Saturday Critters #601

 I raise Black Swallowtail Butterflies as a hobby because they are so interesting, beautiful,

and quite frankly, they need our help.

It is quite fulfilling...

I am drawn to butterflies because of their beauty in motion, the gorgeous colors they display,

while in flight and when still..

Their lifespan is so short, too short, most only live 1 -2 weeks.

If you have any interest in raising butterflies, you can read about the things you need to know at

- Butterfly Lady -

At the end of the summer of 2024, I had a 20 or more chrysalis in a butterfly cage.

They stayed in that form over the winter and in early spring, one by one, they emerged.

- these 2 emerged on may 6th -

- 2 on may 7th -

- may 8th -

- may 15th -

- these 2 on may 15th -

-  2 emerged on june 4th -

                       - and this one on june 6th -             

    Once they emerge from the cocoon, their wings need to dry.  

Drying can take 2 - 3 hours, 

then the butterfly becomes more active in the netted cage, and can be released.

Not everyone hangs around for pictures, some butterflies fly off quickly, others stay around a little longer.

I still have 5 more chrysalis from last year, 

it's late in their season but I am still hoping they emerge.

Right now, I have 7 caterpillars on the dill in my garden,

they are getting really big.

A lot more will come,

it's going to be a great butterfly season!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturdays Critters

The Great White Egret vs The Red-Winged Blackbird

I am not sure how to narrate these images...perhaps the title should read 

"The Red-Winged Blackbird vs The Great White Egret"

I noticed an Egret, minding its own business, moving about slowly, it was fishing.

Nearby, I saw a Red-Winged Blackbird flying about, acting extremely erratically.

It had zero impact on the Egret, it seemed like the Egret did not even notice the bird.

I can only assume that the bird had a nest nearby he was trying to protect

I took a series of pictures...here they are in the order they were taken.

You can see the Egret in the bottom right corner of this picture.

It was heartwarming to see him so protective of his nest/babies.

Slider Meatballs

Here is the ingredient line-up. what you will need to make these yummy sliders!

- kings hawaiian rolls -

- meatballs with sauce, homemade or these frozen ones from RAO'S -

- mozzarella cheese -

- parmesan cheese -

- melted butter with garlic powder -

- any other italian seasonings - 

Hollow out the inside of the Hawaiian Rolls...

mix about 3 tablespoons of butter with a couple shakes of garlic powder.

Use a pastry brush to coat the rolls with this butter, inside and out.

Add shredded mozzarella and a little sauce to the openings.

Top with meatballs, I cut the RAO's meatballs in half because they were large.

Top with both cheeses and any other italian spices you would enjoy on these.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

If your meatballs are frozen, you should defrost them before using them in this recipe.

All done...

We had these with a side salad and they were delicious!

 

Ramblings...

I have some random pictures to share...they are from here and there,

little snippets of my everyday life.

It's been cold here and we've had a lot of rain lately...

but here are a few of the bright spots.

Buttermee Pancakes

Not really breakfast, more like a desert...

this is the "Buttermee Signature"

Mini pancakes, maple syrup, bacon crumble, cinnamon sugar and whipped butter.

- these are not your mother's pancakes -

I saw these Purple Petunias in a garden in Spring Lake...

This garden is home to 4 beautiful topiaries, 2 whale tales and 2 dolphins.

The gardens are so beautiful and so well maintained.

This male Sparrow kept such a watchful eye over the nest in this birdhouse but everyone is gone now.

I missed the babies "leaving the nest"!

We enjoyed this pizza from Pete And Eldas, a thin crust topped with sausage, peppers and onions,

it was quite tasty.

I have a family of Bunnies living under my deck, this is one of the babies.

We had one beautiful sunset after all the rain, 

next week we are suppose to have sunshine and temperatures in the triple digits, 

I can't wait to see the sun!

My Garden Scrapbook

I have always been a Scrapbooker...a saver of memories.

I started this Garden Book in 2020, 

so I would always remember what seeds we planted and where we planted them.

 

I saved all of the seed packages, marking each with information on where they were planted.

I made the book like a Scrapbook so it would be more fun to work on and keep current.

This is a small map the hubs made outlining how we were going to lay out this years garden.

There are a lot more pages, I just randomly picked a few to show you!!

Painting with Watercolors

Saturday mid-morning, the house grew dark...the sky opened up and the rain came down like blankets.

It was cool outside, there were soft rumbles of thunder, and a few strikes of lightning.

- my favorite day -

I love when it rains, it is so relaxing to watch and listen to as it dribbles down the window panes.

The rain smelled clean and fresh, the grass and all of my flower gardens got watered, it was wonderful.

Nowhere to go, nothing to do...

it rained most of the day and I was able to get in some watercoloring painting.

I am not sure if I will ever be a watercolor painter, my hands are not loose or free flowing enough.

It is a different "feel" and "style" of painting.

I keep all of my painting supplies inside this basket I made during one of Lizes classes.

I watched a few videos on youtube, I am still learning,

I painted 3 pictures, all in this book, and although I know they could look better,

I am satisfied with the outcome.

I had fun, I am looking forward to getting the paints and brushes out again.