Zooming out a little to show the relative density of bees on the silver buffaloberry yesterday.

Today it’s windy and cold, with brief spells of sunshine. Too windy for me to be outside, and way too windy to try and photograph anything. Rain and snow are predicted. Biko is out in his roundpen in case I have to dash out and bring him in quickly; sometimes the catahoulas don’t always find him fast enough for my liking, especially in inclement weather. Deborah gave them giant beef bones which they’ve been working on all day in the yard, and now I see them out the window licking their chops. I think Raven has buried hers and now stolen Stellar’s. She is such a bad, clever dog.

The first forsythia flowers are opening today. The golden currant and Siberian honeysuckle begin to leaf out, and the wild rose shows tiny red leaf buds. Mountain ash is sprouting in new places while the standing stems have yet to start leafing. All the penstemon rosettes are filling out, and each day, rain, snow or shine, more and more of the garden comes alive. This morning I harvested a colander full of arugula and look forward to a salad of it made with parmesan and walnuts, olive oil, and red wine and balsamic vinegars.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent the midday researching all the other insects I discovered on the buffaloberry. So after a little more from the honeybees, here are some other flying species.

See how this bud is half open and PollenFace bee seems to be probing inside the flower before it’s fully open?

If you look closely at this you can see pollen spraying out from the cracked bud that Pollen Pants is working on.

But first, a clarification: This particular paper wasp, Polistes dominula, is a European native first discovered in Massachusetts in 1980 which has since spread nationwide, displacing native species.

Probably a mason bee in the genus Osmia, available here in both native and non-native species. I’m thinking this is a native; they nest in pre-existing tunnels in wood, and can be encouraged with houses made of paper straws, cardboard tubes, or holes drilled in a block of wood.

A greenbottle fly, possibly Neomyia cornicina, a common Palearctic species introduced to the “new world” with cattle, in whose dung it breeds. Such a pretty thing!

Also a greenbottle fly…

Another possible greenbottle fly, but I can’t find an image quite like this in my research. Isn’t it cute, though? I love that little round hairy face with the droopy accessories.

I don’t know. Maybe a cluster fly? It looks different than the cutie above. So many species within each genus, so many genera, so many families of flies. I give up. Any ideas, Neighbor Fred? Or anyone else?

Finally, while I don’t often speak directly to viewers, something came up this morning that distressed me, and I’d like your help in understanding it. A friend wrote to alert me that when she visited this page from the link on my Facebook wall, she encountered a pro-Fracking ad at the bottom of the post. Are you seeing ads? If so, what are they for? If you could please comment here, or email me, or tell me on FB, what time you looked and what ad you saw, I’d be grateful. I noticed some months ago a message at the bottom of my posts stating that “some viewers may occasionally see an ad here,” but I never saw one so I didn’t think WordPress was posting ads on my blog. Why would they? It’s not like I’ve got a hundred followers. Then this morning Peggy wrote that she saw a fracking ad, and I was horrified. A Gardeners’ Supply ad or Sierra Club, maybe, but Fracking? 

The values in this blog are the antithesis of fracking. I don’t often spout political or activist rhetoric on here because my goal is largely to celebrate the beauty, wonder, and fragility of nature. I hope to inspire people to love pollinators, reptiles, trees, and the rest of nature as much as I do; I hope to brighten someone’s day with a beautiful image or two. I live off the grid with a high-mileage car which I use as little as possible. I do not support extractive energy in general, and pray daily that the leaders of our world will show concern for our planet and move toward renewable energy, will show compassion for all creatures human and non-human, and act accordingly in their debates and policies. Maybe WordPress put a fracking ad on my blog because I live in an area where our community has been fighting desperately to protect our agricultural valley from fracking for years now. Maybe it was that simple. Or maybe Someone noticed the content of this blog, and chose to put a fracking ad on it to suggest that I, an avid nature lover, also condone fracking. I take deep offense at this particular ad being associated with my ideals, and consider it sabotage of my freedom of expression.

I looked into the WordPress ad-free upgrade, and attempted to purchase it for $30 a year, so that you won’t be exposed to ads at all, and so that the integrity of my creative efforts on behalf of the natural world will not be compromised. I was unable to purchase only the ad-free upgrade, finding an upgrade bundle costing $79 to be my only option. Lacking the perspicacity to figure out how to get only what I wanted to pay for, I have communicated with WordPress support and inquired politely if they will please help me resolve this situation. I trust that I will hear back from them within a few days and be able to pursue the ad-free option. Until that time, please keep me informed of the time and content of any ads that you see on this blog, and know that I have not approved their messages.

Also, go outside and hug a tree, or watch a bee, or kiss a frog. I wish you a lovely, nature-loving day. Thank you for taking the time to look at Morning Rounds.