Winding Down for Fall

Don’t you just love Fall? All the sweet smells, leaves falling, cooler days, the colors of crimson, orange and yellow wafting through the air like wrapped candy.

I love Fall, but it does mean the closing of yet another summer. I would have to say summer is one of my favorite times of the year, but Fall takes a close 2nd. 

I am partial to slowing down, harvesting the garden, canning, and getting ready for a season of winter rest. 

As the cooler days set in I reflect back on our summer here in the coop.  It was full…to say the least. I think I put about 7000 miles on our wings this summer alone!

And now we are winding down our hot and busy summer season here in the coop.  We have flown from coop to coop throughout the summer and have finally taken a rest on our own roost.

As much as I love to write, I also like to tell our story with pictures…for they are worth 1000 words.

We spent many a happy hour at Ranch Shekinah this summer. Riding, gardening, building, visiting, teaching the Word, summer camping, and overall frolicking in the sun

Once we landed in our own roost…. we face painted all over town.

This is our event at the Tigers Stadium for the Cornerstone Charity.

Our true blue youngest chick making balloon animals.

Doin’ the happy dance with the English D…for Detroit!

It was tiger faces and ONLY tiger faces for this event.

This is my 4th born chick painting a tiger face on a young lady.  This was her debut at face painting…she took right off!

Chick #5…looking right perky with the Tiger!

At the local preschool

The Romeo Peach Festival

My youngest rooster posing as the ominous Storm Trooper.

2nd debut for the chick!

Absolutely my most sought after bling for the eye!

 

 

My #5 artist chick (the one pictured above)…drew this little dog from a movie box.  She used pastel paints on the driveway…..got a budding artist in the nest!

She also made a clay model of a menu and fruit stand.  Can you see all the detail in the little fruits and vegetables?  Who said health class had to come from a book?

 

 

So you don’t get bored of my long post I will post more later of the rest of the summer and our events drawing us into the sweet smell of Fall.

How is your Fall shaping up?

The Hummingbird Moth

Mom, Mom! Come quick! There is this insect, flying, fast, looks like a hummingbird with stripes! You gotta see it!

Peeling myself away from the current blog I was writing I go out to our flowers and lo and behold there it is!

There were two of them…flitting back and forth as fast as a hummingbird would from flower to flower.  We have a rock bed FULL of flowers and they were gathering nectar.

Hurry…get the camera….sun is setting quickly and it’s getting dark!

We snap as many pictures as we can but man, oh man, are they fast!

We watched with abandoned delight as they sucked up all that juicy nectar in our flower bed.

Well, everyday is a school day here. So, we looked up this amazing creature.

And viola!

The Hummingbird Moth, Hemaris thysbe, the Little Bug Who Looks Like A Bird

Look! It's a hummingbird! No, a bug! No, a hummingbird...

This pic is from the website. BUT!!

Here is ours.  Can you see the one? His/her wings are justa fluttering!

Wow! How cool!

 

It's probably Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth or Common Clearwing (wingspan 38-50 mm), who so closely resembles a hummingbird when feeding that many people never really notice that it's a moth hovering over the flowers.
The diurnal nature of many of these moths (most moths are nocturnal) and its similarities to the hummingbird in size, foraging behavior, and feeding structures often makes it one of the most common cases of mistaken identity in nature.
Flying in the day in meadows, forest edges and flower gardens, hummingbird moths typically visit one flower for a very short time, then dart away to find another. With its clear wings and body shape and size, the Hummingbird Moth bears an uncanny resemblance to its avian namesake.
The Hemaris thysbe moth feeds through a proboscis, a long, straw-like tube kept curled under the head when not in use. Its range includes Alaska and the Northwest Territories south through British Columbia to Oregon, east through the Great Plains and the Great Lakes area to Maine and Newfoundland, and south to Florida and Texas. Central Texas residents know that its range incorporates the Texas Hill Country, especially in the spring.

Hummingbird Moths lay small, green eggs on the undersides of leaves in early spring. The eggs hatch into larvae with a prominent horn on the rear. After feeding on fruit trees, honeysuckle, snowberry and hawthorn, the caterpillars form dark-brown cocoons in the leaf litter. There may be a second brood in southern areas like central Texas.
These interesting little moths are not considered a threat to Central Texas gardens. In fact, they can be quite beneficial through pollination of many species of plants. When brushing against plant anthers while dining, the moths are dusted by pollen and their fuzzy little bodies are excellent pollen carriers. Popping over to another flower of the same species, the Clearwing transfers pollen from the previous plant, an exercise in cross-pollination necessary for the production of seeds.
To attract them to your garden, provide flowers with a strong, sweet scent and are white or pale in color. These garden varieties may attract several kinds of sphinx moths, including the hummingbird and one that mimics the bumblebee.
Just like so many other fascinating creatures dwelling here on the Edwards Plateau, the Hummingbird Moth is well worth a second look.