Category: Interesting Information

I’ve been busy with a BIG project outside–more on that later. But here we are with the start of another week. It has been beautiful weather here–cool, but temps will gradually rise now as July is our hottest month. And now we need rain again.

No sewing for the past 3 days–which is very unusual for me, as you know. But I’ve come inside every day tired and happy from all the physical work.

Beloved neighbor and I saw this very unusual moth on our morning walk about a week ago. Neither of us had ever seen one like this one. Beloved Neighbor took this picture.

It’s a Giant Leopard Moth.

The underside is black with that rust-colored stripe. This one is small, so likely female. We think she was camouflaging on the grey of the sidewalk. But we moved her to the side anyway as we almost stepped on her.

Here’s a picture I found of the caterpillar form.

And here’s a quote about this moth on wikipedia:

“This species has a notable sexual dimorphism in size, with the adult male reaching about 51 mm (2 in) in length, while the adult female grows up to 30 mm (1.2 in). The leopard moth requires two years to complete its round of life.^[5]“

And:

“The giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia) is a moth of the family Erebidae. They are distributed through North America from southern Ontario, and southern and eastern United States through New England, Mexico, and south to Colombia.^[2][3] The obsolete name, Ecpantheria scribonia, is still occasionally encountered.

They are known to be attracted to bitter, unripe vegetables and broccoli flowers.

This moth species has a wingspan of 76 mm (3 in). Its wings are bright white with a pattern of neat black blotches, some solid and some hollow. The overside of the abdomen is dark blue with orange markings, while the underside is white with solid black spots, and males have a narrow yellow line on the sides. Their legs have black and white bands. Adult moths are strictly nocturnal and do not generally fly before nightfall.^[4]“

AND, from AI overview about “what does it mean” to see this moth:

Seeing a Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) is a lucky, entirely harmless encounter. Biologically, it means you are likely near a wooded area, meadow, or garden in North America, as this nocturnal insect relies on local host plants like dandelion, cherry, and willow. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) +3

Culturally, encountering one of these striking creatures is often interpreted as a positive spiritual or symbolic omen.”

Beloved neighbor and I have been good about walking earlier in the morning this week. We were moving along at a good pace when…wow…we both stopped short to gander…

Wow! Beautiful birds, about a dozen, lined up along the pond edge up by the schools. I had to try to take a picture over the top of the fence–and I include it here so you can get an idea of the size of this bird. They are not large.

But what are they??? I’ve never seen this bird. We started reciting what we were seeing: bright orange short bills, pink legs, swimming feet, black underneath and a warm beautiful brown on the upper body and neck.

Beloved neighbor had an ID almost as soon as we got home.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. What?? This one was totally new to both of us.

I found this picture of one in flight.

Here’s a link so you can read more–and there is a link to the high-pitched whistling call they make. These ducks can and do sit in trees. Truly they are very different from other ducks.

What a gift to see them on our morning walk.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Whistling-Duck/overview

Beloved neighbor and I saw this bird the other day while walking. I went home to figure out what we saw.

She’s (yes, she is female) an Anhinga, a member of the Darter family of birds as she spears her fish prey with her bill, detaches the fish by throwing it in the air, and then swallows it whole.

Here’s a good picture of the males and females.

See how she swims with her body underwater?

I found this really interesting video online, but can’t get the link to copy. Search for the following as the search is worth it:

Navarre’s Wild Shots on You Tube: Anhinga Facts

And here’s more information:

The Anhinga, also known as the “snakebird” or “water turkey,” is a large, dark water bird with a long, thin neck and a pointed bill, found in warm parts of the Americas. It hunts fish by spearing them underwater and swims with only its head and neck visible, which resembles a snake. After hunting, it spreads its wings to dry its waterlogged feathers, a behavior that helps it warm up and is often mistaken for a cormorant. 

Appearance 

• Males: Glossy black with silver/white patches on the wings and tail. 
• Females: Have buff-colored heads and necks. 
• Bill: Long, sharp, and pointed, used as a spear. 
• Eyes: Blood-red, surrounded by blue skin during breeding season. 
  
  Behavior & Habitat:
• Habitat: Freshwater swamps, lakes, rivers, and coastal lagoons. 
  
• Hunting: Dives and uses its sharp bill to spear fish, which it swallows whole. 
  
• Drying: Sits with wings outstretched to dry its feathers after diving. 
  
• Flight: Soars on thermals, often with its neck and tail held straight out, resembling a cross. 
  
  Key Distinctions (vs. Cormorant):
• Bill: Anhinga has a pointed bill; cormorant has a hooked bill. 
  
• Tail: Anhinga has a longer, broader tail. 
  
• Feathers: Anhinga’s feathers get wet, making it a better diver; cormorant’s are waterproof. 

Part of moving to a new region involves hearing new bird calls. And me being me, I love to find out what bird is making that call–like what calls do the Red-Shoulder Hawks that live in the trees in my neighborhood make?

It’s spring, so there are so many birds calling when I walk or when I’m just sitting on my porch. Figuring out what these birds are makes me feel like I’m more connected to my environment. Besides, I’m endlessly curious.

You can get a free app from Cornell University for your phone called MERLIN BIRD ID.

I love it.

And it allows me to identify and save bird calls it records as I walk. It’s easy to turn on when I hear birds I don’t know.

Here’s what a user posted online about this app:

“The Merlin Bird ID app (by Cornell Lab of Ornithology) is a highly recommended, free, and accurate tool for identifying birds via photos, sounds, or 5 simple questions. Its standout “Sound ID” feature acts like “Shazam for birds,” identifying species in real-time. While occasionally misidentifying sounds in noisy areas, it is an essential tool for beginners and experts. Laura’s Birding Blog.”

Merlin also can identify a bird from a picture you take. You can also save the bird calls you easily record which can remind you what each bird’s calls sound like. Or you can explore what you have not heard, like what do Blue Birds sound like? Cornell sends informational emails off and on that educate you about birds and that are fun to see and read.

I’ve already learned a lot about the local bird calls I hear in my area, and for me, at least, that is a very fun thing.

Merlin is easy!

Try it. You’ll like it.

PS: Merlin is addictive…

I haven’t used white or brown sugar for anything in probably 20 years now.

I keep white sugar on hand for visitors who want white sugar in their coffee or tea, but I use local raw honey to sweeten a drink. And, sometimes (rare) real maple syrup drizzled over raw organic fruit–a habit I think I’ve broken now.

I can get wonderful local raw honey here in coastal South Carolina, and back in Maine, in the fall I took enough jars for a year’s worth of honey to a local honey harvester who filled them up for me.

I don’t bake or eat baked goods due to gluten intolerance, so that makes this sugar issue easier.

Ok. I confess that I would use white sugar in my grandmother’s chocolate fudge recipe, which I would only make as a gift for someone, and I have not in…years. And I would eat some of it too as it is one of my very favorite recipes and as it contains so many wonderful childhood memories.

Anyway, local raw honey can crystallize. But why? And what to do? Here are your answers–in a very good post sent from my DIL who is the cofounder and director of The Bee Cause, which now has sponsored bee hives in all 52 states and, also, some elsewhere.

Honey is a complex product involving glucose and water ratios and what kind of flowers from which the bees have gotten pollen. And, how warm or cool it is where you store your honey.

Enjoy!

And find and buy local raw honey from a beekeeper in your region.

Look what I found in my kiosk mailbox the other day–an unexpected gift from my Maine friend Giovanna McCarthy.

Giovanna and I have been friends for almost 20 years now, and she has given me so many of her beautiful shawls and here and there, a blanket. I treasure each and every one of her beautiful works gifted to me.

Giovanna is a master knitter, and her work over the years has gotten better and better so that now it is…unbelievable.

Look at the fringe on this shawl. I can’t even…

I learned to knit way back in high school in the 1960s, taught by a high school friend. And I’ve made many knitted projects over the years, especially the Maine years. I’ve made sweaters, scarves, socks, hats, blankets, decorative linen towels–in Maine so many women knit a lot–it’s a portable project that can go everywhere easily.

But…

Giovanna’s work is at a whole other level.

Boy am I happy she is such a generous friend.

The Wisteria is in full bloom in the woods all around us. Here’s a picture from my neighborhood, and there is another tree I can see from my house that has Wisteria wound around it. Beloved Neighbor says it is fragarent, and it is, for me, up close. My nose doesn’t always smell as powerfully as it used to smell.

Beloved neighbor and I walked the Fort Palmetto Trail yesterday. It is 1.5 miles total, going and coming, and is so interesting, as it winds around a site that fronts the marsh and Dewees Sound (between the coast and Isle of Palms barrier island) and has Civil War levees where troops were stationed to prevent US Federal troops from invading and catching the Confederates by surprise. The soldiers built extensive levees through this lowland stretch of the coast.

These waters behind the string of barrier islands were also used by Confederate privateers to sneak needed goods into the Confederate states. If you have ever read Gone With the Wind, you know that Rhett Butler’s family was from Charleston and during the war, he was a privateer, which is where he made some, at least, of his money.

This site also goes back to very early Indian presence–perhaps as early as 1000 AD. It isn’t good for farming, but was used for timber harvest and, likely, access to the water beyond.

Here’s a link to this fun trail, which ends with an observation tower one can climb to see the marsh and sound, the Isle of Palms Connector bridge, and Isle of Palms barrier island.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/south-carolina/fort-palmetto-park-trail

And, here’s a close up picture of blooming Wisteria I took along the trail, where the vines had overgrown plants along the trail.

The tree leaves are out, and there is new leaf growth in many plants, like my roses. The azaeleas are also now blooming, or about to bloom, as are the early spring blooming trees like the redbuds and the Tulip Magnolias. Along the edges of the sidewalk where I frequently walk my daily mile, all kinds of wild flowers are blooming. This one is called “Innocence,” according to my plant identification app (Rubiaceae, or Houstonia procumbent).

The grass is trying to green up, and mine got mowed this week. But we are also very, very dry, and there are now fire warnings for our area. We are all hoping that our rain issue does not get solved with…the dreaded “H” work (hurricane).

Spring continues to tease us as the temps are still going into cool territory on a regular basis. We are all moving between turning on the heat or the air conditioning, sometimes in the same day.

Have a great weekend everyone!