Christmas Trees and "Bugs"

Every year we search our property for a suitable Christmas tree.

This year's selection: the top 11 feet of a 20-foot Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana). Since they are wild-grown and not shaped by pruning, our trees usually have a certain "Charlie Brown" aspect, but strong the branches and wide spacing of Virginia pines make them good for hanging ornaments.

And here it is without the benefit of flash.

As we were preparing to decorate the tree, I noticed this unusual structure hanging in the tree. I got help from Virginia Tech foresters and entomologists to identify it. (They suggested that we just spray paint it gold and leave it in the tree as an ornament!) It is most likely the egg sac of a "Basilica Orbweaver" spider (Mecynogea lemniscata). I've moved the egg sac outside and we'll see if anything hatches in the spring.

A closer view of the egg sac.

At the same time, I found this (very dead!) monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in the grass near our house. Butterflies scan nicely!

Back to Christmas trees! We're not the only people looking for trees. Our grandson, Amos, is checking out an Amos-sized tree in southwestern Pennsylvania.

 

And to conclude, here's the reflection of tree lights in our windows.