September sampler

While I have been spending all my spare time recently staring into the aquarium or checking yet another page on Google, the world has gone on its way. (Inconsiderate of it, that!) The long summer is winding down; out near Chilliwack, the trees are turning yellow. My little maple has begun to drop leaves, and the tiger lilies that I barely had time to notice are bare stalks. Winter shadows lie across my garden plot. The first pair of juncos are back. My daughter is talking about Christmas plans.

But I haven't been entirely oblivious. I've paused, now and then, to take a quick photo or two of non-aquarium residents. See:

A black and yellow bee on Canada thistle. Cougar Creek.

Back view. Elbowed antenna just visible.

On the sheltered wall by our front door, assorted moths sleep through the daylight hours. I saw, one day, an orange one, very tiny. I dashed in, dropped off the groceries and grabbed the camera. And when I got back to the door, it was gone, though I searched high and low.

Other moths were less flighty:

Brown moth. I found a match on BugGuide, id'd only as "moth". Not much help.

*Update: In the comments, Sara Rall identified it as Neoalcis californaria, the Brown-lined Looper.

He's hiding his feathery antennae, but I got a glimpse of one side.

'way up at the top of the wall, wedged in beside a beam. I had to stand on a chair and stretch for this photo.

Today's offering; a 1/2 inch plume moth.

Beside my desk. A big spider carrying her egg case.

From my desk, through the window. A Steller's Jay eating peanuts.

Took a quick walk down Cougar Creek. I love the patterns water striders make with their feet. This one is superimposed on reflections of tree branches in the fog.

More water strider patterns.

And from the BirdCam, a robin in for her bedtime bath. 8:00 PM and already dark out.

What else have I missed?

This. While I was typing that last line, I heard a rattle outside and went to look. A raccoon was drinking from the birdbath. I hadn't set the BirdCam (too busy), but I managed to get the door open a crack and the camera poked through without startling the 'coon.

Finished his drink. Now for a bit of salad.

Caught in the act, digging a hole under my London Pride. Looking for slugs, maybe. He's welcome to them.

And with the third flash shot, he turned and fled. Goodnight, 'coon! Happy hunting!

In a bowl of rocks; International Rock Flipping Day 2010

What kind of example am I? Reminding everybody to get out there and flip rocks on Sunday, and then sneaking out myself on Saturday, when it was convenient; is that right? Is it fair?

It isn't. So I redeemed myself by going out in the rain on Sunday -- a quick dash to bring in a bowl of rocks and put it on my desk.

Somehow, rocks always come home with me. Flat, round rocks that look like cookies, translucent rocks, rocks with strange insertions, red rocks, patterned rocks, heart-shaped rocks, rocks full of glassy crystals; I pick them up, look at them, and they find their way into my pocket.

At home, some end up holding down the soil in flower pots, some sit in the bird bath; most end up drifting around until they end up in a battered aluminum bowl that belonged to my mother when I was a kid. Usually, it sits in the garden. This is what I brought in.

It was raining, and the rocks were wet. I didn't expect to find much more than a slug or two. But there were more critters than rocks.

"Potato" rock.

Of course, there were a couple of slugs. This one sleeps in a clam shell, beside a pile of his own poop.

An ordinary grove snail, but with intriguing patterns carved into the shell.  And look at his companion!

This spider is tiny. I couldn't make out what she was carrying until I saw the photos.

Plenty of sowbugs; smooth ones, like this, and  ...

... textured one, like this one, captured wandering around the rim of the bowl.

Many tiny spiders dashed away as I removed the rocks, one by one. I caught this one rappelling his way down a rock face.

And landing safely on a rock below.

Turning to face his tormentor.

These were about the size of small fruit flies. But I have no idea what they are. One for BugGuide.

Another one. Hairy little critter.

*Update: Christopher Taylor identifies these flies as Psychodidae, otherwise known as "Moth flies" or "drain flies". They like damp organic matter.

On one of the lower, wetter rocks, an earthworm. I love how the twisting intestine shows through the skin.

And another tiny snail, a relative of the 2-millimetre snails from last year's RFD.

And there were two red things; a tiny mite, too small and too fast for me, and a fat, deep red, round-bellied thing, about 3 or 4 mm long, that I saw twice, racing into cover. I looked through all the rocks for it several times and never found it again.

And now my conscience is clear.