On Saturday, we went on a family hike. On the way, we happened to pass near a hot air balloon festival and saw over 20 balloons! Alexandra had never seen anything like this and was thrilled.
Then, off to our hike! There was no one around so we had the place to ourselves. We thought these fruit were pretty neat looking. The bush had some very large thorns on it. I don't know what it is, so I'd love it if anyone could help me out on this one!
Alexandra looking into the water to see what she could find. The surface of the water was covered in little tiny green "things" - algae? They kind of looked like tiny round leaves. Update: This is probably Duck Weed - thanks Theresa!
We found 4 caterpillars on these tall grasses in the water. They'd eaten a lot of the grass. You can see one dark caterpillar near the middle, and a lighter brown near the lower right hand corner. They were big and fuzzy.
There were 3 of these mud creations on trees in one area. Perhaps someone had made skeletons for Halloween? Or maybe this one is a face with a beard? 
We have lots of Spanish moss around here. It just hangs from the trees.
The mosquitos were horrible. We had sprayed, and I actually only ended up with only one bite. But, anytime you stopped on the second half of the trail, you could see and hear the mosquitos surrounding you. So, when Alexandra saw this cool "thing" on a leaf, we just picked it up and kept walking so I could photo it out of the trees. At first, she thought it was a caterpillar. Now, I think it is a gall. I've seen photos of some very fuzzy galls like this one. Isn't it neat?
This was the neatest find of the day - found by my husband on a railing. A very cool caterpillar which I haven't been able to identify. He was about 1 inch long.
Update: This is a Puss Caterpillar with a nasty sting! (Thanks, Marjorie & Theresa!) It has a nasty sting. Read more in my post here.
Here's a side-view. Isn't it amazing looking??? What a creative God we have - even just the caterpillars are so different and incredible!
Enjoying our day!
At the end of the day, we headed near the water for some fresh seafood. I had shrimp - yum! Anyway, on our way upstairs, I saw this guy breaking oysters open and then washing them. Now that is fresh seafood!
What a great day! I know it's been ages since your dh got to go on a hike. Was he worn out? That caterpillar really is cool. He almost doesn't even look real. Kind of like you could take a wee, tiny comb and brush his hair. Cute!
ReplyDeleteYou guys have gotten really good at spotting cool stuff out in nature. And I always look forward to reading your posts. You've taught me so much! Guess that's the Science teacher in you, huh?
Warning! That is a Puss Caterpiller http://www.bugsinthenews.com/puss_caterpillar_092602.htm and they have a VERY painful sting. Don't touch!
ReplyDeleteI see Marjorie already warned you, but as soon as I saw the picture I wanted to make sure you knew NOT TO TOUCH that fuzzy caterpillar---very bad!It is a puss caterpillar-yuck!
ReplyDeleteHere is some info from a site I found:
"The puss caterpillar (the adult is called southern flannel moth) is our most "dangerous" stinging caterpillar. Contact may produce severe reactions including: intense burning and nettling of the skin; severe pain; reddening and inflammation; development of pustules and other lesions; numbness; swelling, which may sometimes be extensive; and nausea. Pain may persist from one to twelve or more hours. In some instances, victims have required medical attention. The larva is urticating in all stages, but severity of the reaction is generally proportional to size. Also, newly molted skins retain stinging capabilities."
Oh, and the tiny green plant on the water is likely duckweed.