Some autumn photos

Autumn Walk in Lennoxville

The weather was willing to cooperate today, so I went out for a walk at Parc Atto Beaver in Lennoxville. Here are some pictures from the walk. The leaves are really colorful this week, so I wanted to enjoy them before they are gone.

dragonfly silhouette

dragonfly

boxwood beetle

A boxwood beetle...




these little guys are harmless, unless you're a boxwood tree. In the fall they like to sit on the back side of my house and enjoy the sun.

Red dragonfly

This one finally held still so I could snap his photo! :)

Grasshopper

A little grasshopper on my sunflowers tonight.





He wasn't nearly as big as the one I got a shot of last year!

Praying Mantis

We had another visitor in our garden a few days ago... a praying mantis! I don't see these very often around here, and this one sure was doing a good job of blending into the grass.





here he is again, sitting on my gladiola


I love this shot, because he looks like he is posing for the camera


and this is the full version, just sitting on a leaf


Here are a few neat facts about the praying mantis from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Where does it live?
on vegetation in warm, wooded areas or prairies

What does it eat?
The praying mantis is carnivorous, eating all types of insects, including other mantises.

What adaptations does the praying mantis have that help it survive?
Praying mantises have spikes that cover their front legs and are used to help capture and eat prey. The mantis’ green or brown color acts as camouflage and helps it blend into the environment.

It is the only insect that can turn its head all the way around (180 degrees) and look over its shoulder for predators.

dragonfly

A beautiful dragonfly that stopped by my garden:





dragonfly

some nice things from the yard

A few more shots from around the yard...


a ladybug on the tree (for my flutterby friend!)


red leaves against a blue sky


moss on a log

bee

I had a happy guest in my garden this morning... he sure was enjoying these black eyed susans!


this little guy wasn't camera shy at all!


here he is again, from the front

around the yard

Some photos from my yard:


a green bug on a marigold


grasshopper on a marigold


a bee on some yarrow