FARM SHOW 2011

The 2011 PA Farm Show will be held January 8th thru 15th.  Stop by to visit at the Family Living center - east side of the main hall near the McClay Street entrance.

This is my 7th year as a speaker and exhibitor and it is always a wonderful opportunity, but a tiring one - ten 12 hour days (including set up)  in a row is not easy for this old man.   This year I will be getting more rest because I am "camping" in the Creation Van rather than commuting from home. The Farm Show camping facilities include electric hook up so I will have heat, hot water for bathing, my fridge and a hotplate for meals. (Farm show food is always good but also expensive, so I am planning to cook my breakfast and supper in the van.)

Pray for me that I have strength, make good contacts, and say "the right thing at the right time".  Pray that our investment in the postcard handout proves worthwhile. (that folks save them and respond)  If you think of me say a special prayer for me at 2pm on the 13th and 14th as I will be speaking at the Family Living center stage.

In addition to the photography my conversation starter this year revolves around the pocket watch pictured above. It was running and keeping good time when I dismantled in and put all the pieces in a clear plastic container. (not an original idea - I borrowed it from somewhere??) How many times will we have to shake the jar until the pieces "fall together" and it starts running again?   I know that the theory of evolution is much more complicated than this simple illustration but it does make a point and starts some interesting discussions.

For a "hand out" we will be using the butterfly postcard I designed and emailed to most of you on December 11.  I am including the front and back images of that card below.  My hope is that a "pretty" picture post card will be less likely to be trashed than the other things folks pick up at the show.


Front of card (click on it for complete image)

back of card  (click on it for larger size)

A MONTH IN THE WOODS

This was our home for the month of October - we were camp hosts at Fowler's Hollow State park in Perry County PA. What a wonderful experience! It is a small campground with only 18 sites. We were almost full one weekend but usually had only 5 or 6 campers and during the week I was often alone. I spent 72 hours without seeing or hearing another person - I do not think I ever did that before but it was good - just me and God - I tried to let Him do most of the talking. I did try to teach the trees a few songs. I came home twice to go to market at Roots but returned to the woods the following morning. Enjoy the pics.


Our living room dinning room and kitchen (the van was our storage shed and pantry)


the bed room (Flossie is sleeping in) - the new cots we got made sleeping very comfortable


This very valuable piece of furniture was borrowed from the Vanserbosh family - thank you Dave and Tina we thought of you often


Our "neighborhood"


more of our surroundings


view of the "doubling gap" from camp site 108


LOOK CLOSER - even a weed like chicory can be beautiful


snap dragons were among the "late bloomers"


when leaves fall I look for nests


neat - what plant is it?


Looks similar to dead nettles but I do not think so - help me with a positive id


We did have many campers at times - here are some of the 27 4th grade students who stayed for 3 days


And my favorite visitor - she stayed with me about 1/2 of the month - we enjoyed a new game (to us) called farkel

Tis the season

Pearl Crescent - Phyciodes tharos


Delaware Skipper - Anatrytone logan (I think so)


Clear Wing moth - sometimes referred to as the hummingbird moth


Bella Moth - Eutethesia bella


Variegate Fritillary - Euptoieta claudia


Common buckeye - Junonia coenia


The end of summer and beginning of fall is a great time for observing insects - I am crazy enough to spend hours doing just that - here are just a few I have photographed recently.

Again if anyone sees a mistake do not hesitate to say something it really becomes a learning experience I enjoy.

Get out and enjoy God creation - when you learn to know nature better you get to know the Creator better. Can you imagine the mind that conceived such beauty?

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books,for they speak the voice of God."
George Washington Carver (One of my heroes after all he invented peanut butter.)

HELP WANTED

A friend stopped by at roots market asking if I could id a chrysalis - she sent me a this picture - I am stumped - it was on a "vine" of black eyed Susan's hanging over top of hosta. can you help?

A FEW NEAT THINGS I'VE SEEN RECENTLY

Dragon Fly (?id)


Turks cap lily

Zebra Swallowtail (eurytides marcelles) note the long tails


Butterfly egg (greatly enlarged) Red Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) Picture by Ken Miller


Eastern King Bird (Tyrannus tyrannus)


Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

YEAR OF THE TIGER (SWALLOWTAIL)

Jim to the rescue


wounded cormorant at dam


monarch


great egret


viceroy


painted turtles


great blue with fish


female tiger swallowtail


male tiger swallowtail


goldfinch = woods edge park Centerville


Last year was a bad year for the butterfly population as a whole so I assumed it would it would take a few years to recover - not so! Everyone I know is seeing more butterflies this year. I have seen a half dozen snouts this year and only one in the last ten years. The numbers of Tiger swallowtails is amazing. We saw at least 50 each time at middle creek in the last month. In addition we are seeing zebra swallowtails, spice bush swallowtails, viceroys. monarchs and silver spotted skippers to name a few. I hope you enjoy the pics.

8/18/10 at Middle Creek we saw an injured bird at the foot of the dam. I thought it was a great blue but it proved to be a cormorant. Jim (the manager of middle creek retrieved it - although it was still alive it was beyond saving. He had a compound fracture of the wing and it must have been that way for some time as he was very malnourished. I included pics of this bird also.

Speaking of birds I have included pics of a great blue heron with a small fish in his mouth. He caught three while we watched him for about 15 minutes.

Also included are pics of a great egret and two sun basking painted turtles.

I almost forgot - I saw and shot a clear wing moth and observed him fighting with a tiger swallowtail for a position on a flower - the fight lasted several minutes and the tiger won.

CORRECTION & A WONDERFUL TREE

wow! what a tree The oldest Sycamore I have ever seen.

Ken "inside" the tree


Don "inside" the tree (I look skinny here)


GRASSHOPPER Sparrow

It pays to have friends who know more than you do. Jim Smith and Randy Miller were kind enough to point out a mistake in my blog of 6/28/10. I labeled a sparrow as a white throat but it is a grasshopper sparrow - I must have seen the yellow above the eyes and ignored the other obvious differences. I like making mistakes because it is a good way to learn lessons you seldom forget. I have copied the pic here with proper id. Thank you Randy and Jim - never hesitate to correct me when I make mistake.

I have passed Old Sycamore road (off Centerville Road in West Hempfield Twp Lancaster Co)many times without thinking of the reason for the name. Ken and Dorthy Miller told me about the old tree that the road is named for. Dorthy played on the tree in her aunt and uncles lawn when she was a child (no dates or ages mentioned here, Dorthy!) It was a very old tree when she played on it . Today the old tree is worth a visit for two reasons. 1- it is a magnificant sight to see and 2- it will not be there much longer. The poor old lady is as hollow as a pipe - see the pics the Ken took on our 8/16/10 visit. See pics above.

NATURE CLUB

Don with Charles Darwin the Garter Snake


Beautiful Birds


Don enjoyed these meetings as much as anyone


Issac Scott enjoys the camera person more than the "lecture"



Dear Friends

The first annual (Lord willing) Creation Appreciation Nature Club was a success - we had almost 40 people at our first 3 meetings and 54 at the last one. Here are some pictures courtesy of the Stricker Family.

A GREAT DAY FOR NATURING

Eastern Blue Bird (Sialia sialis)




Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)



Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae)



Brown Headed Cow Bird - male (Mlotbrus ater)





Dragonflies (can you help me with identity?)


Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)


Spice Bush Shallowtail (Papilio trailus)



Turtle (painted?)


Water Lily



Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)


Over an inch of rain fell on most of Lancaster County last weekend and it is raining this evening. Thank you Jesus!!!

The timing could not have been better for the corn crop - another week or two of dry would have really "put a hurt on it".

We had to make a trip to Mt Gretna so we wandered over to Middle Creek and had a great 2 hours of nature - the above pictures were all taken there today.

The Common Yellowthroat is a first sight and first photo for me. A bid confusing to a dummy like me; in that the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) it is a "Wood Warbler" (Parulidae) but not to be confused with the Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica) also a "Wood Warbler".
"Ours is not to question why...."