Friday's Hunt

Today I'm participating in Friday's Hunt, a themed post hosted by Eden Hills.

This week's categories are:  Starts with A, Week's Favourite, and Macro.

Starts with A
Here's one of the only things I don't really like about our new home.  ANTS!  In general, I don't particularly mind ants - they're part of a healthy ecosystem and they do a great job of keeping down other pest insects, aerating the soil, dispersing seed, and being a busy part of the soil recycling crew. However, these ants bite - painfully!  I believe they are thatching ants, which tend to be a species found in woodland areas.  They are known for being aggressive nest defenders.  I'll say!  Sometimes on my stroll along the driveway, I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my foot or ankle, and sure enough, there's an ant latched on to me.  I'm using borax bait to keep them somewhat at bay, but they are very plentiful here, and a bit of a nuisance.

Here they are farming a peony bud, as ants often do.

Week's Favourite
I had quite a few favourite shots this week, including my baby robin from earlier in the week, the robin's nest, my peony blooms, and yesterday's about my little treasures.  For this week's favourite that hasn't yet been blogged, I chose this shot of a tiny spider's web built on the side of an Astilbe flower spike.  I love the web detail and the fact that the vine arbour is in the background, giving the darkness that allows the web to shine.

I have quite a few Astilbe plants in this new garden and I don't know their colours yet, but I'm looking forward to finding out.  As it happens, my week's favourite also fits "Starts with A" and "Macro," but that wasn't planned!

Macro
Today, I took this macro shot of a foxglove in bloom.  I didn't know I had any foxglove plants, and this one is on a pile of gravel and grit in the backyard - not even in the proper garden.  Still, I love the pattern inside the bloom, the colours, and the fact that you can see the tiny hairs inside the blossoms, especially in the one on the upper right.   I also love the slight shimmer you can see on the side of the bloom to the upper left.

I also took this macro shot of a small butterfly which I believe is Poanes hobomok, commonly named the Hobomok Skipper.  I've submitted it to BAMONA and I'm awaiting confirmation of the ID.  I didn't even notice the other tiny bugs on the leaf until I downloaded the picture.  I love the way this shot captures the antenna and the long proboscis of the butterfly.