Please welcome guest author: David Clark!

Ok, come on – tell me that it doesn’t look like a bird is to blame? Quite honestly, when originally passing by, I did think it was from one of the bajillion birds around my house. Until I noticed a bunch more on the plant, often rather oddly placed, and took a closer look.

My butterflies hatched! Well, technically that’s not true. My butterflies emerged from their chrysalises! In the insect world this is called eclosure. Caterpillars hatch from eggs, and butterflies enclose from chrysalises. And my butterflies have eclosed!

Did you know picking berries is a learned skill? I often take this for granted since I’ve grown up around gardens, nature, and berry plants, but if my dog can learn how to pick raspberries without me consciously teaching her, anybody can! So let’s find some free berries!

Too many alliterations? Yes, most likely – sometimes I’m afraid I get carried away. Diabolical bees though? No way! That can’t be true… We love bees! Well, yes. Of course we love bees – particularly the native species that we depend on for food and keeping the ecosystem healthy. However. Some bees, like those in the group Dialictus, are ridiculously difficult to identify. Diabolically difficult to identify many might even say…

Height: About 3 inches.

What do you get when you cross a turtle with a beetle? Besides a crazy looking, non-possible, mythical beast (please let me know if you see one though)… Why, the world’s cutest beetle of course! The simply adorable, tortoise beetle!

Does your yard or garden look like someone went around hocking loogies or spitting on everything? Mine sure does! Before you go yelling at the neighborhood kids though, you may want to consider a much, much, smaller culprit. Unless of course you were going to shout at the local hooligans anyway – then who am I to stop you? Holler away, lol. Just keep in mind these particular gloopy globs currently all over the yard are actually made by an insect!

A few weeks ago, we had a huge explosion of dandelions at my house – just fields and fields full of sunny yellow flowers. Now I know most people aren’t huge fans of dandelions popping up all over their lawns and gardens, but I actually kinda like them… Especially now that I know how to make syrup and jellies from the flowers that taste just like honey!

You’re walking along, just minding your own business, when you feel yourself start to slip down a bit of a hill. You try to climb back up… But only slip further down the hill. Next thing you know, you’ve slipped right into the center of a large pit. Before you can figure out what’s going on, you’re grabbed by a huge pair of jaws and dragged under… Some days I am just really glad I’m not an ant, lol.