Snowberry Clearwing

On By CarynIn Wildlife

Ok, so that is a cool name, even if it is more fitting for a winter fairy than a hummingbird moth. The good folks on iNaturalist provided the ID. I found it before the wings filled out.

Snowberry Clearwing moth resting on a stick before I helped it perch high up in the honeysuckle

The Snowberry Clearwing (yup, going to use the full name every time, ‘cause wow), pupates in leaf litter and one of the host plants for the caterpillar is honeysuckle, so it makes sense that they find our front arbor a good home since it is full of several varieties of honeysuckle and mulched with leaf litter. I have to come clean, I wasn’t the first to spot it. Maybe this blurry photo will give you a clue who did.

Blurry photo of cat paws pulling down a honeysuckle vine while the newly emerged Snowberry Clearwing tries to valiantly escape

I was able to rescue Snowberry Clearwing and help it to perch out of the cat’s reach, much to Sophie’s dismay. I saw the moth again, or maybe another moth but I would like to think it was the rescued Snowberry Clearwing, on the Abelia bushes across the walk.

Snowberry Clearwing

Fair travels to you, Snowberry Clearwing, may the wind be always at your back.

Winter squash

On By CarynIn Garden

On a lark, I planted some winter squash seeds in my stock tank garden bed. There should be enough time before our first freeze for the squash to develop (I hope), and the melons have been doing so well there, maybe squash will too.

Photographic plant label (I took a picture so I had record of what I planted)
Squash plant sprouting

It was very exciting when the seeds sprouted 5 days later! We had a whopper of a rain (for here, and especially with the drought) that brought 3.5 inches in a day, according to my glass rain gauge. It is damp all over, and my frog army has dispersed. I will have to get my sprays back out since my vines have lost their multitude of guardians.

Can you spot it?

On By CarynIn Flora

Our very hot, very dry summer killed off most of our clover. Most, but not all. One small clump managed to survive by setting root under the watering manifold (which has a small leak so the soil is damp beneath). The small collection of three-leaved clover managed to provide me with a four-leaf. I did not pick it when I found it, which was good because it hadn’t fully grown. Later the fourth leaf filled out better. Can you spot it in the photo below? Remember to think squares as you are looking, as opposed to triangles.

Clover patch with a four-leaf clover amongst the three-leaved variety
Four-leaf clover highlighted (in case you needed the hint)

Swatch again

On By CarynIn Craft

I attempted another cotton swatch, and tried again for doing brioche knit, vertical stripes, and cables. Uh no. You can see the one row of failed experiment in the photos. I did not rip out this time because it would have been demoralizing (and it is just a swatch that will go in the wash cloth bin). The combination of all the things is possible, but not at my usual level of concentration, which is always split at least two ways. (I am very distractible, if you haven’t noticed.)

Cotton brioche knit with vertical stripes and failed cables
Opposite side

This swatch was a learning experience for certain. I’m getting better at recognizing which way the brioche knit stitches go, and can read the knitting rather than relying on a pattern for each row. Most importantly, I have decided that the next project will use vertical color stripes, but not cables. Brioche knit is not easy (for me) to rip out partially, and cables introduce too many opportunities for error that I don’t catch until many rows later.

Try again

On By CarynIn Craft

I actually ripped something out. Yes, it was just a cotton test swatch, yes it was headed to the washcloth bin any way, but felt I was taking on too much and had to simplify. So instead of trying brioche knit, vertical stripes, and cables, I took out the vertical stripes and concentrated on understanding cables in brioche knit.

Horizontal color change with cables in brioche knit, cotton swatch
Opposite side

The cables in brioche knitting are intriguing, but I really don’t want horizontal color changes in the next project. I’ll try a different swatch.