Bug Hotel

Bugs! Who doesn’t love bugs? Well, ok, lots of people HATE bugs. But I guess it depends on the bugs we’re talking about, right? I’m pretty sure we can all agree cockroaches are kinda disgusting and no one is a big fan of mosquitoes, but there are some critters that are less creepy-crawly and more cutie-patootie. I mean, look at this Blue-Banded Bee :

So frikkin’ cute, right? Such a beautiful blue colour – they are solitary, non-aggressive and don’t get me started on those adorable antennae! They do have a sting but, due to their non-aggressive nature, prefer not to use them unless they absolutely have to . Luckily, their stings are not barbed, so they do not die if they do sting you. Hooray! They are important pollinators and a delight to have in the garden, if you are lucky enough to attract them (plant lots of blue/purple flowers if you want to encourage BBBs into your garden). They are super fascinating to watch if you can spot them (they’re quite shy and because they don’t swarm together, sometimes it can be hard to find them). The females build little burrow nests and the males hang out together at night, roosting on twigs and grass stems, to help keep each other warm until the early morning sunshine comes around again.

If you are interested, you can download a guide all about the BBB here.

For some reason, on the weekend, I decided to make a bug hotel. I got a bee in my bonnet (no pun intended) the night before and just suddenly felt that I NEEDED a bug hotel in my life. Did I do the proper research with regard to appropriate materials, sizing and other matters? Pah! No, I did not. I did my usual “Let’s just bung one together” type of thing. Which is fine for a first go, but probably won’t encourage any critters to trust my project as prime real estate. Nevertheless, behold my masterpiece!

Aside from some dodgy angles where the roof joins (or, rather, doesn’t join), it’s not so bad. I particularly like the little chimney and the fact none of it wobbles. My jigsaw-using skills need a lot of work, but my drilling is getting better and I didn’t injure myself so that is a bonus. I used old sticks and bits of wood mulch, plus bamboo stakes that I drilled holes in, for the nesting materials. The rest is just pine blocks cut to size and drilled with holes where appropriate. I should have made it deeper, included mud or clay, made the roof wider to protect from the elements and also put a back on the structure. I failed at insect accommodation but I hope it will inspire you to try your own version (and do a better job than me!).

You can find instructions for making a proper Bug Hotel here

Quote for the Day : Walk Lightly

“…It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humourless little prig. Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me. When it comes to dying even. Nothing ponderous, or portentous, or emphatic. No rhetoric, no tremolos, no self conscious persona putting on its celebrated imitation of Christ or Little Nell. And of course, no theology, no metaphysics.

Just the fact of dying and the fact of the clear light. So throw away your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly. Lightly my darling, on tiptoes and no luggage, not even a sponge bag, completely unencumbered…”

–- Aldous Huxley

I convinced myself this was a dinosaur footprint.  Let’s just go with that 🙂  Stacey’s Track, Jarrahdale – Western Australia

 

 

Hanging out with Some Fun Guys

You just know I have been milking that joke (in the post title) all month, right?  🙂

I love me some nature photography.  I do not claim to be very good at it, nor do I have any fancy equipment, lenses, or even a decent camera.  Just my little iPhone with the cracked screen.  It does the job though and I get some pretty nice shots when we are out and about.  But, really, nature does all the work – I just show up and take the photos.

 Fungi always seems a bit magical and other-worldly, because of its weird shapes, colours and places in which it grows.  I would like to tell you I can identify all of these little toadstools and mushrooms but, clearly, I would be lying.  I have no idea if anyone of them are edible.  They’re just neat – that’s all I know – and, during this hike through the forest in Jarrahdale, they were in abundance.

We had to be careful where we walked, in case we squished some of the more well-camouflaged specimens, and you had to look down and up and sideways and under things and above your head because they grew in all sorts of places.

Nature is so clever and beautiful, and we should take the time to notice her work more often.  Not just trample all over it.  We need to learn to tread more softly and leave smaller footprints.  We miss out on so much when we don’t stop and look around every now and then and remember to be grateful and appreciative.

Thanks for stopping by – have a lovely day 🙂