A shot of the new fountain

Still some aesthetic work to do.

Installed a new filter/fountain in the pond by rigging an existing pump to a 4 Gal pond filter, and from there to a $15 pot (purchased at Menards) that I have propped up on some rocks above the eastern basin. The filter cuts the flow from 400 GPH to perhaps 200 or less, which is quite adequet for my purposes. Would be a shame to disturb any of the lily pads in the basin. This should help to clear out some of the organic sludge that's been collecting with the warmer temperatures. It might also help the waterfall pump, which has gotten clogged with sludge just about every other day, run a little more cleanly.

Couldn't figure out why one of our cats was obsessed with digging tunnels in the insultation we stuffed into a conduit between the house and the chimney (we're currently replacing stovepipe.) After all, the gap between the house and the chimney is only about 2", and the holes he dug were tiny, about perfect size for a chipmunk to slip through, which is exactly what happened both Saturday AND Sunday morning despite a shirt and some chicken wire we threw up. The chipmunk (believe it was the same one) was saved by means of a pond net, though it managed to clamber over the shelves, bed, up the stairs, and on the kitchen table first.

We're not sure how Bagel enticed the little fellow to come in, but the hole had definitely been dug from the inside (strewing tiny pink tufts all over the floor.) Finally shoved the old stovepipe back in there in hopes of putting a stop to it.

Wildlife Spotted in Garden this Week:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Grey Tree Frog
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Robin
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Natives in Bloom this Week:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Daisy Fleabane
• Elm-leafed Goldenrood
• Ironweed
• Prairie Onion
• Purple Coneflower
• Rough Blazing Star
• Sneezeweed
• Swamp Milkweed
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Tall Boneset
• Turtlehead
• Woodland Sunflower

Almost finished with the retaining wall along the side of the garage (all that's required are the caps). Lanscape cloth runs from under the river rock that line and partially obscure the bottom row of blocks (a short stone border makes it much easier to mow), over the garden bed itself, and will be tucked under the 4X4 timbers that will back up against the garage. While I usually like to let my natives roam, I'm already putting enough time into fighting crab grass, dandelions, and other invasive non-natives in the pond garden.

Stopped by Kinninatives this Saturday to pick up a few shade-hardy plants:

• Columbine


• Elm-leafed Goldenrod


• Harebell


• Woodland Sunflower

Monarch Project, Day 59

We're ending the project on a rather down note this year as Monarch #8 emerged with disfigured wings. After feeding #8 from some cut milkweed and blazing star, and giving the wings ample time to straighten and dry, we used a procedure found on livemonarch.com in a last-ditch attempt to straighten them. Unfortunately, #8 died sometime this morning. That leaves 8 monarchs raised this year, 6 of which survived to take flight.

Monarch Project, Day 55

Monarch #8 is now in the late chrysalis stage. Here are some photos of his progression as a caterpillar (click to enlarge).

Weekend rains broke the record temps, and we're once again down in the 70's and low 80's. Despite the incessant drizzle, I got some landscaping, weeding, and a good portion of a retaining wall built this weekend. Crab grass certainly seems to be dominant this year, probably because the dry conditions have been stressing out the grass.

Wildlife Spotted this Week:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Grey Tree Frog
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Robin
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Natives in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Daisy Fleabane
• Dragonhead
• Prairie Onion
• Purple Coneflower
• Rough Blazing Star
• Sneezeweed
• Swamp Milkweed
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Tall Boneset

Monarch Project, Day 45

#'s 4-7 hatched over the weekend. Had a bad bit of luck with two of them, one of whom was attacked by a wasp while warming up for its first flight, and the other of which seems to have either hatched deformed, or broke its wing shortly after hatching. We got the wasp away from the first, and set it in a sunny spot nearer the house with a bit of goldenrod. It flew away into the trees the following morning. There wasn't much we could do for the other. Attempted to put it on some Rough Blazing Star so that it could at least get some nutrition. I'll check on it again when I get home.

Noticed that a number of local trees are either turning, or possibly dying. If this drought continues, I am betting that the leaves will turn by mid-September, and that there will be no fall colors this year.

Turns out that Helenium autumnale got the common name of "Sneezeweed" not because of any allergies it provoked, but because it was originally used in snuff.

As Earth slowly tilts on her axis, tilting Minnesota in course towards its Autumn months, Summer favorites like Butterfly weed and Wild Bergamot are slowly replaced by Fall natives such as Boneset and Joe Pye Weed.

Decent amount of fog up in Linwood Twp, and even down into the cities this morning. Was cool over the weekend, but climbed into the upper 80's this afternoon.

Wildlife spotted this week:

• American Toad
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Grey Tree Frog
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Natives Currently in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed
• Daisy Fleabane
• Dragonhead
• Purple Coneflower
• Swamp Milkweed
• Sweet Joe Pye Weed
• Tall Boneset

Monarch Project, Day 28
Released Monarch #4 Friday evening. The previous morning #'s 5-7 spun their cocoons; all within a couple hours of one another.


Monarch #8 has grown slowly. On the first day, he took a few nibbles out of a small leaf found towards the apex of a Swamp Milkweed, now he's carving trails out of the fuller bottom leaves.

Monarch Project, Day 24
My wife found a caterpillar about the size of a grain of rice crawling on one of the leaves in our enclosure Wednesday. The only reasonable explanation is that one of the leaves I harvested from outside must have had a Monarch egg on it. Afraid that he'd be crushed by one of the larger caterpillars (who have been bickering over leaves to the point that we've had to separate them), we moved him to his own box with an assortment of delicious milkweed leaves.

Interesting that we have spotted more Monarch Caterpillars in July and August than we did through May and June.

2007 Progress:

Caterpillars: 8 (currently 4)

Cocoons: 4 (currently 1)

Butterflies: 3

Rain finally broke the 90 degree heat. Minnesota (and especially the cities) have been under an extreme drought all summer -- Superior's supposed to be down at least two feet.