Stunning Beauty

Look at what I encountered on my swim - a magnificently patterned Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) enjoying the warm shallows at the water's edge. It looks so perfect in its natural habitat. 

I wish I'd got closer to get better shots, but I was loathe to disturb it further, and my shadow kept masking the light. These sinuous beauties are nonvenomous, so they don't pose a threat to us.

Still, it was mesmerizing and special, despite the shots not being ideal.

Fortuitous Find

I found a sewing machine standing on top of an old dishwasher on the scrap metal pile at our Transfer Station. My sewing machine, you may recall reading, gave up the ghost some months ago, and I have quite a pile of items that now need repairing or hemming.

I decided it was worth bringing home to see if it worked - I had nothing to lose. Some water dribbled out of it as I lifted it into the car, but it wasn't a lot. I left it on its side for a few days, hoping to drain it further. Then I plugged it in and ran it - it purred! It sounded solid, and smooth. So I grabbed a remnant, worked out how to thread it (quite different from my old one), and got going ... with great success. Dale found the instruction booklet online, and now I have work to do!

I'm really happy to give this gem a new home, and save it from the metal-crushing monster. It makes me wonder, though, why it wasn't donated to a Shelter or prison, or at least left in the "Take It" shop.

All Grown Up

The ghostly-looking nymphs that looked as if they had rocket ship boosters on their back-ends have grown up into these elegant looking Planthoppers (Metcalfa pruinosa):

These pics were taken 10 days apart. Before:

They're native to our region, and feed on a variety of woody shrubs

Web Spinners

This little character is, I believe, a larval Cherry Web Spinning Sawfly (Neurotoma fasciata), seldom noticed in its adult phase. They're related to wasps and bees, but lack a sting.

They make a tent and tend to defoliate the host tree. While a defoliated stalk surrounded by a tent web is not pleasing to us, it doesn't affect the wellbeing of the plant.

 

Live and let live!