Aliens

HELP!

There's been an invasion in fairyland.

These enormous, clown-faced avian invaders have taken over the landscape

and are taking all insects prisoner.

What's a fairy to do?

Sprinkle fairy dust?

They just eat IT, too!

Don't worry, wee folk, these creatures are just passing through.

They're not here to stay!

Think of it as a visit from the exterminator.

As that scene was unfolding in front of my camera,

behind me... this...

Yes, they are getting quite adventurous.

Single-file, please.

I didn't have the heart to take a photo...

but you cannot imagine the amount of duck poop that ends up in the barn aisle by evening.

The last chore of the night is hosing and squeegee-ing out the barn.

It's a crappy job.

Look what appeared today on our pool deck.

It's a Cecropia moth... the largest moth in North America and the largest of the silk moths.

This beauty only lives 2 weeks as a butterfly with the sole purpose of mating

 (which takes it almost an entire day).

They don't even eat during this 2-week portion of their life cycle.

This one was about 5 inches across the wings.

(click on the photo to get a large version of it and look at the detail)

They can be up to 6 inches across.

Amazing!

Lastly, here is what the chicken yard attached to the young chicks looked like 2 weeks ago.

This is what it looks like now.

It's crazy how quickly chickens, even young ones, can decimate plants.

This is just one more reason why you should never put your chickens in your garden.

This weekend is the first official weekend of summer.

Make sure it's a good one.

We'll share ours with you on Monday.

Happy Summer!