Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 April 2020

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy week! 

I have a small natural sack hanging from a branch next to my front door. It feels like papery leather, and there's clearly something inside it, because it moves on its own! It's oddly heavy! I've been concerned that it may have been made by a swarm of wasps or a large bat. 

I think I've finally figured out what built it and is living in it. I believe it's a Cecropia moth, a giant silk moth. These are the largest moths in North America, and they can be more than 7 inches wide or 18 centimeters. They appear as big as a human hand. I hope I'm outdoors when the cocoon opens. 

Here's a photo showing what the cocoon looks like (mine is wider than this one): 

Cecropia Moth Cocoon
Photo labeled "Public Domain" (copyright free)

Here's a photo showing what the moth will look like, if that's what comes out:

Cecropia Moth, giant silk moth
Photo labeled "Public Domain" (copyright free)

  • ANNETTE Happy belated anniversary to you. It is our Ruby in a few days but instead of going away as we had planned, it looks like it will be beans on toast for us, or as a neighbour suggested as it is a big anniversary we may add a sausage!!! We love our walks in the woods. Thank goodness locals are still welcome there. Good luck with the tree.
  • Dibnlib: commiserations on missing your anniversary celebration. Maybe you could just have a small celebration on your own, then look forward to your trip as planned, but at a later date (although I know it's not quite the same).

    Such a lovely afternoon here, we sat in the garden with a little bag of chocolate left over from Easter (Sue said "What do you mean 'left over!!' - that's not possible!!") then I got out my secateurs and had a good snip at our honeysuckle and some of the brambles creeping underneath.
  • Diane, you haven't said if you got any joy with sorting out your phone - I do hope so.
  • HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ANNETTE & OH

    Local police were called to a large gathering (>10 not allowed) of hoon drivers doing burnouts. In their haste to get away, several crashed into each other. Police added further charges! On a very sad note – yesterday in Victoria police pulled over a speeding driver, called for backup, large truck ploughed into & killed 4 police. Truck driver had a medical “episode”, not known yet if before or after. Meanwhile the speedster took off.

    One enterprising pair of neighbours removed a fence panel & replaced it with a perspex panel. The kids can chat & perform. The parents “share” cups of tea or wine and sometimes a meal at 2 separate tables.

    Our Aussie Post is so inundated with parcels (online shopping) that they will deliver only letters every second day. We only get “window” letters anyway.

  • Just a thought
    Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best. (Bernard Meltzer)
  • AQ: What are hoon drivers? (Not good from the sounds of it.) Great that they got stuck with more charges. Truck accident just awful. Poor families....
  • Good Morning. Love your thought for the day, AQ!!

    That's a very sad story about the police.

  • ANNETTE - I did not realize that “hoon” is an Aussie & NZ term. It is a person, usually a young male, who drives recklessly, often with an audience of mates. Speeding, burnouts, doughnuts, screeching tyres. What do you call them? or are yours well-behaved?

  • I don't know about California but up here we call them 'boy racers' AQ !

  • Also, some names which are not printable, here, LOL!