Scamperings

Another good farm day.

The kiddo found what seem to have been termites under a rock, climbed a little way up a tree, saw a large praying mantis, and followed a rafter of eight wild turkeys around until she accidentally split the flock and some of them got agitated. I also spotted a hornworm on the tomatoes that was dead and rotting, which I located by first noticing some denuded branches. I can't recall ever seeing one there before; perhaps they are kept under control by parasitic wasps or crop rotation and plowing. We collected more walnuts and acorns, played with and collected jewelweed, and took the last few grapes that were within reach. The rest are for the robins and any enterprising raccoons, I suppose.

I also found a goodly number of turkey feathers of all sorts at the top of a wooded hill, pointing perhaps to a fight or predation attempt. Some had those beautiful iridescent patches that I adore. Elusiveat later surmised that this could instead be a roosting location, which would explain the large amount of turkey scat in the area. Some day I'd like to visit near dusk and see if I can see any roosting.

Lots of CSA and foraged food to put away.