There’s no Tiny Needle Tuesday today, because the humidity broke and the weather was absolutely gorgeous all weekend. I just had to spend every minute I could in the garden. I weeded all the beds, got the plants on the squash tunnel under control, planted out my zinnias and bachelor buttons, and put in a few new additions (more on that another day)

And while I was working away at ground level… I discovered this!!!

A monarch chrysalis!!! The caterpillars left the milkweed before I headed to Mom’s, and despite my searching, I couldn’t find any chrysalises when I got back. I figured I was just out of luck for this year. But I was clearing away some weeds and tall grass under my hose, by the back corner of the catio (about three feet from the milkweed)

This little one stuck itself to a brick I shoved in-between the house and the catio fence to keep baby Lemmy from squeezing through. This is just an ordinary sized house brick – so that gives you an idea how small the chrysalises are – and why it’s easy to miss them. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one for the next week – hoping to catch the emergence in action again!

Despite this, it doesn’t feel like there have been many butterflies in the yard this year. I was wondering if maybe it’s just because I haven’t spent as much time out there, but I’ve heard a few others say the same thing.

That’s said… I did see several working away in the yard all weekend. There as a Common Skipper I just couldn’t get pictures of, as well as a Red Spotted Purple who was teasing me. And there as a Monarch that just wouldn’t land, but I did get pics of a few others.

This Hackberry Emperor was hanging out on the Squash Tunnel.

They aren’t a very common butterfly, but we must have some Hackberry trees around here, because I see them every year about this time.

This Northern Crescent was hard to get pictures of, but I managed to snap just one.

This little Pink Edge Sulphur wasn’t in my yard, but at the garden centre we went to on Saturday. Dave was laughing at me as I was following it around trying to get pictures.

I’m going to try to spend more time in the yard this week (with the fancy camera – these were all taken with my phone), and see what other wee flutterbys I can capture.

But it wasn’t just winged creatures I came across.

This Northern Green Frog was hanging out under the Royal Red Butterfly bush in the front garden on Sunday. It wasn’t the first time I’d come across the particular frog. On Saturday, I almost ran him over as we returned from a short shopping trip. He was hopping across the driveway, and quickly disappeared into the gardens.

I came across him again the next day. While there are toads aplenty in the gardens, this is the first frog I’ve come across. I think he’s a refugee from the neighbour’s pond on the next street over.

This Cross Orb-Weaver has made a huge web between the Holly Bushes and some Hostas. Despite how it appears in the picture, she’s not very big – maybe the size of a dime.

And last… I’ve noticed a definitely reduction in squirrels since we took down the trees on the back property line.

But this little one popped up on fence late Sunday afternoon.

It appears he was raiding my neighbour’s garden for any early supper of fresh corn.