Rhodo hoppers may not eat the leaves of rose bushes but they don’t mind resting on them. I discovered this little hopper while photographing a katydid that was eating a spent blossom elsewhere on the bush. It hung vertically on the leaf the entire evening but unfortunately I didn’t discover my favorite vantage spot to photograph it until the last light of the day. A light breeze made macro photography challenging even in stronger light, so the pictures aren’t quite as sharp as I like.
There are nearly 20,000 identified species of leafhoppers in the world, although I haven’t seen quite that many in our backyard here in Portland. I’ve done my best to identify them but I’m far from an expert so please don’t take my word as gospel.
Rhododendron hoppers are a part of the Cicadellinae family and dine only on the rhododendron family (such as rhododenrons and azaleas). There are several species that look very similar, but the rhodo hopper is supposedly the only one out here in Oregon. From my understanding, they are native to the southeast of the United States but have hitched a ride even further than the Northwest to merry old England.
I was about to prune a spent blossom from one of our most productive rose bushes when I noticed this adult katydid gorging itself on the rose petals. I dropped the shears and grabbed my camera and settled in for some pictures. It was already late in the day and a light breeze and the tall stem made photography challenging, but fortunately for me the katydid returned the following day and I took pictures as it enjoyed its supper.
I left the decaying blossom for a week until it was clear the katydid was no longer dining there, a little way of saying thanks for letting me get some of my favorite katydid pictures.
I saw this western painted turtle trying to cross the road towards a water channel at Ridgefield. Being a turtle, it was taking its own sweet time making it across and I was concerned it might find itself in the path of a birder watching the trees more than the road. I got out and helped it across but the turtle wasn’t too appreciative of my aid, pulling tightly into its shell and refusing to come out and play. I took a few pictures and hopped back into the car so we could each continue safely on our way.
Early one morning on Mother’s Day, I stopped along the auto tour at Ridgefield to watch wood ducks in a quiet channel. A sudden dark form in the water caught my attention, I hoped for a beaver but knew it was more likely a nutria, the most commonly seen of the large rodents. Muskrat frequent the area as well but it was too large to be a muskrat.
My first impression from the size and shape of the head was that it probably was a beaver. There was little doubt left when its large, round form emerged onto the far bank, and no doubt remained when its broad flat tail finally came out of the water.
I was feeling pretty blessed, watching the beaver preening, when a second dark shape swam onto the scene. To my delight, a smaller beaver climbed up onto the bank next to the large one and began grooming itself before finally snuggling up to the larger beaver.
Upon getting home, I learned that there is no difference in size between beaver sexes, but that the young often stay with the parents for the first couple of years, so this is most likely parent and child. I don’t know the sex of the older beaver, but given the day, I’d like to think they were mother and child.
