#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening

My First Japanese Eggplant, a one-photo essay

Fictional Worlds I’d Love to Visit: https://lydiaschoch.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-fictional-worlds-id-love-to-visit-2/ #WednesdayWeeklyBloggingChallenge #BlogHop #Books

@bookstodon

I love the color orange so I’m a big fan of Butterfly Weed. One thing I’ve observed is how much Fritillary Butterflies also love it. They’re orange. Skippers love it and many of them are orange. Monarchs and Viceroys too. Milkweed Bugs also rock the orange.

So when I saw this Thin-waisted Wasp on it, I wasn’t surprised to see a little band of… yup, orange, on its abdomen.

🍊FTW.

1. Great-spangled Fritillary Butterflies
2. Thin-waisted Wasp

#BloomScrolling #Insects #Wildflowers #Butterflies

It was time to sharpen the points of spears & blades, to check that arrowheads were firmly affixed to shafts. But one youth sat #polishing shields.

"What are you doing?" growled a commander. "All a shield needs is strength--stop wasting time!"

"It's not wasted," the youth replied. "Just wait."

When evening approached, a group of young people stood the polished shields up in the sand to reflect the rays of the setting sun--into the eyes of the advancing foe.

#wss366 #microfiction

There but for the Grace of Dog…

This is Daisy, the companion of Jenna, an elder woman sitting in the shade, outside the supermarket. When I asked if she was okay in this heat and did she need water or food, Jenna smiled and said they were fine. “I’d be happy to help you however I can…ice water, something to eat?” She nodded.

Long story short, they live in Myrtle Beach and are stranded after relying on a unreliable friend for a ride back home.

Inside the store, Starbucks gave me ice waters for her and Daisy, and I bought a couple sandwiches and Gatorade waters. I invited them to sit in the air-conditioned Fiat with me while I called around to see if I could find help, at least get them out of the heat. A nearby church has opened its gym to those in need, providing light meals and water during this heat. And the woman I spoke with said they’d do what they could to get Jenna and Daisy on a bus home. 🙏 ❤️

Hexagonal-pored polypore (𝘕𝘦𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴), from Thompson Park:

#MushroomMonday #Mushtodon #mushrooms #fungi #polypores

#Sunrise #Fog #Iowa

Got humidity? (Just 91%.)