Buh Bye Salem...!

That's right.The butterflies are done. Eggs laid, larvae hatched, lupine devoured... Pupae forming. Lets just catch up a bit here with the most recent adventures that I have been too... out of it to work on. The witty Phoebasaurus charm does not turn on and off like your trusty faucet. Its a little erratic, so forgive me if I seem a little lackluster.
Lets start up right where I left off last... Galls!

While out walking in Ankeny NWR I noticed these trees whose leaves were absolutely coated in little bumpy galls housing minute larvae.
The roses and lupine began to demonstrate totally new deformations. I had seem remnants of the mossy rose galls (lower left) from last year, but this raceme swelling in the lupine is new to me.

Tiny larvae inside the lupine stalk...

 Didn't open one of these up, but they are preposterous! That used to be a leaf/flower bud and now its a fuzzy wuzzy insect manor. Imagine if insects could do this to us and we couldn't fight it off...?

Invertebrates!
This fella flew in through my screenless window, stunned itself on the wall, and sat complacently in my hand for a little photoshoot.

 This is a Lorquins Admiral (Limenitis lorquini), and its pretty.

Many beautiful longhorn beetles hang out in the prairie.

They're pretty neat to look at.

Still entertained by the weevils. And then I managed to sneak up on mating damselflies.

Continue to be fascinated with these flower spiders. And found some large large slugs.
There have been these mayflies out and about for a few weeks.

There are numerous dragonflies to admire as well.

This guy is particularly well camoflauged.

My favorite are these barred winged dragonflies. 

Flowers!

Above we have Willamette Fleabane (Erigeron decumbens), a threatened species, and Western Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) which I intially believed to be another Brodiaea to add to my collection.

Invasive bindweed is also to be found,although the night blooming is more pleasing to my eye. To the right, an excellent example of how it earned the moniker 'bindweed'...
Some more Fool's Onion (one of those aforementioned Brodiaeas), but in full bloom.

Clarkia gracilis, maybe. Lots off them dotting the prairie.

Vertebrates!

When red-wing blackbirds call they puff up. Then they realize there's someone crouching in the cattails and... vamos.

A few weeks ago I mentioned little fluffy yellow goslings, now they are larger grey goslings all in a row...

While out counting larvae one day these lovely creatures happened by. Mama wasn't too keen on me staring at them...

Marsh wren perched in some delightful reed canary grass.

Food!

The culinary adventures have been somewhat dampened due to a depressing discovery... I've reached adulthood, my metabolism has slowed, and last summer's shorts are a bit... tight. This was my dinner for about two weeks, pure yumminess. 

Other stuff!

Time to leave Salem, no more work here!

One of the last female Fenders I saw at Baskett Slough NWR. Have a superb Tuesday!