Weird and Wonderful Nature

Last week while foraging for mushrooms,
I came upon something curious.
A tree limb was covered in tiny fluffy white creatures.
I assumed they were some type of egg with larvae hatching from them.
For some reason, I did not take a photo...
I suppose because I was more focussed on these...


and this...



Yesterday, my brother-in-law (Daisy's Daddy)
sent me a photo of the same branch that I had seen days before.
He also did some video... which I am excited to share with you.

Look at the tree....


Now, check this out!
(Make sure you watch until the very end.)


Isn't nature amazing?
Weird and wonderful!
And all you have to do....
is get out there and see it...
really see it!

Those insects are Wooly Aphids.
They secrete a waxy substance from their bodies that causes them to look like little puff balls.
Amazing!

Yesterday I showed you a basket of hot peppers destined for hot pepper relish.
They ranged from hot to very hottest.


The four on the right are (from left to right) two ghost peppers and two Carolina Reapers.


Last evening Amanda was home for the evening...
and she decided to try the Carolina Reaper.
She is our hot pepper queen.
We've never seen a hot sauce or pepper that she couldn't handle.
This time I think she met her match!


We'll be leaving the two hottest varieties out of our relish.
It was Amanda's opinion that those two should only be used for weapons!

Comments

Colleen said…
Good thing Amanda tried them before you put them in your relish. What will you use them for now?
Lynne said…
WOW . . .
Really think eating that pepper could be disastrous!
And the other video . . .
Yes indeed, nature is weird and amazing . . .
molliemax said…
I have seen those woolly aphids in the past somewhere. It's nice that you have a taste tester. Saved a lot of people some hot pepper grief. I can't imagine that they are very good for your system. Happy Thursday
daisy g said…
Wow, what an amazing critter! God never stops surprising us, huh?

Couldn't get the second video to run, but I guess it was even too hot for her.
Enjoy the beginnings of autumn.
Kim said…
I love your farm, however, these wooly aphids give me the creeps. I guess I have watched too many bad sci-fi movies. Thanks for the knowledge tho! :-)
jaz@octoberfarm said…
amanda is a braver woman than i! i can't handle jalapenos unless i seed and de-vein them!
Debbie Nolan said…
Wow - I have never seen anything like those wooly aphids. So glad you shared. Sounds to me like there will be some very hot relish being made at your house. Good thing you have a sweet tester to keep it from being too hot. Have a delightful day.
Susan said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Susan said…
Oops, sorry the wolly aldelgid kills hemlocks - nasty beasts. We have spent too many $s and time but love the privacy our hemlocks provide us.

Love your blog and all the critters!!
deodar said…
Eew, I'm glad you can't see what those critters look like with the naked eye! Funny though, I read in a blog from the Yukon that they had a rash of aphids this year and they covered everything with the sweet sticky stuff they secrete and now they have tons of wasps and hornets and their nests are drawing in the bears for the honey and the bears are scaring away the moose! Amazing the progression, isn't it?