Not Complaining........
 

Not complaining but we had a very brief black fly season this year and mosquito's are barely noticeably at our home in Meredith.
Same with Japanese beetles......none this year and usually I have traps all over the garden..No honey bees for two years but still plenty of the larger bumble bees.
Lots of chipmunks but very few grey and red squirrels
Seems strange but probably just natures way of cycling.
Is it my imagination or is something changing?

Right on.
 

I agree. Black flies were not bad, and very few Japanese beetles noticed on the golf courses.

At our house, we have had many chipmunks and gray squirrels, but we are surrounded by woods and crossing the brook is no problem because it had been almost dry all summer. Very few red squirrels.

Dave

At our place in Meredith
 

No black flies this year (good because we had a ton of yard work this spring). Virtually no mosquitoes. Never seen anything like it. We’ve actually been able to sit outside till late at night with no mosquitoes. Like...not one (I assume this is all because of the dry summer). However, we’ve had a bumper crop of red squirrels and chipmunks due, I’m sure, to the bumper crop of acorns we had last year and many pine cones that were on the trees this year.

I think the windy start to the summer kept what mosquitoes there were in check, while the rest of the summer's dryness kept the standing water and breeding grounds to a minimum.

In any case, it was an AWESOME summer for being outdoors.

When I return home and school in fall, it's always a little depressing to go from 95/5 outdoors/indoors to almost the opposite. I really have to make and effort to just get out in fall and winter.

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Rattlesnake
 

Out at Rattlesnake this year for us, hardly any Chickadees, usually a lot, no red or grey squirrels but do Have Cardinals. Tree Swallows did not come back either. Hardly any mouse activity over the winter and the cat did not bring one in all summer. Makes me think why.

Agree about the insects. Also, no honeybees and have not seen bats for years on Long Island. Chipmunks,Red and Gray Squirrels are abundant. Wasps and Yellow Jackets are plentiful.

I thought it was the citronella plants I hanged this year around the patio. :eek:

Because it was so dry....
 

....just saw this article on NECN.com. The dry summer has resulted in fewer mosquitoes, ticks, etc...

https://www.necn.com/news/local/dry-...sects/2322403/

Caterpillars, Grasshoppers, Wasps, Hornets, Kingfisher, Mink, Eagle, Only One Osprey.
 

Our bird house fledged five Chickadees. They all flew away, but no Chickadees were seen for about four weeks—then they returned—checking every branch. They vacationed on Rattlesnake? ;)

Ever "catch" a mosquito?
 

Be patient- let the bugger land on your arm and deploy the proboscis.

THEN- stretch your skin, tight, right along side the entry area- same as if you were widening the screen on your device.

They can't let go, and just continue to fill with blood- very visible!

Then smack it! Bloody mess!

Is this considered cruel? :confused:

Whacko!
 

.......or just smack the intruder when it lands on you! :)

Anything that wants to take, remove, spill, extract, suck, my blood for any means, is dead. Period.