Instantly rehydrate a boulder with a single drop of water.

Use extreme caution: …never rehydrate boulders while holding over your head. Each box contains enough instant boulders to fill 3 average stadiums. Always store in a dry place. Spitballs are not a recommended use.

Could you use them responsibly? No way I could.

I can’t leave ya without a photo. Lucky for me I found a fallen oak leaf today. I have no idea what the things attached to it are. They make an interesting photographic subject but it galls me not knowing what they are.

I’ll be taking the show on the road. I’ve got to go watch someone dig a big hole in Long Island. Tomorrow I’ll be another Sunday Driver. By evening I’ll have a box to nest in and Monday morning I’m entering the rat race. cya later

Expecting to find flowers and butterflies in March this far north is expecting a lot. Winter often lingers well into April and our average day of last frost is May 15. A Spring this early only raises suspicions. I’m expecting to be suckered punched by Old Man Winter as soon as I let my guard down.

But I’m beginning to change my mind. Things that know better than me are out for their spring fling. Maybe just maybe Spring is here to stay. -crosses fingers-

The Crocus and Vinca are a week or so early. A couple brave volunteers came by to cheer me up.

Sometimes I think Mother Nature gets carried away with yellow. The first two flowers of the year have been yellow. First the Winter Aconite, then the Crocus. Thank goodness some Vinca butted in and added a bit of pale blue to the list. Not that I’m complaining, any color is great right now but I can’t help seeing the pattern has already already.

But Butterflies? The Grey Comma Butterfly is a bit early. Last years sighting was on March 25th. I saw one a couple days ago and went on a wild goose chase and never got a shot. A couple more were out today and I got my pic.

Gray Comma Butterfly – Polygonia progne

Both butterfly photos are linked to a larger size (1024 x 768) for a closer look. I wouldn’t use either as a desktop background but you can go ahead and do it. I’m holding out for something better.

I believe this is my first sighting of the Mourning Cloak Butterfly. The only surprise I really had was being able to identify it so easily. Makes me doubt myself when things go so well. I expect to make a full report at a later date. I need to rehash everything to set it in my mind.

Mourning Cloak Butterfly – Nymphalis antiopa

Sometimes what’s not there anymore is a sign of Spring. The porcupines haven’t been around for a couple of days now. They’re out and about and I just hope we don’t catch on on the ground. I think they must have some kind of scent that makes a dog stupid enough to stick it’s nose where it doesn’t belong. Not for a second do I believe Pookie is an exception. It took way too long teaching her those weren’t Easter eggs.

Sometimes Spring revels the remains of a past life like yesterday’s skull. I’ve come across leg bones, piles of turkey feathers, bundles of fur and this claw.

Well, I thought it was a claw when I reached to pick it up.

I also found this scene of an alien landscape in Spring. Yesterday’s wallpaper is history. This background is going to stick around for a while. I think it’s one of my better images and I was tempted to let it solo it’s own post. But anyone who made it this far deserves something better than a burnt plastic fork.

My quill covered acquaintance has once again, in a purely defensive move, stuck his head where the sun don’t shine. It was hardly necessary. The only threat I pose is to society.

After getting my porcupine shot of the day I checked out the area for more scarlet cap mushrooms. No luck with those but I discovered a white spot in the fallen leaves. Last year’s porcupine that is ‘no more’ made a final appearance at the base of the tree.

With all due respect I plundered the remains and grabbed the skull. I looked for other bones and especially the claws but found no trace of them.

It wasn’t surprising that after a year of neglect all the teeth were loose.

Ever wonder why porcupines seem to gnaw everything in sight? They have to. Proper tooth care means wearing them down. The front teeth grow continually and if not worn down would curl around like a tusk.

The incisors are mainly solid ivory formed from the pulp of the tooth. The orange coloring is a layer of enamel deposited only on the front. The ivory wears easier than the enamel and the tooth ends up chisel shaped and sharp.

Porcupine Backgrounds

Or are these photos a way to show how cool the top of my table stone is?

Feeling cheery, I set the above photo as my new wallpaper.
Click either image for the 1024 x 768 version

Speaking of solid ivory. Wonder if my wife would like an ivory pendant for her birthday?