Nor egrets

Golden fungi, Herons and Orange Marble Orb Weavers

It seems that the shift to autumn is upon us. The heat is gone and mornings are soaked with dew. These golden oyster mushrooms are not native, but beautiful nonetheless. Edible, I’m told. I’ll stick to cultivated mushrooms; my family used to harvest Hen of the Woods, but I’ll leave that taste to memory.

Until today, it seemed like everyone was seeing Snowy Egrets except me. My friend Chris texted me a photo. I managed to eke out one nature walk this week, and I got to see a Northern Parula, a wee yellow bird who flits around so much they can be tough to spot. And when I thought I saw my old pal, the skittish Great Blue Heron, it turned out he’d been run off by a large, blazing white Egret.

In the UK, GBH means “Grievous Bodily Harm,” which is what a Great Blue Heron does to its prey with that spear it has a for a schnoz. Snowy Egrets have the same equipment. This one was much less skittish, and stared at me with its big yellow eye while I studied it and snapped blown-out photos with my phone.

The sun was right on him, so there was no helping that. The heron was there only last week, but ceded the territory to his big white cousin. You can see ol’ GBH here.

With the harsh light, my camera was relegated to snapping this sweat bee as they noshed on Common Jewelweed.

Closer to home, an Orange Marble Orb Weaver has spun a great web on the bird feeder pole. I haven’t fed the birds all summer, so they’d eat the bugs. Migration has begun, so it’s time to put out food again. The bats have begun eating the mosquitos, and they are always welcome to come and feast. Friends have put out dip buckets to kill mosquitos, but I’ve found that many other insects perish in those, same as a big zapper, so I’ve avoided them. Deet and Citronella will have to do.

That leaf is not floating in mid-air.

The big orange weaver is welcome. I love the bold colors of orb weavers. I’m a friend to spiders, from the little Zebra Spider who wanted to live in my hydration pack, to the cellar and house spiders I am told to remove from the domicile, and they all get to live and hunt again if I have anything to do with it. If they are there, there’s something to be eaten. My principles will be tested if we find a Black Widow or a Brown Recluse in the house.

Lately work and the news have made me rather exhausted, so this is all I can manage this week. I’ll bring the big camera and see if the egret has lingered. Whether I see them or not… there’ll be no regrets.