Kisses for Olive

Mighty Olive the Miniature Pinscher has a habit of taking naps on the kitchen table. Here, Jeffrey reinforces her naughty behavior.

Very Hungry Caterpillar

First the naturally-curly blossom caught my eye. Then I noticed the bright orange caterpillars munching the leaves of this passiflora plant at Georgia Southern Botanical Garden. All I could think of was the title of one of my favorite children's books, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle.

After a bit of research I learned that the bright orange Julia Butterfly or Dryas iulia lays eggs almost exclusively on passiflora plants/vines, which explains all those very hungry caterpillars.

Discarded Cicada Armor

What the heck? At first glance I couldn't figure out what was stuck to the old cement street sign as I rounded the corner walking one of the dogs. I took a closer look and realized it was a discarded cicada casing. I hung onto the dog's leash with one hand and snapped an iPhone photo with the other. This deserved a more detailed view so I came back later with my Canon 7D.

We live on a wooded lot, home to many LARGE insects including cicadas. These guys make a loud screechy racket during the summer months, night and day. Check out Wikipedia's definition of cicada for an eye-catching time lapse series of one molting. It's about halfway down the page on the right side. Kind of creepy but pretty cool, right?

A Slice of Sunshine

We feed the birds hulled sunflower seeds, sprinkling them on the rock wall that runs along the back porch. One adventuresome seed fell into a pot of basil and decided to become a flower. I love it when that happens.

Staying Power

The magnolia trees are still blossoming in late July, despite days of nearly triple digit temperatures. I spotted my first blossoms in mid-April and have since fallen in love with them. The extreme heat may cause a few brown spots but it doesn't dampen their intense aroma. So sweet!

I took this with my iPhone during a late-morning run across campus.

Circus Comes to Town

The curly leaves and hanging pods of this plant caught my eye the other day at the Botanical Garden. A week later I checked back to discover the pods turn into whimsical flowers that remind me of little hot air balloons painted like Ringling Brother's Circus.

Turns out they are Gloriosa Lilies, the national flower of Zimbabwe. Not only do they grow in Africa, but they also quite happily in the front yard!

Unexpected visitor

When I hear Olive scratching, she has most likely found a bug to play with. Not this time. A handsome box turtle came visiting. I don't know if it's the same one Olive found in the back yard last fall, but she discovered this one tucked up against the window outside the front entry room.

The turtle must have climbed the two short steps from the side garden, the only route to reach the window. It hissed at me when I picked it up and then retreated into it's shell when I moved it to a shadier spot beneath a bush. Maybe it wasn't finished visiting with Olive.