Newbie - and TT Results

I was doing my morning stroll around the garden when I spotted something quite large on the gladiola.  Imagine my delight when I discovered a very fresh looking Dog Day Cicada.  A quick run in to grab camera then back for a few shots before it started buzzing then took off.  And it was only then that I noticed the husk of it's shell directly below!  It had apparently just crawled out of the ground last night and emerged from it's final shell this morning.  (Yes, of course I kept the shell!)

Now, so as not to keep anyone waiting, Cicada Hearts to to the following entries this week
Connections for a delightful bundle of fuzziness
Hanulli because everyone needs a cool drink on a hot day
Sheol for a fab flying hawker
lisa24270 for a delightfully whimsical image
Sunflower for her lovely wee blossom

And Cicada HM's to...
Elisabet for a wonderful captured twofer
Tweedy for an eye to eyes look at a fly
AH14rnbw for an eye level view of a shield bug
Terrifo for the finest of spiders
Osuzanna for a stunning swallowtail

As usual, you made the choices very difficult, but also very enjoyable.  Hosting gives me a reason to just sit quietly and enjoy the wonderful and talented photographers who frequent this site.  Thank you all.

In other news ... Jax is at daycare and is no doubt having a great time.  He couldn't wait to run off with the young lady who came out to get him this morning - never even a look back.  

I made an unfortunate discovery yesterday that several of the monarch chrysalids on the side of the house had disappeared so I brought one of the remaining two into an enclosure.  Couldn't reach the second one as it was over the back door.  But it emerged this morning looking absolutely perfect.  I carefully lifted it down from it's perch over the door and let it rest on the outside of a mesh enclosure on the deck, figuring it would take a few hours to dry its wings before taking off.  A half hour later, I went out to discover disaster.  A yellow jacket wasp was repeatedly stinging the monarch and taking parts of her wings off.  I've never seen anything like it and I wanted nothing more than to slaughter the wasp.  But first I had to put the butterfly out of her misery as it was clear she was not going to make it.  Then I returned to deal with the wasp only to see it take flight carrying part of her wing!  This is a first for me as I've never seen a wasp attack an adult butterfly.  I have to assume that the wasp realized she couldn't yet fly and so took advantage of an easy meal.  Anyway, it was rather hideous and I am determined to bring as many of the garden caterpillars into enclosures as possible and keep them there until they are strong butterflies.   

I'm thinking something plain and dark today and maybe a little piece of fudge.

Next week's tag will be #TT377, no theme.

xo
Debbi