Out My Window

As many of you know I have been under the weather lately, so I have not been to the meadow, or elsewhere on campus.  But I have some photos from out my window or near my patio.

Who ever heard of a white-headed woodpecker?  Well this is a red-bellied woodpecker, either a young one or a molting adult, and if you look closely you can see where the red on the head will be.

I found this monarch caterpillar on my milkweed, and I hope that there was enough time before the rain for it to turn into a chrysalis, otherwise I think it may not have survived the inch and a half of rain.

The goldfinch have found the seeds of the coneflower.

And the bees are all over these yellow flowers.  Here is a honey bee.

And a bumble bee.

And my gosh what is that!  I went on bug guide and it was identified as a European hornet.  Then I went on line and read what Penn State had to say about European hornets.  The bottom line is we don't want to mess with these guys, and if you find a nest, get a professional exterminator to deal with it.