Nope, I’m not talking about deadheading spearmint flowers. I was picking some leaves for no other reason than to crush them between my thumb and index finger and hold them to my nose. If you were passing by you might have thought I was picking my nose but I assure you I was only enjoying the spearmint fragrance.

Of course I had my camera with me so when I spotted the crab spider on a leaf I took yet another photo. I didn’t expect to use it but it turned out to have an unusual marking on its abdomen. I think it looks like a skeleton face.

The spearmint is a major hassle in the garden. It is way too aggressive and a pain to keep under control. It can sneak underground 3 feet in a season in rich, moist and loose garden soil. On the plus side, mints of all sorts are welcome to encroach into the ‘lawn’. I love the aroma as I mow it down to size.

Holy Moley! I Googled dried spearmint leaves for sale and the cheapest I found went for $8 a pound. Too bad it’s too late for harvesting quality leaves. The spearmint is in full bloom and it should be cut before blooming. Now I’m thinking of roto-tilling the garden next year and letting the spearmint and peppermint have their way.

Goldenrod is one of my favorite wildflowers. Late summer brings fields of yellow filled with predators. Among the flowers hides small sizes with big surprises and it doesn’t take long to find one. Finding a successful hunter just takes a little more time.

It must have come as a big surprise when the spider introduced itself to the bee.

Turkey Surprise
Stalking turkeys is tough. There are far too many eyes in a flock to sneak up on them. The flock knew I was around. We had spotted each other at a long distance and they immediately started to move off.

Movement catches the eye. I would never have known the frog was there if it hadn’t moved.
Too late to hide from my camera now.

Nothing unexpected about finding mature puffballs on a log.

What happens when you poke a dried puffball filled with spores? I got lucky and got a semi-focused photo of the spores ejected. They disperse rapidly and trying to keep the camera steady in one hand while poking with the other is tough. It took a number of tries and by the time I was done there must have been millions of spores floating around.

I know there’s something else but can’t seem to put my finger on it.

Oh yea, this will be the second time I posted my spore finger.

Crowd me and I’ll use you for a mousepad even if it makes you purr.

I’m a bit under the weather and have gone back to bed. I’m still warm enough to attract cat nappers so I guess I’m not quite dead yet.

Stewy doesn’t make a good mousepad and I’ve had to use the trackpad. He’s a persistant bug and I don’t feel like rebooting him over and over.

…and now for something completely different
-browsing through some recent photos.

Gooseneck Loosestrife

…with spider legs

In Your Face Spider

Don’t ask me why but this spider shot reminds me of Ralph Wiggum.
My favorite Ralph quote: ‘When I grow up, I’m going to Bovine University!’

Stalking Stewy

Stewy doesn’t just follow me to bed. He often leads the way.