Butter Side Down

What could be better than a bumblebee in a dahlia?

Why, two bumblebees, of course, all covered with pollen!

Found a test this morning that purports to tell me what kind of frog I am. Oh Best Beloved, who could resist finding out? Forget Meyers-Briggs et al: this is my kind of test!

Guess what? I’m not a frog at all. I’m a common toad! Let’s see… rotund body… mostly nocturnal… walks slowly… searches out insects… sensibly digs down deep to keep warm when cold weather hits… this is all sounding so familiar.

Ribbet.

“The largest toad found commonly in Europe, the Bufo Bufo species can grow up to 20cm in length with a rotund body. Active mostly at night, this toad will walk about slowly, sometimes making short jumps, in search of insects, worms and other invertebrates. This makes it of great help to farmers. At the end of autumn it buries itself in the soil where it remains until good weather arrives again.”

What kind of Frog are you?UPDATE: With all my apologies to our European cousins, I’ve decided I really am a common American toad. I’ve changed the photo accordingly; pictured is Bufo americanus, or as we call him, “Ted the Toad,” who lives in our yard.

I love the way our little fuzzy bumblebees look, and I’m inordinately fond of dahlias, so it’s always an appealing combination for me when I see a bumblebee gathering pollen deep within the heart of a dahlia bloom.

It just makes me smile.

I’ve been wondering who’s been chomping on my dahlias, as these are in pots too tall for the yard bunnies to reach.

Ah, yes, it’s Mr. Grasshopper.

I do believe it’s time for a nice big ol’ fat spider or two to come pay a visit to the dahlias…

Who can resist saying “awwwwww” after discovering a whole armful of ducklings piled up in a heap and gently cheeping whilst protected by their vigilant mom?

It only took Momma Duck a second to eye us over, quack out her orders for a duckling version of a conga line…

And then off they went, paddling away!