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Post by Radman on Aug 13, 2011 18:52:48 GMT
I have been neglecting the flora of my lil' ol' property, so I will start to rectify that now. I minored in botany, and have kept a variety of plants for decades, so I was happy when we moved here to South Cackelacky that I could actually keep my exotics outdoors. Our property ajoins an undeveloped parcel of woodlands, and we don't have a fence (unlike almost everyone else :  , which is why we have a lot of critters tramping through our yard at dark. I did put up a layer of Colocasia esculenta (and one lone Alocasia - who can spot it?) at the juncture of yard and woods.  These are only half-grown, the leaves are 1-2 feet long; they will double that in a month. Anyway, stay tuned for more aroids, which are my favorites, over the next few weeks. Any other plant fans out there?  |
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Post by Radman on Aug 13, 2011 19:17:41 GMT
Here is the original Radman with some Colocasia and Xanthasoma elephant ears, you can see they get pretty big! This picture is about 5 years old, he's a big boy now ;D  The Colocasia have survived and come back each year, although not as big, the Xanthasoma are not quite as hardy. Also, here you can see the 6-foot fence my original neighbors put up. Ridiculous. After a year, the runoff from their treated wood started to kill my grass. I planted native bamboo to deal with it, that stuff is unkillable. Those neighbors eventually moved, but the new folks (who are very nice), still have the huge fence. They have yappy dogs. |
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Post by Radman on Aug 20, 2011 4:37:11 GMT
Death of a Giant About two months ago, this towering pine in my backyard was struck by lightning. Soon after, it started losing its bark, the needles turned brown and it was obvious that it was killed by the strike. As one can see, it is well over 100 feet tall (the neighbor's fence is 6 feet).  There was concern it would topple and damage my house, (which was measured with a primitive but accurate surveying device which my dad built), so I had to take it down. There's not much concern about trees coming down in a storm here, as they usually snap near the middle, but a dead tree could fall from the base, and hurricane season will soon be upon us. The aftermath:  I'll count the rings eventually and see how old it is, probably 100 years or more. In the meantime, my son and his friends use it to re-enact the Robin Hood-Little John first encounter. Over and over. ;D |
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Post by totoro on Aug 20, 2011 6:04:30 GMT
Too bad about the tree. Did you see the lightning strike?
I wonder whether you cut the whole tree down, or left a standing snag? If you leave 20-30 feet of trunk standing, you can both protect your structures and leave a great home/buffet for woodpeckers and other wildlife. Just a thought. Of course, the log on the ground will create good habitat too, for different critters.
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Post by Radman on Aug 24, 2011 23:34:24 GMT
Too bad about the tree. Did you see the lightning strike? I wonder whether you cut the whole tree down, or left a standing snag? If you leave 20-30 feet of trunk standing, you can both protect your structures and leave a great home/buffet for woodpeckers and other wildlife. Just a thought. Of course, the log on the ground will create good habitat too, for different critters. It was cut off close to the ground, otherwise, in a few years, it would be the same problem of it falling on the fence, or a little kid... Plus, attracting woodpeckers close to your yard for anything other than suet or seeds is maybe not a good idea, those fellas can be LOUD and they start at dawn  Oh yeah, the lightning storm was scary, around 3AM, so I woke to the flashes and heard the thunder, but didn't actually see the damage until the next day. |
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Post by Radman on Sept 1, 2011 21:33:42 GMT
When I took the kids out to wait for the bus this morning, this beautiful Saturniid moth was hanging onto the porch light:  Actias luna, the Luna moth. Judging by the antennae, this is a male. About lifesize if viewed on a 15 inch monitor.  |
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Post by brontodocus on Sept 1, 2011 23:04:02 GMT
Wow, I'm a bit envious, I'll probably never see a saturniid at a bus stop, radman! We only have very few species here, most of them are more or less uncommon. I regularly see Aglia tau on field trips in the spring, though. Oh, and some 15 years ago I had living Actias selene at home - but I didn't breed them so it was over quite soon. Unfortunately they are rather short-lived. |
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Post by Radman on Sept 3, 2011 0:04:41 GMT
Thanks, Bronto, yeah, we have a lot of cool bugs here, some good, some bad. If you would like any one of these moths, let me know, and I'll catch one for you, sooner or later. BTW, your "Donnerbalken" story still cracks me up... |
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Post by brontodocus on Sept 3, 2011 0:43:35 GMT
Thanks for the offer, Radman! But I guess I shouldn't collect any further exotic insects for the moment (I might change my mind, eventually, but I know myself, one single specimen may lead to reactivating my greed for more  ;D). Currently I am happy enough when I have my camera at hand when I see something interesting - or see your new additions here, of course. |
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Post by Radman on Sept 4, 2011 13:00:04 GMT
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Post by Radman on Sept 8, 2011 0:22:34 GMT
Baby Didelphodon opossum snacking on some fishskin. It's about the size of a kitten.   Somehow it manages to be both cute and repulsive at the same time.  |
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Post by Radman on Sept 10, 2011 23:41:54 GMT
Somehow, I have neglected the tiger swallowtail Papilio glaucus ,so here is one in all its ragged glory:  A spectacular yellow and black beauty highlighted with bursts of bright blue, common up and down the eastern seaboard, this one shows the weathering of several bird attacks. Along with the Monarch and Palamedes swallowtail, one of the region's most obvious and enjoyable insects. |
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Post by gwangi on Sept 11, 2011 18:41:20 GMT
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Post by Horridus on Sept 11, 2011 18:44:15 GMT
Oh wow, look at that bittern. Wonderful stuff.
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Post by gwangi on Sept 11, 2011 18:55:39 GMT
Thanks. I stood there and watched (and photographed) that heron for what must have been 10 minutes and he just went about his business for the duration. I could have watched it all day but there were others in my group who wanted to move on. Unfortunately I think it is a green heron and not a bittern, if it was I could add it to my life list!
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Post by Horridus on Sept 11, 2011 19:06:00 GMT
Oh yeah, you're right, it is. Bloody American species.... Butorides virescens, looks like it could be a subadult according to the quickie 'research' I just did. |
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Post by gwangi on Sept 11, 2011 20:28:05 GMT
Oh yeah, you're right, it is. Bloody American species.... Butorides virescens, looks like it could be a subadult according to the quickie 'research' I just did. You got it easy, the UK has what? Five heron species? ;D I figured it was a juvenile which does resemble the bittern. When I initially saw it I thought it was a green heron but when you said bittern I got excited. After looking in the field guides I decided it was indeed a green. There is really no excuse for me not to see a bittern as they are local. |
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Post by Himmapaan on Sept 11, 2011 20:43:04 GMT
Love the heron pictures!
My immediate thought was that it was a purple heron at first, but I'd forgotten that that's a Eurasian species, besides being much taller, 'thinner' and with a far longer neck.
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Post by Radman on Oct 29, 2011 20:04:50 GMT
here is Manny the opossum: Something smells good!  This way!  I think it might be up here.  Okay, not here...  This could be it!  Okay, the conclusion tomorrow; will Manny devour the piece of chicken cold-cut that fell out of my sandwich onto the floor, (it actually fell into some sandy dirt, but I thought the local critters wouldn't mind, so I put it on the back of the patio chair) , or will Hip-hop the fox beat him to it? Stay tuned! |
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Post by bokisaurus on Oct 30, 2011 5:46:40 GMT
You live in such a nice and wild looking place. Must be nice to be somewhere where you can plan exotic plants outdoors! I miss the days when I was living in the tropics and had lots of exotic plants. Those pictures of animals are amazing. I think the opossum will get it... I hope  |
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, which is why we have a lot of critters tramping through our yard at dark. I did put up a layer of Colocasia esculenta (and one lone Alocasia - who can spot it?) at the juncture of yard and woods.
;D). Currently I am happy enough when I have my camera at hand when I see something interesting - or see your new additions here, of course. 
