Bright and Gaudy

~

Bright and Gaudy is my mood :-) Perhaps that is why I made the Valentine banner so.. so gaudy :-) I'm usually a bit more reserved.

I also added some music... which isn't gaudy or bright, a bit romantic maybe. The player is at the bottom of the page if you don't want to listen or hit your mute button.

Today some bright and beautiful subjects.... you may not think so, but I do :-)

Milkweed Assassin Bug

It was on the azalea bush and covered with pollen.

These predacious bugs suck body fluids from prey, such as small to medium sized armyworms, earthworms, rootworm and cucumber beetle adults and other soft bodied insects. So they are very good for your garden.... unless you have a butterfly garden. They also like caterpillars for dinner. Don't touch them... they have a nasty bite.

Green Anole

Male anoles perform rituals of dominance and territoriality. They show their dominance by bobbing their heads, usually through pushup-like movements. They also flare their dewlap (red flap on throat). When threatened by another male, the opponents begin with head bobbing and flaring. Then they extend their throat (different than dewlap) to enlarge their body profile, they turn lateral to their opponent, showing the side profile of their body. They also erect crests along the back, and form an eyespot. These performances are intended to intimidate the other anole. The loser of the confrontation performs submissive head bobbing and retreats to a different territory.

One dull picture here :-)

The green anole can change its color based on its mood and surroundings such as the female in the photo above. In green anoles, the females are characterized by a paledorsal stripe extending from neck to tail, generally smaller body, and a smaller head with a shorter snout. They also have a dewlap, but it is much smaller than the male's and not as bright.

Green anoles live on a variety of insects such as crickets, moths and spiders.

They are found in the Southeastern United States from Florida to eastern Texas and north to Oklahoma and North Carolina. Green anoles can also be found in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Mexico. They are sold in some pet stores.

Crimson Butterflies

The foliage is a rich maroon-burgundy all season... year-round here in the South.

The blooms begin in mid-spring, arising on 8-inch stems of bright red. They open gradually, giving you fresh color for many, many weeks. The heaviest bloom is in late spring, but the flowers continue through summer and even into fall.

Growing just 18 to 24 inches tall and spreading just as wide, 'Crimson Butterflies' makes a nice edging or border standout and they grow well in a container... that is what I've done. It remains attractive even when not in bloom.

It is a hardy perennial native to Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico. It is ideal for warm-weather climates like here in SW Georgia. Crimson Butterflies tolerates drought, heat and humidity.

Crimson Butterflies is one in a series bred by Howard Bentley of Australia. It is an offspring of the renowned 'Siskiyou Pink' .

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Frank and I are better, but the colds continue to hang in there. Last night was the most sleep I've gotten in over a week. I'll be glad when these colds leave. Frank said I lied to him... I told him they should be gone in about a week... which would have been Thursday. I told him that it was just a guesstimate. I should be upset with him... his cold symptoms were several hours ahead of mine, so he is the one that gave me this cold :-)

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. -- George Bernard Shaw