There always seems to be something eating my plants. Even in winter when I thought they would be safely tucked away inside! This time the little bugs are particularly sneaky though, as they hardly look like bugs at all and blend right into the plant…

Yes, I know the holidays for most people are now officially over, but better late than never right? Besides, it is still winter (where I am anyway), and what looks prettier that holly leaves during the winter :) Probably not the crazy loopy patterns etched into the holly leaves, but I’m going to talk about them anyway, lol.

I have a buddy that hangs out between my window and the screen. He keeps me company. Most days, when it’s colder, he hides in the corners where I can’t usually see him, but on the warmer days he does his funny little slow walk into the center part of the window where I can watch him. He used to have a bunch of friends that were around my doors and periodically came in to visit, but now it’s just him…

In the mornings, I am always sleepily waiting on the coffee pot to finish brewing that first cup of coffee to get my day started. That first morning sip of wonderful, warm, steamy, caffeine laden liquid is much anticipated. Until you see something small floating in your dark wonderful liquid and discover a nasty little fruit fly has decided to take a death bath in your morning coffee. Gross 🤢

It looks like I’m going to need to start watching where I step in my house. Not because there are dog toys on the floor, or rugs waiting to trip me up (although it has been known to happen), but because I have extra critters roaming about. Large, fat, and theoretically grossly squishy if stepped on, caterpillars!

Do you have annoying brownish bugs crawling all over your doors and windows? Are they periodically bumping or flying into you at the most inconvenient times? Do they frequently come inside just to get stepped on (or sat on!) accidentally and emit an unpleasant stinky odor when squashed? If so, you are not alone.

Do you have black bugs with bright reddish-orange markings all over your screens? Are they congregating above the door constantly in your way? Or maybe they are just sunning themselves on the front of the garage? Yep, I do. Meet the Boxelder Bug.

Have you recently started noticing things quickly scurrying over your floor? Have little furry things been startling you as they brush across your feet while you try to watch tv? Have there been dark blobs dropping from above every time you open the garage or outside door that then disappear so quickly you hope you imagined it??? Well, I certainly have.

It’s that time of year again… The days are getting shorter and cooler, the mosquitoes are finally cutting us some slack, the hummingbirds will be migrating soon… And the Yellowjackets are suddenly all over my hummingbird feeders.

Did you know humans aren’t the only species that have farmers? Ants farm too! Instead of keeping dairy cows or goats though, ants maintain aphid farms!