Bush Katydid Stuck and Needing Rescue

A Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scuddera furcata) was stuck between the front bedroom window for most of yesterday morning.

I guess she managed to wedge herself between the window glass and the screen during yesterday's thunderstorms. She was stuck for several hours.

She would climb to the top of the screen, wave her long, threadlike antenna over the edge of the screen into the outside air, and then head the opposite way back down into the window. She was so close to freedom and turned around.

I am not sure what she was doing but after several hours of watching this happen again and again, I took a letter opener and decided to speed things along.

I unlocked the windows and screens and pushed her out into the warm, humid afternoon air. I am not sure she appreciated it because she just crawled into the window track.

I gave up.

I just studied what she looked like after all this. I knew she was a she by the stout, up-curved ovipositor underneath her abdomen. I think it looks like an Elizabethan codpiece. It would be even funnier if she were a he.

The female katydid uses this body part to deposit her eggs deep in soil or rotting wood. Hopefully, out of reach of animals that would eat the eggs.

When the larvae hatch from the eggs, they are multi-colored and horned. Wicked. I wondered what I would look like multi-colored and horned?

They most sad thing about this katydid is that is only has one leg. When she has both, her long powerful legs are used for jumping. No jumping for this katydid. I guess this explains some of her behavior yesterday morning.

Mourning Dove in my garden (last fall) 

Attracting birds in this hot weather is easy, I keep my water dishes filled.

It is hot here in Philadelphia. The thermometers hit the 100˚ mark yesterday and probably will today also.

Providing water is a inexpensive way to attract birds, butterflies and other animals to your garden, patio or balcony. 

Setting out water dishes of clean water is a good way to help the local animals.  Birds will drink and bathe in a dish and various insects will visit also. 

It is simple and you probably have a suitable container in the house right now. It can be a trash can lid, large flower pot  saucer, a swallow dish, or commercial made fancy item. 

The dish needs to be swallow, no more than 2 inches deep. We wouldn’t want baby birds to drown. I like to add rocks in my water dishes, so small birds can perch on them to drink if they feel more comfortable. 

I stopped putting my water dish on the ground as cats are able to attack birds that are on the ground more easily. 

Right now my water dish is hanging from a tall shepherd’s hook. I don’t like it there but I feel obligated not make the birds so vulnerable by putting the water dish on the ground.

I fill this swallow dish up each morning and the water evaporates by mid-day. With the evaporation I don’t have to worry about mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes breed in standing water. And the eggs take several days to hatch. 

You can combat mosquitoes by having water that moves, I use a “water wiggler”. Or dump out the dish and fill with fresh water each day.

 

So, with this hot weather, watching birds from the comfort of an air conditioned room makes being inside not so bad. And the birds, butterflies, and insects will appreciate the free drinks.

It's 100 degrees outside. We need trees.

Morris Park, Fairmount Park

It's 100 degrees fahrenheit here in Philadelphia. And the lack of trees along some city streets is a big minus. I walked down to the mailbox this morning and the lack of shade made the walk unpleasant.

Philadelphia has done a great job replanting trees in the city. But, there are still city residents who refuse to plant a tree in front of their houses because they don't want the leaves. This bothers me to no end.

One way it bothers me as it is just another example of how people don't respect the land. Philadelphia is in a natural forest. The natural habitats of this land include forest, meadows, swamps, wetlands, rivers and streams. Not concrete and asphalt.

I just don't understand it. Leaves? Is that the real reason someone doesn't want a tree? Leaves only fall for a  few weeks in the Fall. Maybe someone has to rake up the leaves three or four times. Is that so bad? And leaves decay by spring anyway.

It is this kind of thinking which makes me despair that we humans can save ourselves. We aren't saving the Earth, we're saving us, humans. Maybe.

Some of us aren't very adaptable. No, changing. Changing is for sissies.

But, Earth bats last. And Earth, she always wins.

So, I guess I am just not very optimistic about humanity today.

Okay, maybe some of humanity. The rest of us will do what we gotta do. Peace.

Twelve-spot Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) - the funky version.