I've seen several monarch caterpillars this summer. Captured one and kept it in a covered vase until it went into a chrysalis. Then I took the lid off, and about 10 days later it had emerged and apparently flew away. (Sorry if photos are previously posted.) The gold trim around the chrysalis is beautiful. (Blurry in my poor photo, but it looks like little gold beads.)

Gazania, I laughed at loud at the picture of your granddog! Too cute. Jim, the first thought I had was "what kind of commute does THAT guy have that works at the top"!! Great pictures, everybody! Nicole, yours really is quite stunning. I hope someday I can see that in person!! Today is Fred's birthday. He is 12 today. What a clown he is. Such a good boy.

Thanks, Jasdip. She did. She passed on in 2007. She was 10 years old when I got Rocket as a kitten. He tormented her every day of the last two years of her life. I often regretted having him, but did what I could to keep her life from being too miserable. Seeing Rocket now, at age 14, it is hard to remember what a terror he was as a youngster.

Bob, that photo is really great. You should submit it to a nature magazine, like Birds and Blooms maybe. Oh I hate bald faced hornets. They are soooo aggressive. I had a bunch chase me the house one day and when I slammed the screen door they were hanging on to the screen! I inadvertently mowed under their big nest they were building under the eaves of the old outhouse. The spider in your photo with the green - I don't think I've ever seen that before.