A CHANGE OF PACE - ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLAR

 These were taken a while back, but I came across them again recently. 

The Zebra Swallowtail Caterpillar (Eurytides marcellus) is a specialized green or black larva that feeds exclusively on the leaves of native pawpaw trees (Asimina species). Found across the eastern United States and southeast Canada, this caterpillar takes about two to four weeks to develop before transforming into a black and white striped butterfly with long hindwing tails. The photo below comes from Wikipedia and this is a link with more photos and information.

They live mostly in moist, low woodlands, river valleys and swamps where pawpaw trees grow.

They eat only the leaves of native pawpaw trees (Asimina species).  Adult butterflies however, sip nectar from open flowers like milkweed, verbena and zinnias, and frequently gather on damp soil or mud puddles to drink water and minerals. 

Eating pawpaw leaves makes the caterpillars and adult butterflies unpalatable or poisonous to predators like birds and spiders. Caterpillars have a special orange, forked neck gland called an osmeterium that pops out to release a foul odor when frightened. Evolution has given it lots of protection.

Adults from later broods can live up to six months, which is unusually long for a butterfly.  

Butterflies and their ancestors have been on earth for at least 200 to 300 million years. The evolutionary timeline of the Lepidoptera order (which includes both moths and butterflies) reveals how these creatures adapted over millions of years:

300 Million Years Ago (Moth Ancestors): the earliest primitive ancestors of moths first emerged. They were tiny, nocturnal, and lived in ancient, humid forests.

200 to 236 Million Years Ago (First Wing Scales): fossilized wing scales found in the ancient rock and prehistoric dung place early moth and butterfly lineages firmly in the Triassic and Jurassic periods. They flew alongside early dinosaurs.

100 Million Years Ago (True Butterflies): modern day-flying butterflies officially split from nocturnal moths during the Cretaceous period. Recent genetics studies show they originated in North and Central America before spreading globally.

I found the above information online, thanks to Google's search engine.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.

MURALS - TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME AND HELLO SPIDEY

Father and son got together today (the 19th). They came across these two murals on their travels. I said I would post them today.

The first one you can see is Gregg standing in front of the Late Great Jackie Robinson, who sadly passed away at the young age of 52 in 1972. His wife Rachel just celebrated her 104th birthday not so long ago. 

She started the Jackie Robinson Foundation in his honor and to date has provided support for more than 2,200 students, has a 98% graduation rate and has given more than $121 million in grants. You can read more about Jackie at this link and you can read all about Rachel Robinson at this one. 

Many recognize Spiderman of course with Jackie looking on beyond the rail.

We had a great time with our son and daughter-in-law last night (the 18th). As mentioned in a couple of posts back, it was our son's 47th birthday and we all went out for a nice meal. I am happy to say that the staff at the restaurant we went to, and also the meal was great. More on that later.

Have a wonderful day 

and thanks for dropping by.

I HAVE LIVED IN VIRGINIA…

 

Where is your favorite place that you have lived? For our American friends what State, and for our overseas friends (translation of picture below this post), what county, province, area that you have loved living in? What was there that you enjoyed? My favorite places are the Shenandoah and Williamsburg to name two, love the countryside and my trips to the ocean, but any body of water I enjoy.  If you have followed me for a while, every botanical garden that I come across. I also love all these trees.

When we moved here our son was 10 years old, and after we had settled a little, we asked him how did he like it? His exact words were, and with emphasis, “l don’t like it, it’s too GREEN!” Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather. But, what he was really saying was “I miss my friends and everything that was familiar to me.”

Fortunately, once school began, he met lots of friends. 

Now as an adult he loves Virginia as if he had been born here, though he and our sweet daughter-in-law started out in California (both dads were in the military). 

My dear husband is a Virginia Boy and first arrived in this world 200 miles south. His parents were also navy and hubby followed in his father’s footsteps. After his retirement, that's when we moved back. 

Both our son and I were homesick for California for many years. I also missed my friends and everything that was familiar to me. 

However, after several more years, we went back to San Diego for a vacation. Once that was over I realized I was looking forward to getting back 'home'. When I walked in our front door I realized that yes, it was indeed home, that I had fallen in love with this State and am now just about as content as I can be. I love Virginia! 

I still enjoy California the times we have been back (not for several years now), so does our son who just returned from San Diego with our d-in-l two weeks ago. But Virginia is home now and I hope it always will be. There are always unforeseen circumstances of course, but we certainly don't intend moving again at this stage of our lives.

We lived about 20 miles from the City of San Diego. It had rolling hills, deep canyons and elevated ridges. In some places if there was no rain, the trails and the hills at the back of us could get very dusty, and every once in a while, we would come across a few rattlesnakes. We lived at the bottom of Black Mountain that rises to 1,500 feet. We watched hot-air balloons float low over our heads. They landed a few hundred feet away in a level area. One time they landed too soon at the bottom of the street, and the neighborhood kids got a free ride about 30 feet up while they waited for a truck to come and deflate and pack up the balloon. 

A few years later they started dynamiting the mountain and our whole house shook at every blast. There were times we didn't know if it was an earthquake or blasting. That went on for over a year as a good part of the lower mountain was made level enough to build dozens and dozens of homes. Sad, sad, sad we were to see what a change it made to that beautiful mountain, and no more waves from friendly, smiling balloonists as they floated overhead. But we have great memories of seeing their faces as they waved down at us. Many, many other great memories from those days.

62% of Virginia is covered by forests, totaling roughly 15.72 million acres of land, and celebrates the largest trees. Yes, it is very green and we love them. So does our son. This website will give you more information on how they are protected.

Free therapy: sunbathing, grounding and tree hugging. 

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day.

For our overseas friends to use the Translation/language button on my side bar. 

Names on the post on the right-hand side.

Shanandoa National Park

Blue Ridge Parkway

Shenandoah Valley

Chesapeake Bay

Williamsburg

Roanoke

Charlottesville

Virginia Beach

Appalachian Trail

The mug next to the white daisies says "Virginia".

The sign being held by the lady says, "I have lived in Virginia off and on for 50 years. Finally moved here permanently in 1990. I love Virginia."

The top blue sign says "Welcome to Viginia. Virginia is for lovers."

Mountains

History

Country Roads

Front Porches

Sweet Tea

Strong Roots

Proud Hearts

Home Sweet Home

A FEW RANDOM PHOTOS TAKEN THIS WEEK AND A BIRTHDAY

 

Early evening when the sun was going down on Monday, August 17th (yesterday), we had very interesting skis overhead. 

Bubbles is still dropping by too. We opened up the curtains one morning and three mourning doves flew off the edge of the birdbath.  No photos of them though. I am wondering why the camera didn’t catch that. You can see more clearly one of the copper objects I placed into the water to stop algae from growing. It is a dragonfly.  

I finished a jigsaw puzzle and thought it was very nice. Edible mushrooms I suppose? I really would not know and will continue to get mine from the store. 

A photo taken the last time we were at the garden, I found the flower along the path near the greenhouse. It is called Mohr’s Rosinweed, native to the Southeastern United States apparently, namely northern Alabama, southern Tennessee and extreme northwest Georgia. 

A quiet day but a pleasant one. I had a mad moment and made breakfast for dinner (yesterday this would be and it was a late lunch/early dinner). We had French Toast with a banana and the last of the raspberries. It has been a long time for French Toast and we much enjoyed the change. Later we snacked on a little ham and Campari Tomatoes.  

It is a special day today. Our son turns 47. 

Happy Birthday Son! 

We are going out with him and our dear daughter-in-law for his birthday meal later, after their work day. 

Take good care of yourselves 

and I wish you all a very happy day.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - COTTAGE CHEESE MUSHROOM AND SPINACH EGG BAKE

I found this on Pinterest so there is no link. It would be easy to find if you type in the name of the quiche in the search engine once you get to the website. I looked for its author without success, though I will keep trying. We were very pleased with this dish, another 10 out of 10 if your tastes tend to go in this direction. It is advertised as an egg bake, but it looked like a crustless quiche. 

Cottage Cheese Mushroom and Spinach Egg Bake

Servings: up to 5 people

Approximately 240 to 320 calories depending on how many servings sizes you get.

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 cup sliced mushrooms 

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup grated mozzarella 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan 

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt or sour cream

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

Optinal: fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).

Wash/prepare/measure out all ingredients. Drain what you need to and get everything dry so that there is no excess liquid when you start putting everything into the baking dish/pie dish.

Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch or 9-inch baking pie dish (we used a pie dish). 

Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add your sliced and diced onion and mushrooms. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and lightly browned.

Add your two cloves of minced garlic and the two cups of fresh spinach. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts.

In a large bowl, whisk the 6 eggs, 1-1/2 cups cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (or sour cream), the 1/2 cup of Parmesan, 1 cup grated mozzarella, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon each of the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper. 

Stir in the cooked mushrooms and spinach mixture.

Pour everything into the baking dish/pie dish and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden.

Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

This is an easy, high protein meal you can enjoy for any meal of the day. It was delicious! The only thing I find is that our oven runs cooler and it took us an extra 15 minutes to cook, so you might have to adjust your timing according to your own oven temperature.

We served it with a mixed vegetable salad and I added raspberries, blackberries and blueberries with mine. I used a regular dinner plate, and the salad alone would have been a meal on its own, but the egg bake/quiche was a very yummy addition. Truth be told, it looked a bit lost among salad. We each had a bigger piece the next day for lunch, on its own. It was even tastier after those flavors had a chance to develop. This is the kind of dish that if you had company coming, you could make it the day before. 

You can basically see all that was put into the salad, but because I'm corner to corner, I like to make a list so that it's easier for me to put together next time. You might enjoy seeing all the additions.

Mixed spring greens

Green leafy lettuce 

Sliced radishes

Quartered Campari tomatoes

Broccoli florets

Sliced green onion

A few each of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

I didn't use a dressing but sprinkled a little lemon juice over the top. 

I also added a sprinkling of turmeric over mine, plus a sprinkling of black pepper. Black pepper is supposed to activate the goodness even more in the turmeric. I am always curious about such things but by all means, you should definitely ask your medical professional first if you are thinking of going the same way. There is an article here if you want to know more. Also, this link takes you to a page at the John Hopkins website where you can get even more information. 

That's about it for today. As mentioned above, 10 out of 10 for the quiche, and the salad was well received also. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.

Thanks for visiting and wishing you all a great day.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - MORE FROM THE GARDEN CENTER

I started outside first. I was looking around for plants to purchase, not just plant pots. I headed this way after looking at all the ones I shared in my other post. 

I found a bee that caught my attention.

A closer look. My attention span and I are easily distracted, especially when it is hot and muggy and there are bees around.

All the plants on display were delightful, but I thought this was a particularly beautiful plant below. It is a Panicle Hydrangea.

The bench called my name. I sat there for a few moments...

and it wasn't long before I went inside. Gregg had already gone off to purchase the two red geraniums I had picked out.

The 4th of July items were still on sale through to the end of July.

I didn't see anything to buy, but it is always fun to browse.

I thought a bit about this puzzle. I still have a couple of unopened ones at home. It stayed on the shelf.

I skimmed through lots of items, not really with the intention of buying anything. By this time I was ready to leave, and Gregg had texted me to say the geraniums were in the car. On the other side of the aisle is my favorite gift shop area. I didn't go on this visit but I'll start there next time. I enjoyed what I did, though had reached my limit and was glad to get into the car. 

Thanks for spending time with me, and I hope you are having a great day whatever you are doing.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - 8-15-26

Bubbles is back with a few proposals. 

"Oh yes, what are those then?"

"Did you volunteer for this, or did everyone step back and you were the only one left in front? That happened to me once." He looked bashful and pressed on.

"They heard about those dried mealworms I bought, didn't they? Those are supposed to be for the colder months. There's still plenty of your natural food out there you know." He pressed on.

"That's more like it then. Come back tomorrow and you'll have a nice surprise. I am always willing to compromise, within reason." 

And that's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder, when Bubbles stops by every day, bless him, but his flock think it's too far to fly to splash in a pool and not get fed tasty dried up meal worms for their hors d'oeuvres! You would think flying from the trees down the road was a journey to the moon.

Mrs. Squirrel also stops by every day, but she has babies to feed. Maybe I should help? I saw her with a whole mouthful of leaves this afternoon, more than I thought it possible to carry. I know her nest way up there in the treetop is being fortified. Life goes on around here and sometimes you need a little help from your friends.

Thank you for reading today's whimsical tale. I hope you are all having a great weekend.

From the photos so that our international blogging friends can translate using my sidebar gadget.

Photo 1:

"I am back with a few proposals."

Photo 2: 

"They told me they can't justify a spa day on an empty stomach."

Photo 3:

"We are willing to overlook the fact that your neighbor has a much shinier birdbath if you start feeding us again."

Photo 4:

"We also miss Froggies3, Sophie Squirrel and the Missing Bunnies."

Photo 5:

"And you thought I was cheeky!"

THE GARDEN CENTER ON TUESDAY, JULY 28TH, 2026

We were at the Garden Center on July 28th. I was looking for pots to place on the deck out back. I found a couple of geraniums but no additional pots. Still, it was fun to look around.

They always have two old trucks on display, always in different spots each growing season.

You would think with their great display of planters...

that I would be able to find something to take home. I noticed all those lovely bird baths of course...

but as for the planters, couldn't find one that said 'take me home!' 

It didn't stop me from having fun looking and I had a great time doing that.

I did purchase a couple of pots of red geraniums to go on the deck out back. I still have some work to do out there, but between the rain and the heat, I am a little behind on things. 

I nearly bought a pot of hot peppers because they looked so pretty, and then I read the label. The name and the flames put me off. Chef Jeff sounds really friendly but the name, Pepper Rattlesnake Hatch, and the label saying “hot” with flames on top, I changed my mind faster than a flea could jump. 

I had one issue with my eyes a few years ago when I was handling ones we bought, thinking they were mild. I was in the hurt locker with my eyes for hours. Never forgot and won’t go down that road again. I would need a hazmat suit! 

So, no hot peppers but am loving my much safer geraniums. Anyone got any tips for care? Firsthand experience is much better than any other, and I would be grateful 

All for now. There will be another post about the garden center sometime.

As always, thanks for stopping by 

and enjoy your day.