Roads

New Corn Rows

Road Shot

2 Types of Maure Spreaders

Arrowhead Search

Sweet Baby Cow

Memorial Day is always a nice time to go back home to Iowa. The mosquitoes are not out yet and we are not held hostage by them and the bug spray.

On the day we left, we looked for and found arrowheads within the first few minutes we inspected the freshly tilled field. As much as we love the city, it is always hard to head back after a country weekend.

Being Neighborly

Sometimes being neighborly means not shooting your neighbors.

This gal and her babies (hanging off her back on the other side) are just house-sitting the vacant house behind us. I think she is blind because she is out at all hours just wandering in unsafe places. I really wanted to get a picture of the babies, but she caught my scent and waddled away each time i got close. Eventually she climbed up the tree and slid into the whole in the roof.

I know the neighborhood tribe of wild cats lives there too. I wonder how compatible they are? Or perhaps one group takes the first floor and the other species takes the second floor.

I think possums are so gross. But our van is gross too. And the sliding door is broken and it takes great effort to get it closed, so often it is left open. One morning, our neighbor came to tell us her dog chased a possum up the sidewalk and it jumped in our van.