Category: west virginia place

Amy figured out what was going on in the picture I posted yesterday (re-posted below).

Shannon was close with her guess, but was missing a couple of critical details. First, there are two stick bugs in the photo, not one like Shannon guessed. Second, they’re mating. Or, as Hubby so eloquently explained, “One bug is sticking it to the other!”

I’ve always known these insects to be referred to as walking sticks or stick bugs. They’re scientific name is Phasmatodea or Phasmids.

We’ve got lots of them at the WV place. I’d see one occasionally at our old Maryland house. But in West Virginia, they are regulars.

Even if we do see them often, I still find them fascinating.

I don’t remember ever having seen a green one before.

And I certainly don’t remember seeing two stick bugs locked in an amorous embrace.

I thought you might find them interesting, so I snapped a few photos. But when I saw the SECOND couple going at it, I knew I had to do a post.

Actually, the second shot was the first couple I spotted. They were pretty obvious right about at eye level on the back of our house. I’m not sure how I managed to spot the second couple hanging out on our electric meter.

And I always thought you rubbed two sticks together to make fire, not more sticks…

If you didn’t get the “That’s Amore” reference, CLICK HERE.

Monday in the mountains was relatively uneventful. I worked all day. Actually, I didn’t stop until about 6. Then I fed the girls and took them for their after-dinner stroll. It was a gorgeous day here.

Look what I found growing in the middle of Turkey Hollow Road! That tells you how much traffic we get back here.

I noticed something odd on my favorite burly tree yesterday. There’s little green things sprouting out of it. I thought maybe it might be a poison ivy/oak-type vine, but these little things appear to be sprouting right out of the bark.

Here’s something else I noticed. At first glance, it looked like some sort of alien growth. But I think it’s just the last remnants of the flower that appeared before the leaves sprouted. I didn’t notice the bug until I got home and looked at the picture. Do you see the bug? If you click on the picture a larger version will open up so you can get a closer look.

Wanna see the coolest shot of the day?

Are you ready?

We may not have a fence, but we have a Northern Fence Lizard. Actually, we have several. This one, who I dubbed Harold, lives in or near our block pile. He’s been around for a few years. Either that, or the block pile has been a favorite hangout for other Northern Fence Lizards.

There’s one that lives in the tree right outside our back door, too. When I went out to the truck to grab my phone charger yesterday morning, it was on the ground halfway between the tree and the house just looking at me. It was actually after I saw that one that I decided to check the block pile to see if Harold had returned.

I’d never noticed his blue underparts before.

Of course, me being me, I had to learn more about this lizard (including its name). According to an article I found on the Davidson College web site (thanks to Google), “This common lizard is one of North Carolina’s more conspicuous and familiar reptiles, deriving its common name from an earlier time when wooden fences were more common. Such structures are favored habitats for these quick and agile climbers, which are sometimes referred to by such names as “fence swifts,” “pine swifts” or “wood lizards.” For the full PDF article, CLICK HERE.

Apparently they are pretty common in West Virginia, too.

The girls are bugging the crap out of me ready for their morning walk. So I’d better run. But first, here’s one last look at my pal.

Isn’t he cool?