R.I.P~Star Muretisch Armstrong Seeber, you will be sorely missed4/2000 to 6-2-2012, BEST friend ever.

Star was taught by Ginger how much to enjoy the large farm creek...

she loved to snuggle down in the cool water and just lay there

she often bathed and played in it, and always enjoyed seeing the 

fish and birds, and occasional snakes...

and though she was 12, she was still full of vim and vigor

able to climb the banks, keep up with us around the farm

and be our companion.

she very much missed her sisters, Ginger who passed last August, 

and Wicket who passed this past March...She became a bit depressed

but always enjoyed hanging with us... she did prefer to stay outside

always happy, always curious, fabulous friendly but serious watch dog...

4 days ago she became listless and disinterested in eating...

didn't come over when called, tail didn't wag, eyes full of 

wonderment...as if to say "help me", the vet after $300 of testing

had no idea... 

she came home...wandered a bit, drank some water, I struggled

to get the medications into her...still not eating...

this morning I went out to check on her 745 am...

she was not insid her hay bed dog house, she was laying behind it

lifeless, eyes wide opened.. mouth opened...

I ran in to ask Roger to check...she was gone, laid down to rest 

and never woke up...

you will be missed, we loved you and thank you for your faithful service

and friendship... 

RAISING an eight spotted forester moth~

Eight spotted forester caterpillar

you can see by the ruler the size

it was hard to get a really good photo in focus

it was so teensy weensy...May 23,2012

here it is May 27, 2012,

forgot to add the ruler,but much larger

and fatter...

and again June 1, 2012 at over 4cm

give or take since it was a bit uncooperative and 

preferring to be left alone since it isn't eating

anymore and preparing to cocoon?

then back in the netted container

after a good cleaning of frass and 

adding fresh grape leaves and virginia creeper.

looking forward to hopefully sharing some

moth photos! 

June 2,2012~cat began acting strangely, not eating and apparently looking for a "way out" of this netting...I looked up eight spotted foresters to see the pupal stages and evidently they eat til they are done eating, then fall to the ground and burrow into old rotted wood to pupate and they overwinter there...I don't have the set up for that, didn't want to lose the worm, so I put him on some lovely grape vine near virginia creeper in case he wanted to eat a bit more and hoping to see "this guy" next year...

more mothing~a beautiful walnut sphinx moth

these guys are very large, as you can see by my fingers... cooperative and friendly

PINK! 

Reminds me of a little bat

"the better to SEE you with my dear"

E.T. phone home! 

MOTHING IT~fun things to do on a tuesday night, when the men are sleeping

I love lepidoptera, always have always will. Seabrooke Leckie was a huge inspiration to me at her seminar at the Oglebay Good Zoo May 1. Ever since then I am out a night  a week with my camera and flashlight, and porch lights on and gleaming across the farm. 

So many moths, so little time! and of course you can't inhale while you are out there within reach of the light or you get a nose and mouthful of tiny bug bodies.

Here are a few of my camera captures~

Underwing moth~

  Large Yellow Underwing - Hodges#11003.1 (Noctua pronuba) 

so cooperative

and irresistibly adorable 

could only get a sneak peek of the underwing

then~

the Crocus Moth~

 Xanthotype

 Beautiful Wood-Nymph - Hodges#9301 (Eudryas grata)

 Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth - Hodges#7701 (Malacosoma americanum)

New and exciting bugs for me this year, and some of the same from last year, but better photography knowledge

Idana marginata~ awesome fly, "new" for me this year.

Edible wild plants, Wild flowers and Weeds of WV~via Bill Beatty

had a fun and informative class in "the woods" 

Saturday, May 5th. It is amazing how God gave

us all we need, it's right in front of us. How did

we get away from all this?

Bill sharing how good it is to put a plug of mint

up your nose! 

it does smell heavenly... 

Appendaged waterleaf~beautiful little purple flower

Narceus americanus/annularis complex~millipede

they have cyanide in a fluid they give off, so wash your hands good

after handling... these guys are huge, 3.5 in, by 1/3 in...and so many legs! 

chatting about Sassafrass I believe

Wood nettle, very stingy ~ so becareful, but if 

folded a certain way, it can in fact be eaten! 

Ebhann, one of our students, just ate some wood nettle!

digging up roots to show us about them...not sure which plant in this

photo... the sun was playing with my exposures

taking notes

wild ginger

beautiful woods.. 

taking a break

ramps! so yummy! 

fern curls... 

questions and answers... 

Apheloria virginiensis~north american millipede, awesome and amazing creature, about 4cm in length and 1 cm wide...they give off cyanide, so wash your hands well after you handle these guys...they are herbivores, they don't bite !

 

Curly Doc, also edible

 

Wild flower class begins... 

yay Jan came! 

Jan sharing violets 

violets are so tasty! 

looking up close... 

and closer with a loop

my friend Robin with her loop, I did not have a loop...

I did not know how important a loop is to have, I ordered 

a loop from amazon, it's on it's way! 

white violet

Phil takes great notes! 

the plant "bible" 

crab spider~Bill thinks.. 

um.... 

Dr. Loughman's flag with my lucky number on it! 

um.... it's on the tip of my tongue ! 

Sweet Cicely~pretty sure?

drawings.. 

what a place to be... 

nother quick break

one of 16 species of buttercups...

the bulb of the buttercup

cool hat! 

great caterpillar... need to get this id'd

anterior ... 

awesome huge snail... 

rust on may apple

blue cohosh

hairy mint

anterior view hairy mint~ so good

may apple flower

sassafrass leaves and stem, great to suck on..