Summer moth

A moth rests on bark that surrounds my small pond.

This swallowtail caterpillar found a spot to make his/her chysallis. This is what it looked like after a few hours of being immobile. Note the silk that holds it up and the discarded head. The butterfly is the result.

Swallowtail caterpillars

I managed to nuture 23 swallowtail caterpillars this summer in my screen-in porch. Above: a cat makes his/her way between two that have already metamorphosed on the screen. Below: cats feed on fennel.

Heat Index 110--What Survived In the Garden?

The temperature is 102 degrees and the heat index is 110. I ventured out to water some wilted plants and decided to see what might still be viable in the garden. I found a quite a bit: cucumbers seem to thrive no matter how hot it is; the spaghetti squashes looked fine even though their vines are brown and wilted (I pulled them out); the cherry-sized tomatoes are still going strong although some of the larger ones have split. The corn is also pretty healthy.