Caterpillar season

 It has been perfect weather to be outside, however, if you stand and listen, it sounds like it is raining.  It is raining - caterpillar poo.  This year seems to be a bad one.  One year they ate the trees clean and we had spring all over again when the caterpillars spun their cocoons.
The top caterpillar is a stinging caterpillar, their sting can be as bad as a bee sting.

The caterpillars on the tree are tent caterpillars, in a couple more weeks it will look like there are hundreds of cobwebs in the trees and under all the porches and soffits of the house.  These do not sting and the kids have a blast collecting them and playing with them.

Coastal Restoration

 Part of Steve's job is to do coastal restoration so this weekend he went down to Rockefeller with some students from Clemson to plant Spartina and to install some rings for oysters to grow on.  The idea is the concrete rings provide a substrate for the oysters to attach to along a predominantly muddy coast.  The land continues to sink but the oysters should keep growing and create a wave break, especially important during large storms.
The Spartina grass is native and should collect sediment to slow the loss of land.

Above are the interlocking rings just before they are put in place (below).

St. Patrick's day parade

 The St. Patrick's day parade was pretty wild.  The younger two and I went back to our friend's house after just a couple of floats because it was pretty loud and as you see, one of ours really doesn't like loud noises.

Zoo

 G took this picture, as well as several other pictures at the zoo.

We got to go to the zoo this morning.  The kids didn't have school today because Baton Rouge is proposing changes for the school system and the teachers we given the opportunity to voice their opinions at the state capitol.

Sharing session

We went to a sharing session this morning and these are a couple of the activities they did.  The last video is the creative writing teacher.  The students read the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" then had to write a sentence about what the butterfly would eat and what would happen if she ate too much.  The first little boy's was very sensible, the butterfly ate nectar and then went to sleep.  Another little boy's ate red beans and rice and then couldn't fly.  F's butterfly ate gold fish and had to go to the vet.

We love mud.

Well, the rains are gone and there is just a little mud left now.  Some areas of Louisiana got massive flooding but we had a beautiful lightning show and enough rain so I don't have to water the flowers I just planted.  How easily we could have been the ones flooded.
Worms have become a favorite for us.  We sometimes feed them to the chickens although they prefer grubs.

Sand play

Wow, it's not often I can get all of them in a picture and sitting still.  They are intently examining an anole and the first tent caterpillar of the season.  The tent caterpillars can make a mess of things with their 'webs' but they are sure a lot of fun to play with and don't hurt you like other caterpillars around here.

Jumpers

House is flowering

The azaleas and camellias are beautiful, but the Stern Rose is a special gift from the grandson of the breeder of this lovely rose.  It has transplanted well and is blooming in its new home.  Thanks to our dear friends Karl and Nancy.  We hope you too enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Flowers!!

This is spring here.  The whole yard is beautiful right now with everything in bloom.  Some things are actually setting fruit already like our figs and our loquats.
The mosquitoes are thick and swarm all around since we have had no significant freeze this year.  We are hoping that the anoles will keep them in check.  We also have strong suspicions that we have bats in one of our trees with a hollow knot.  This though, I'm experimenting with marigolds as a natural repellent.  I have some planted next to door ways to try to discourage mosquitoes from entering the house.

 These are the pears.  They are just starting.  Let's hope both trees bloom at the same time.

 Sorry this is a little blurry but our whole orange tree is in bloom.  It can be smelled from several feet away.

This one is also really blurry.  These are the blueberries.  The bees just love these bushes.

Stern Rose

                                                          The Stern Rose is blooming!