Tag: Flowers

Long-Legged Fly
animals · art · Flowers · Humor · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · Summer · Writing

Long-Legged Fly

Amy22 Comments

AKA Condylostylus mundus

Isn’t it dreamy?

I don’t know which is worse: the common name or the Latin name.

When I noticed this stunning bug on a wildflower that is growing up through my rosebush, its legs weren’t the first thing I thought about, nor clamored to see. My first thought wasn’t “I need to be able to judge its leg length compared to other flies’ leg lengths!” I had never seen one of these before, and I am not sure that I ever will again. It is not native to my area.

I tried not to scare it away as I reached for my phone. You know how I like to chase things that are cute – or in this case stunningly beautiful – and you know how they run away from me (bunnies, bumblebees, butterflies, I’m looking at you…). I inched closer to this marvelous being, and was able to capture a few shots. Unfortunately, my phone was completely captivated and was unable to focus on the creature very well, and I ended up with only one decent photo.

After the Beauty Queen of the Backyard flew off, I went inside and did some research. Google told me this electrifyingly blue-green insect was called a Long-Legged Fly. First of all, this bug did not have Daddy-Long Leg legs – that would have been pretty obvious, and honestly? Ridiculous. My second complaint was: why are we focusing on legs when we have an entire blue-green iridescent body that is deserving of a better name than one given to a hillbilly at a dive bar in a Holler?

And then there is the Latin, official name: Condylostylus mundus. Really? The only thing I see here is stylus, and maybe that is vaguely appropriate, but we need to alter the word to stylish.

A far better photo, likely by a professional who doesn’t chase down shiny creatures in the backyard

In summary, I have renamed this fly, which, by the way, eats aphids and other pests, and is completely not like the regular fly that we associate with trash and maggots. (Sidebar: I absolutely abhor maggots, and will run for the hills, alternatively screeching and gagging if I see even one of them.) Flies are disgusting. I know they’re necessary, but I also know every time they land they throw up, and I can be down with the delectable bee vomit, but I am not down with fly vomit under any circumstances.

But I digress. Back to the stylish fly. I’ve decided to rename it, and I think that the governing bodies of naming insects should listen to me.

Stylishirridescentbluegreenfly regularlengthlegs

Flowers and Critters
animals · Flowers · Hydrangea · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · spring · Summer

Flowers and Critters

Amy17 Comments

The flowers are blossoming, and the critters are crittering.

First coreopsis bloom
Clematis in full bloom
Tiger Lillies are in bloom
The hydrangea are in bloom
Pretty colors
Hundreds of baby lightning bugs/fireflies live in my grass – I’m avoiding stepping in the grass so I don’t squash them!
Bunny doing bunny things

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

Spring Photos
animals · birds · cats · Flowers · Nature · Nature photography · Photography

Spring Photos

Amy25 Comments

I’ve been capturing a lot of flowers lately. We’re still waiting on the Calla lilies, the daisies, the clematis and the hydrangea. Everything else is blooming or almost done blooming. Special bonus photos at the bottom.

DIANTHUS!!! (Yes, I’m yelling – look at this thing!)
White peony with dashes of pink. Yes, they smell divine. Unfortunately, the rains have decimated the peonies.
This is my lavender seedling. Unfortunately, the rains have caused this little guy to struggle. Lavender does not like a lot of rain, and that’s all the skies are giving.
BLUE HASTA is taking up so much space I had to clip some of the leaves in the back of the plant so that the Calla lilies could survive. They are not quite blooming.
Wild strawberry growing amongst the clover.
Coral-colored rose. Yes, it smells divine.
Susie watching birds.
Ma’am. I can’t resist her little hands folded like that. Yesterday we almost had a crisis, however. Ma’am was over-eager for the peanuts and tried to enter the house. Crisis averted.
Don’t ask me how, but I captured this male cardinal in mid-flight. He loves peanuts. He will yell at me through the window if he sees me in the house. He doesn’t go to bed until very late, and will yell at me until about 8:30pm. I yell back that he should be in bed by now, he’s a bird.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

Wookin’ Pa Nub
Eastern Redbud tree · Flowers · I love trees · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · spring · Trees

Wookin’ Pa Nub

Amy27 Comments

In All the Wrong Places…

If you know, you know.

To cheer myself up, I’m going to do a photo dump of my plant children. There are a couple of surprises this spring.

My mom’s cherry tree has cherries! No, they are not edible – at least not to humans, but the birds will enjoy them.
The first light pink rose of the season – pardon her appearance, she is drenched by the rains that won’t stop. But she still smells just as sweet.
I believe these are the Sweet William variety of Dianthus. I transplanted this from the back to the front flower bed and it’s very grand. When it’s in full bloom, it will be something spectacular. I noticed these blooms today for the first time.
This is the panned out version of the above plant. I like to call this DIANTHUS (along the same line as CHRIS the cactus). This Dianthus means business!
This is a potted dianthus that never dies over winter, no matter what. I think it’s been in this pot for about eight years.
These are one bunch of Calla lilies coming up. These are bright pink and the squirrels put them here. Luckily the squirrels lined them up exactly with the post so they’re not off center. I planted a dark purple Calla lily last year, and about five plants are shooting up right now.
This is a blue HASTA. Again, the caps are necessary because this is a ginormous plant. The dark purple Calla lilies I just mentioned? They’re behind this guy. I had to trim off five or six leaves so they would get some sun. Stay tuned for more on this drama.
This is a PEONY, with an honorable mention Iris in the background. I’m not a big fan of Iris, but I found out two days ago. They actually smell really nice. I had no idea that even had a scent. 
This is a coreopsis – he’ll be pale yellow when he blooms.
This is my baby lavender. I grew him from seed starting in the fall, and he’s been hanging out in the house until today. When I removed the pot that he was in, I smelled the lavender scent. I hope he survives.
This is a Dogwood tree stump. This tree died in 2021 and was cut down, as you can see. Today, I discovered this sapling growing from the old stump. I put a cage around it and I’ll see what happens. The flowers of the original tree were white, so if this survives it will be the same.
While I was still mucking about in the dirt, I found this Japanese maple growing. It’s not in a bad spot to have a tree, so I put a cage around it. We’ll see what happens.
Last, but certainly not least, here is ERJ, with his new leaves. Isn’t he handsome?

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved.

Eh…
animals · cats · daily prompt · Flowers · Photography · spring

Eh…

Amy37 Comments
Daily writing prompt
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
View all responses

Underwhelmed. Let’s look at photos.

This African violet used to have lavender petals, but it’s been doing this thing for the past couple of years where it has lavender hearts on white petals. I’m not complaining.
This is a random black squirrel that lived on the property next to my former employer. I’d seen a white squirrel before, but I’d never seen a black one before this.
This is my best bud, Bubba. He sat on this armchair like this frequently. This is what an armchair is for, right?
Contemplating his next chaotic undertaking, or spotting one of his siblings or mother. He was a silly boy. 
A ladybug stopped by to visit me.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day!

Clematis in Bloom
daily prompt · Flowers · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · spring

Clematis in Bloom

Amy17 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Do you vote in political elections?
View all responses

No politics on my blog. My blog is a sanctuary for me. If I want controversy, I know where to find it.

🌸🌺🌼

Here’s a photo of one of my clematis blooming. It’s actually the only one blooming right now, and this tiny plant has never had such a large bloom. I think it might be its only bloom. I like to get artsy with the photos, so there are two close-ups.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

I saved a bumblebee today
animals · Nature · Nature photography · spring · Writing

I saved a bumblebee today

Amy14 Comments

It’s about 90° here now, which is unusual for April and early May. Everything is hot, including humans, animals and tiny creatures. I was on my usual excursion to my neighbor’s mailbox to retrieve her mail, and when I opened the mailbox, a bumblebee was inside. It seemed disoriented and probably was quite warm having been in a hot metal box with no escape. I had just gotten my own mail, so I had torn up junk mail in my hands which came in handy – no pun intended.

My neighbor had a package in her mailbox, but nothing else, so I ignored that for a moment and used the scraps of paper that I had just torn up to escort the bumblebee out of the mailbox. It was essentially a real Lyft. The bee climbed on and I carried it in front of me like a golden child, which bumblebees truly are. I tried to find flowers, but much of them are gone, and the new batch haven’t bloomed yet. I tried a Dianthus, but as soon as I perched him or her on there, I could see there was no pollen. I apologized and eventually convinced the bee that I would find a more suitable flower. We traveled in the same way (golden child real Lyft transport system) toward the backyard where I put the bee on some wild violet flowers. It seemed there was some pollen in these, but the bee was so heavy, the flower took a slow drop to the ground. I frowned. The bee was determined and more lively at this point, so after two attempts at the wild violet flowers, I convinced he or she to get back on the paper and I would find a flower. I walked over to the azaleas, but immediately knew there was no pollen. I was out of ideas. In that moment, the bee buzzed away – took flight and was completely recovered. Buzzy was no more silent bee. Then the bee found an appropriate weed and proceeded to feed. If you’ve been here a while, you know that I chase bumblebees for photo ops. I thought maybe the bee would let me get a quick snap in, but no. But that is ok. Their lifespan is short, after all, and they have to capture the pollen. After the bee buzzed away, I went back to my neighbor’s house, got her mail out of her mailbox and put it on her stoop.

I’ve been on insect saving duty the past three days – one of the hazards/joys (however you want to look at it) of spring. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Christmas (Cactus)
daily prompt · Flowers · Nature · Nature photography · Photography

Christmas (Cactus)

Amy33 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
View all responses

I got Chris, my first cactus, shortly after starting my job at my former employer – around 2011. My Facebook Memories yesterday showed me Chris from a 2015 photo that I snapped in my office at the time. He was still a wee one, and I put a little note on him, because the housekeeping staff would come in overnight, water all the plants in an effort to help, but eventually they would drown them and the plants would die. Everyone knew if you had a plant you’d better stick a post it on it and write, “Please don’t water, thank you!”

Chris, April 2015 – I’d had him since 2011 at this point in time.

Eventually – and most likely unbelievably by looking at the photo above – Chris outgrew his spot on the top of the bookshelf. I had to carefully carry him out to my car at the end of the workday, being careful not to tear any limbs off in the process. I put him on the floor of the passenger side of my car, where he proceeded to tip over three or four times on the thirty mile journey home.

Chris had a spot on my bookshelf at home for a while, then he outgrew that space as well as a few pots. I’ve read that cacti don’t like to be repotted. They like to be root bound, which I am all for, because trying to repot a cactus is not an easy task.

After Facebook showed me my memory yesterday, I decided to snap a photo of Chris present day. He ended up on a perch all by himself right next to a southwest facing window. You’ll understand why he’s by himself when I show you what he looks like now.

CHRIS (the caps are intentional, because this plant is now a Hulk.) This photo was taken yesterday. As you can see, there’s no real way to get into the closet on the right hand side, and he is pulled away from the wall/window because his arms are exceptionally long.

Chris has thrived at home, and he has cousins in another room who are not quite as large as he. They all usually start blooming in October, so I’ve taken to calling them Halloween cacti. Sometimes they bloom around Thanksgiving, so they become Thanksgiving cacti. They don’t really have a timeframe. They do what they want. That’s cool with me. I’m simply glad Chris likes his pot, because I am never going to be able to repot this lanky gentleman.