Snakes, Wasps, Liv's Sixth Birthday, Fall Pictures (October 2015)

It was a warm October, and we enjoyed seeing snakes and other soon-to-be-hibernating specimens, such as lizards and insects, quite a bit.  We also celebrated Liv's sixth birthday.  I stayed super busy, not only doing lessons with the kids, but working diligently on my papers for my advanced English composition course in college.

Prairie ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus arnyi) & speckled king snake (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki)

We spotted the snakes on a day I did not bring my digital camera along, which is pretty often.  I normally take it only when I get an instinctual feeling that I ought.  I actually got that feeling on this day but left it, anyway.  We had gone quite a way, but I truly wanted this on camera, so we all walked the entire way back to the house and walked the entire way back.  I view these instances as sad, and the kids were upset, too.  I can't remember which one (certainly not Olivia; it was probably William) moved toward the snakes and declared he was going to help the prairie ring-necked snake.

I hated it, too, but I said we should not interfere. Damage had already been done, anyway, and if the ring-necked snake was saved, that only left the king snake hungry, and hibernation time was near.  That's the damned thing about the world in which we live.  I love king snakes, too, even though I love the prairie ring-necks.  So instead, we endured a lesson of how a constrictor like the king snake kills its prey.  At one point the ring-neck pulled much of its body away, but then the king snake took over again, and there was no hope left for the prey.

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On a different day we found ourselves fortunate enough to cross paths with this gorgeous, rarely-seen Great Plains rat snake.  Wow, what a pleasure!  This was one of the most beautiful snakes that I've seen, in my opinion.  It crossed the road right in front of me.  Not only did I get to spot a rarely-seen frog (gray tree frog) this year, I got to see a rarely-seen snake of equal beauty and uniqueness!

I believe this was taken on the same day I took the kudzu pictures below.  Soooo beautiful.

Breathtaking

Kudzu (Pueraria sp.)

Kudzu may be invasive, but it's also fascinating.  MO DoC actually does not list it as present (yet) in our county, but I'm quite certain that this is it, so I may just contact them.  The real reason I took these two pictures is because I was so mesmerized by so much on this particular day.  The air seemed so fresh and clean, the sun dazzled brightly in the serenely blue sky.  I felt so alive and joyful.  The way the sun shone on the leaves of the kudzu stopped me in my tracks and held me captive.  These pictures do not convey nearly well enough how absolutely beautiful it all really appeared to my eyes.

The gorgeous insect below is a blue mud dauber (Chalybion californium).  This species stings spiders and takes them to their nests.  The kids caught the wasp on the spider, trying to take off with it.  I had been checking out something else, so I just got there in time to photograph both species separately. The dauber waited for us to leave.

Blue mud dauber (Chalybion californium)

Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus)

Red paper wasp (Polistes carolina)

Elizabeth delighted in picking up this caterpillar.

 

I have so far not identified this species (some sort of millipede, I believe), and this is a blurry iPhone picture.  Sure wish my iPhone would go back to taking good pictures.  William discovered this fascinating species in our woods.

I think this is what I was photographing while I missed the mud dauber on the spider.

Trusten in a tree across the road.  I can tell this was on that magical day by the way the sunlight is bathing everything.  Everything was so beautiful!  I'd gladly take numerous days in a row like this one!  There's Liv, not matching.  That girl and all her changing of clothes...

I love this!

My heart beams to watch my babies happily walking together.

This ensures I won't forget those moments.

Liv's Sixth Birthday

Elizabeth got a triceratops.  Liv got a few things, mostly horse- and MLP-related.

Strawberry cake (as usual), but I bought an "edible" sticker of horses.  I did not eat the sticker part. 

Language lesson outdoors

Trusten's little Lego creations.  I was hanging out in boys' bedroom while they did school, etc.

Love this baby girl!

All these pictures I took with my iPhone as I was preparing to make a pecan pie and a chocolate cheesecake. Nathan's favorite is pecan pie.  I made two crusts. I normally make a chocolate cookie crumb crust for choc cheesecake, but it wasn't too bad with the whole wheat one. LOL  See the rice in the measuring cup?  I had to get that out of the grain mill before putting wheat berries in it.

This turned out ok...fingerprints, anyone?

Aha!  Perfectly smooth.  :-)

The pecan pie (made with NO corn syrup).

My Love surprised me with roses!  :-)  I LOVE flowers!

Elizabeth and cousin Layla at a playground at Roaring River National Park

Fall pictures.  This one is one of my favorites.  I included Asher this year.

I ended up with a lot of fun and funny shots, as usual.

Precious

All right, well, I'll update November soon, then December, and I should have two learning-theme posts coming up soon.  They're being done in December (now), so I might not post them until January. 

Until next time...