Who is this little guy? I found him on one of my post rain walks this past week. We have several Black Walnut trees on our property. The fruit on this tree makes for a great hiding spot for tiny creatures like this. I have never seen this species before. A preliminary search through a couple online resources have not helped, but I have learned that identifying sometimes takes a little time!
Speaking of Black Walnut trees...they make a giant mess. You need to be attentive when you hang out in may backyard. I have been hit several times on the head by the fruit from the tree. Sometimes the wind blows them down and sometimes the squirrels knock them down. If you are lucky to not be hit, you need to be careful walking because they are under your feet.
The fruit has a very strong smell. These are not ripe, but if you touch a ripe one it will stain your hands for days. The squirrels typically dine on our patio so eventually there are stains everywhere.
Yesterday I observed two new butterflies! This is the area I have the best chance of finding the really colorful ones. The hill is eroding. We did add the rocks last year which makes the space easy to walk through. Other than that, we just let it grow wild.
I tried so hard to capture my new friends with my camera, but they flew away before I could catch a decent shot. I will go back today and see if I can find them. This one below was so funny. It was practically begging me to take a picture. It followed me everywhere gliding, showcasing its colors, and dancing through the leaves.
I'm still waiting to see the little groundhog family emerge from this hole again. As I inspect the area, I can see there has been activity, but I clearly have not been here at the right time to see them.
I found these growing under the large boulder after the rain. I'm going to ask my friend Amy about the source she used to help her identify the mushrooms in her yard. My hope is to add a page to this site for sharing final identifications with images.