Mesh Web

There is so much in creation to discover and my favorite discoveries are the ones just outside my window. I have been here for decades and yesterday for the very first time I encountered a web unlike any I have ever seen! I can only describe it as a miniature Trapeze net. The micro engineering is simply amazing!

 At first glance there nothing remarkable to be seen. Closer inspection reveals the astonishing intricacy of the design and execution of the woven mesh web!



What would you say if while looking at this with someone they made the statement that its presence among the leaves and branches is accidental and that not only is the web like structure the product of chance but that the tree and the planet is is attached to came out of nowhere from nothing?


  

Ants on a Wasp Nest

The Jewelry of Death

A neighbor pointed out a small dead opossum on her lawn while I was over to help her discard some building material in here trash can. She mentioned it in the way that you know you are somehow to do something about it without actually saying get rid of the dead thing will you! On my way back across the street I snatched it up and brought it home.



My solution for disposing of most anything organic is fire. I can save myself having to cut and bundle mounds and mounds of brush by stoking up a hot fire and feeding it all of the clippings. I threw the opossum on the pile and set the conglomeration a light. Not long after the rain came.



The next morning these little jewels arrived to adorn the charred and rotting body of the dearly departed! These Blow Flies (Calliphoridae) were very enthusiastic about their find and in the video I recorded it looked as though the data was a double speed during playback but amazingly it was real time.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Psalm 49

1 

1 Hear this, all you peoples;
    listen, all who live in this world,
2 both low and high,
    rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;
    with the harp I will expound my riddle:

5 Why should I fear when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of their great riches?
7 No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever
    and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die,
    that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
    leaving their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses[b] forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,
    though they had[c] named lands after themselves.

12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
    they are like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
 and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendor will not descend with them.
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
    and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.

20 People who have wealth but lack understanding
    are like the beasts that perish.

Eggs on a Tomato

On the 23rd of  May as I was harvesting Cherry Tomatoes I discovered a cluster of tiny eggs attached to one of the chosen.



Closer inspection revealed an amazing sight! Very ornate little spheres!



This morning the 26th of May 4 days later this is the scene that met my eyes.



They have popped out and near as I can tell they are Stink Bugs what variety I know not.When I took them out back in the morning light to my delight and amazement this is what happened!



I believe these to be Brown Stink Bugs Euschistus servus

Genesis 1:31King James Version (KJV)

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Checking the top bar hive

The bees have had the top bar to themselves all Winter and Spring so today I decided to take a peek inside their operation.

They were very calm and I was able to harvest a small portion of their honey stores. The 16 minute video below chronicles what I found!

Ants and Owls

Today I was placing my Squirrel box trap when I noticed a small pile of ivory colored grains. It took a few moment of observation for me to understand what it was but the presence of ants clued me in!

I decided it was a peanut the ants had dismantled to carry away to their mound!

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
(Proverbs 6:6-8)

Our Creator invites us in His inspired word to learn from the ant. We are not to wait around for an overseer, ruler or guide to motivate us to be faithful in our work. We are to do as the ant and serve right were we are in the moment as God has called us to.

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
(Proverbs 6:9-35)

What our Father has for us is always Best!

Skipper Caterpillars on Green Bean Plants.

Today I plucked several Skipper caterpillars from the Green Bean Plants. I fed them to the laying hens!

Chick Magnets …. I mean Maggots.

I was turning the compost when an apple tumbled out. In this apple was a squirming mass of maggots. Oh chicken will you come over here for a moment I have something I want you to see!

Ant Hill

Manduca quinquemaculata (Tomato Hornworm)

 

Manduca quinquemaculata

Tomato Hornworm       They make me so mad!!!

   

Beetastrophy

Something has happened in the bee hive. Hundreds of the bees have fallen to the ground dead.

 

The hive has grown over the months to at least five times it’s original size. Now the colony seems to be falling apart.

It will be interesting to see if they return in the future.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
(Pro 24:10-14)

Bees in Trees

There is a season for everything so says God’s Word. If you reject God it does not change the order of His creation. Really the only thing that changes for us when we reject God is our reason for living. Without faith in God we just live to please ourselves and then cease to exist.

I have a hard time rejecting God most days. I see the evidence of His Word in so many places even if I had the desire to put God away and become the master of my own life something in creation I see or someone I love always makes this thought laughable.

My life is so rich and my experiences so profound because I know God and His Word. I can see the emptiness that comes from chasing self-centered desires for that momentary thrill. God is all in all. Those who reject Him are none the less sustained by Him. He holds the cosmos together for the love of us. He is the one who puts the Honey bees in the Tallow trees!

 

before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?

(Isa 43:10-13)

Honey Bee Tree

 

Bees Again!

We have had bees on and off at out home for more than 5 years now. At first it was a bit frightening but I have grown to cherish having a hive or 2 around. They are a constant reminder of how great our creator is!

I have a friend with an HD camera but I cannot get him to come over and get some truly stunning video of these guys.

Termites "subterranean I believe"

This morning as I went out into the front yard my eyes were delighted by the sight of hundreds of tiny shimmering white wings. I will tell you there are few things more enhancing than the spectacle of these home devourers when they immerge from the earth and strike out on a quest for structures to feast upon! They are preety much on a mission to recycle the planet!   

The winged (or 'alate') caste, also referred to as the reproductive caste, are generally the only termites with well-developed eyes (although workers of some harvesting species do have well-developed compound eyes, and, in other species, soldiers with eyes occasionally appear). Termites on the path to becoming alates (going through incomplete metamorphosis) form a sub-caste in certain species of termites, functioning as workers ('pseudergates') and also as potential supplementary reproductives. Supplementaries have the ability to replace a dead primary reproductive and, at least in some species, several are recruited once a primary queen is lost.
In areas with a distinct dry season, the alates leave the nest in large swarms after the first good soaking rain of the rainy season. In other regions, flights may occur throughout the year or more commonly in the spring and autumn. Termites are relatively poor fliers and are readily blown downwind in windspeeds of less than 2 km/h, shedding their wings soon after landing at an acceptable site, where they mate and attempt to form a nest in damp timber or earth.

Subterranean Termites

Splitting Wood

 

It is amazing how many hidden worlds are tucked away in the remote corners of creation. I was splitting wood and found beetles, their larva, Carpenter Ants and a big termite. Some of the simplest activities in this life can be so fulfilling and hold some of the most fantastic discoveries. These encounters always bring me closer to God.

Audio Nature Walk With Little Friends

If you want to feel like you are there use earphones!

Green Dragonfly

I met a green dragonfly on a golf course not long ago. I tired to shake it's little leg.

Green Chrysalis

I have only been able to locate about four of the sixteen caterpillars I counted a few days ago one in the form of the chrysalis in the image above. I do not know what has become of them all.

The mote ideal is not entirely successful as one caterpillar went missing and one went into the water and  drowned. I think I need a small screened enclosure to contain the caterpillars long enough to have them transform.

Cha-Changing

When they attach and hang upside down it will not be long before the transformation takes place!