Owl's back!

I I was SO excited to snag a couple shots this morning of an eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) using our nest box again! Last month or so, I saw him/her but didn't have a camera with me. This morning, I did! Love this bird. 

Two happy endings

So this morning we ran into our local dollar store to buy some milk and bread. James and I both spotted something brown crawling on the floor way down the aisle. Cricket, I thought. Poor thing. "That's a spider," James said. Really? So, naturally, I had to go see. And yes, she was! A nice sized wolf spider! But what should I do? Think, think, think, Sheryl. I could have tried picking her up, but I didn't want to startle her or me. So I pulled off my brown Croc shoe and guided her inside. Then I took her outside and let her go in the grass alongside the building.

Why not take her home instead? Good idea, Sheryl! So I went to our car and grabbed a wine glass I'd planned to donate to our local non-profit thrift store, the Blanco Good Samaritan Center (the store funds our food pantry). Perfect! So off we went back home with our spider wolf.

I took the glass outside to our back yard and let her go. I know she must have been glad in her spider way to have a more inviting home. Right?

This afternoon, I stopped by the Samaritan Center, where I've volunteered since 2004, to drop off the glass and some clothes. On the way inside, I noticed a lady praying mantis, perched on the porch rail. Caterina and Gwen, who were working after hours, stocking the store, both agreed that the mantis should go home with me. Why not? So I gently cupped the mantis in my hand and off we went with me driving one handed. (It's only a few blocks home.)

My new friend seemed pleased to be accompanying me, as you can see. She was even more excited to see our back yard. At least, that's what she conveyed to me. (You had to have been there, I guess.)

I released her in the Jeruselum sage, where I've observed other mantids in the past. She was gone when I checked back later. No doubt, she was happily exploring her new home. Right? 

Yeah, right, Sheryl.

Can you find her?

Texas wasp moth

Texas wasp moth (Horama panthalon)

AMAZING TO SEE!

My favorite butterfly

I've loved this butterfly since I was a girl––the red admiral (Vanessa atalanta). Friendly and personable, this butterfly will land on you if you hold out your arms on a sunny late afternoon. It didn't take long to entice this one to stop by and visit for a bit. When it fluttered its wings, I could actually feel its little body tremble on my hand.

Mini crane fly

James spotted this little insect nectaring on one of our fragrant mistflowers. It was HARD to photograph. No, it's not a mosquito. This is a species of crane fly, perhaps in the family Limoniid.

Thread-legged bug friends

These are the best images I could get (so far) of my two friends that live on our back porch screened door. They are thread-legged bugs (Emesinae), which are grouped with assassin bugs. At first, I thought they were walking sticks, too. But my friends on iNaturalist straightened me out. These guys fascinate me, and I visit them regularly. Especially after dark when James turned on the porch light, when they prey on moths. The bug pictured below is a bit smaller than the other one.

Metallic green beetle

Check out this little beauty! Spotted it climbing on the inside of our back garage door. I found the same beetle in July 2014. This time, I believe I found the species: Chrysolina auripennis.