[eskielover]

I was working in the yard yesterday while potty walking my dogs. It kentycky, the rule is....spray on the insect repellant & then the sun screen (I am pale & get 3degree burns easily from the sun). I cleared the weeds & grass that was overgrowing the sidewalk.......then I picked up the hose & was watering some of the grass. There landed on my arm, this beautiful little butterfly. It was tan, brown, with orange stripes & those pretty circles on the wings they call eyes were bright purple & more orange.

I lifted my arm to look at it closely & could see the little probuscus tickling my arm. This butterfly stayed there for over 15 minutes before flying off. Definitely insect repellant wasn't an issue. I started working on picking up my piles of weeds that I have been pulling & bagging them up to take to the trash. As I was doing that, the same little butterfly, landed on my other arm. Not wanting to hurt it, I got it onto my finger & stuck it on my shoulder.......go figure, it rode around on my shoulder the whole time I was working on the weed pile.....over 30 minutes. I had to take some branches to the pile of wood. It had climed down my back & when I checked in the rear view mirror of my truck, it had flown off. I went back to the weed pile & then landing on my glove (not even my skin) was the same little butterfly. Again, I moved it to my shoulder as I didn't want to hurt it while doing work........it stayed there for another long time.

They have the friendlyest butterflys here in Kentucky. Looking back, one early morning when I was potty walking my doggies, they were swarming all around me ....there were dozens landing on me. My initial instince with all bugs is to brush them off immediately before they bite, but these little butterflys are so sweet.

Last year, I had the luna moth on my back deck. This year, I had 2 luna moths around here.....sadly, one was dinner for the birds as the only thing left were the wings......the other one got into my garage. It was going crazy in there & I worked hard at getting him outside....only to have him come in again with the garage lite on (had to finally shut it of so he wouldn't fry on the light)

My other wildlife saga.....are the mice......I don't know how many there are hanging around getting into my house, but I have a humane trap that closes when they get the food out to eat. So far, I have caught 4 mice in that trap......sadly one died as I didn't realize it had gotten trapped in the trap soon enough & when I let it out, it had already died. The rest, I take way down the road & drop them off on the other side of the river.....the other side of the road so they can bother the cows & not me. Last night, I decided to put the trap back....just to see if there were any more. If you don't set the trap just right, they can get in & get the food & it doen't close behind them....so last nights mouse got away with the dogfood. At least I know there are still mice in my house that need to be trapped. Only one mouse per night in this trap.....but one by one, my house is being ridded of mice the humane way.......this California soft heart just can't put out the killingstuff for them. My friend said her house was so infested with mice that when she put out the mice poison, it killed so many, it smelled under her house until it got cleaned out.....eeeeewwwww. I know they aren't in my basement, but outside & finding their way into the wall as that is where they are coming through under my kitchen sink cabinet where the pipes come in......the house isn't sealed very well.

It is so cute when I dump the little mice out......they sit there for a few seconds with their huge little eyes bugging out......then they scurry off under the weeds & grass into the field were they belong.....NOT IN MY HOUSE!!!!!

I also have a friendly chipmunk that likes my back deck. I don't know where the ground hog went to......I smelled something bad the other day.....hoped it wasn't him that had died......but it's hard to tell as he wasn't looking good as he wandered across my deck.

I will stick to my humane mouse traps as long as I keep getting them & removing them....I know they aren't the same mice coming back...they each have been a different size. I should identify them with nail polish or something permanent....to make sure they aren't coming back....but I am sure I dump them far enough away that they would have a hard time crossing the river, the road, & running all the way back up the hill to find the opening to the house....chances.....slim to none.

Happy Labour day,
Debbie

[pachyderm]

My friendly nighttime wanderer (leaf stem in the way, not on 'possum):

[ECHOES]

Oh how wonderful to have a butterfly visit for 15 minutes!!

I am always amazed at their intricate beauty when I'm lucky enough to get to gaze at one!

[eskielover]

I just love the possums......it was the possum & not the hose that's your night time wanderer?????....lol. Thanks for sharing the photo.....it's adorable.

We have possums, racoons, & skunks wandering all over here. I was always nervous leaving Roscoe outside at night as I didn't want him to confront a skunk....luckily, they don't seem to wander across my farm.....only their small whisps by.

Possums can be nasty little critters.....but they are so cute. So many people don't like that huge rat like looking creature.....I wish they were friendlyer....they look so huggable if it wasn't for their nasty hissing.

Debbie

[eskielover]

I posted this right in the middle of the BIG MOVE......just a few days later, it had to be the same butterfly.....kept coming back while I was potty walking my doggies between sampling the flowers that came up from the seeds I threw out.

Last year, I had an experience with a Luna Moth....didn't know what it was at the time. This year, There have been 3 around my house. Sadly, the first one must have been lunch for the birds as the only thing left was the wings. That same night, I heard fluttering in my garage & there was another huge luna moth buzzing around the light. I quick turned it off so the heat wouldn't hurt it & scooted it out the garage door into the night. Thinking it could find some safety before the birds woke up the next morning. On Monday this week, I encountered another Luna Moth on a chair. It must have been at the end of it's lifespan however as it was barely fluttering. I took it & put it in the lid of a box to protect it from the birds but when I came out a few hours later, it had died. They are the most beautiful Green looking butterfly/moth looking creatures. They like the butterflys are the most friendly here.

It is strange to walk out your front door & be swarmed by butterflys landing all over you. I am so used to swatting at bugs & the feeling of bugs landing on me, I am working on training myself to look first, then swat when you know it's something to swat at.

Debbie

oh how special debbie!

perhaps the butterfly is some sort of spiritual guide for you? Or has some meaning?

Either way, its really special when we have these experiences with nature isint it?

[pachyderm]

The opossum has returned a couple of times. Last night it was being shadowed by another cat, and unlike my Whitie who was also out, this cat was at least as large as the 'possum. And unlike my cats this cat did not seem to be at all afraid of the 'possum. In fact it seems to have chased the 'possum away.

One thing I saw last night I have never seen before. The other cat had some red lights at its neck that were flashing on and off (it must have had a collar). It produced a bit of a cognitive dissonance in me, because the cat paid no attention to its lights which were so noticeable to me!

[Sr Ken]

Butterflies have that little bit of magic.

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

[SerenitysWave]

Isnt it great to be able to see the beauty and appreciate the littlest of creatures... And butterflies are so delicate and I am sure it knew it would be safe with you, what a gift to have one stay on you for so long!

on the subject of oppossums... When I was younger my cousin and I were walking across from my house in the field, which also had a swamp ... and we found an oppossum hurt stuck in an old claw style animal trap.... my cousin was able to break it free and we took the oppossum (and the trap) home... We splinted his leg and tail and my cousin brought him to his house to nurse him.... After it was healed the oppossum stay there freely... I would go visit...

[sabby]

Oh I just have to share this with ya'll. This butterfly had landed on me before I got this photo. I always feel so special when a butterfly lands on me. This one stuck around all day and actually called in a couple of others for my viewing pleasure, unfortunately, I didn't get any good pics of the others



As for possums...LOL My daughter who lives next door to me is on the second floor. Last summer one evening it was hot and she had her back door open (no screen door there). We heard a noise on the porch and went to investigate and here was this absolutely HUGE possum partaking of the cat food my daughter had left out for her "ghetto cat" that doesn't come into the house anymore. This possum sat there and ate his/her fill while every now and again turning its' head to look inside at us. It even took a few steps towards the door as if it was going to come inside. Dang it, no camera with me at the time LOL

[eskielover]

Beautiful photo Sabby,

When I was out walking my doggies today, I notices there were hundreds of the same style of butterfly that landed on me the other day. They are all over my yard & flowers. I threw out a can of flower seed & all the flowers came up & the butterflys are all over them....along with the bees & some other icky looking bugs that I haven't figured out what they are.

I can sure admit that the country is full of things I never saw in the city.

Of course, while in chat the other night, a huge spider crawled across my bed where I was sitting....let out a scream & threw everything possible at it....I think I killed it by fright initially, but got the bug spray just to make sure. I am sure my scream was heard over the internet without a microphone.

Debbie