Little Things....Good and Bad

The little things keep creeping back into my daily life.  An off color or a slight movement that is out of its element… grabs my attention.

Yesterday, on my morning walk, I noticed a small white flower blooming.  I had never seen this flower.  As I continued on my way home, I wondered why this little flower was growing in solo.  Today, in passing that same white flower, I took a more determined look.  That little flower was not growing alone, but it was in the company of several others. The small group of petite white flowering plants growing in the deep understory of the woods, rooted among the thick duff, was like a small oasis of hope - a bit of light surrounded by darkness.  That little white flower exhibited incredible strength.

Earlier during today’s walk, a slight movement along the gravel of the farm lane caught my eye. 

Gorgeous color combination!

 

A millipede.  I have not seen a millipede in a very long time…probably years.

This rotund, little critter moved quite quickly.  Why not?  Each segment has two pairs of legs. These legs stayed in motion.  The most impressive characteristic of my little friend was his color…just amazing!  My love of color is dominated with flowers, but it now includes creepy crawly arthropods.  

What is not small and inconspicuous this season is the obvious and abundant fall webworms.  The webs are everywhere.  I can look in any direction and I can see a ’nest’ of these caterpillars - uggggly! And, oh so damaging to the trees, shrubs and miscellaneous perennials.

 



I could have included many more photos, but I think you probably get the idea
of the size and abundance of these nuisances!

 

And, to add to my disdain of the webworms…the stink bugs are back.  For some reason they had taken a most welcomed hiatus during the summer. Unfortunately, they have returned.

Small wonders are like life…you have to take the good with the bad.