Dos Mariposas

Two mariposas and a little sunshine today. My housekeeper pointed out the Monarch (Monarca) in the backyard just a few minutes ago. I don't see many here and I guess this is not one of the Canada to Mexico migrators because it's way past season.

The one below she calls a mariposa nocturna (of the night) and I've seen 3-4 different types of these. Obviously a moth and this guy was on his last legs (on the ground) ... but that's where I see most of them. I'll have to Google to see if I can find something on their life cycle.

Mariposa Monarca


Mariposa Nocturna

Rain Flower

I don't know what this is but it must be from a long lost bulb that the rain encouraged.   In the year I've lived here there has never been signs of life back in this patch of dirt.  The ground is totally saturated

Champiñones y Hongos

The rain also brings mushrooms  or in Mexico champiñones or hongos.  Talking to my house keeper she referes to them as 'venomous hongos'. If you search hongo fotos on Google you will mostly get hallucinogenic. If you search champiñones you will get the edible kind. A number of internet articles intermix the terms but in general use in Mexico hongos are not for cooking. I never did find a similar foto like the one above.

Winged Invasion

No bugs like the rain it seems, especially the heavy rains we've had for the last 4-5 days.  My house is crawling with sow bugs, flies and ants that were not to be seen a week ago.  Also some ants swarm with the first heavy rains - that is they grow wings and try to fly - by the thousands.  All the ones I've seen have not been very successful, they are just all over the yard and left behind wings flutter around like little kites.

Local gringo talk is they are termites but I've had a constant battle with leaf cutting ants.  I just asked my drinking water guy today and he says they are leaf cutters that get drowned out of their underground nests.  The termite story is some of the tribe are thrown out of the nest to go make a new colony.  I'll go with flooded leaf cutters.  In my back patio there were thousands of little ones, 20-30 wasp looking ones and a few beetle like creatures - all with wings. I did my best to end the lives of as many as I could with the rational of saving my garden.

Some of the small ants on my back patio


Termites but they look similar


Mine had the two part body is another reason I think leaf cutters

My first Mango

Look what I found under the tree yesterday. Small but this type (Ataulfo) doesn't get very large. It got a little 'yellower' over night and I think it will be ready tomorrow with bananas and yougurt. All the rest on the tree are getting color as well.