Always fun to find an animal I’ve never seen before, and this is my newest discovery – the nymph or immature stage of Eastern Boxelder Bugs.
They are not considered dangerous to people or pets. I caught them sunning themselves on a warm fall day. Soon, they will look for a place to overwinter, hopefully not in someone’s home.
These true bugs will vacate their hibernation locations to feed and lay eggs on maple or ash trees come spring. Once again, you may discover clusters of boxelder bugs. True bugs have mouth sucking parts with which they use to suck fluids from plants.
As we strolled around Hyde Park, we watch the graceful swans in this picturesque setting, a respite from the busy London streets.
Although signs instructed visitors to not feed the birds, this woman obviously fed them regularly. All the birds gathered around her waiting for their turns. It reminded of a scene from Mary Poppins.
The Shard is a pyramid-shaped 72 story London skyscraper. Retail spaces, offices, the Shangri-La hotel, apartments, and restaurants were incorporated in the mixed-use design. There is also an observation deck on the 72nd floor. Construction began in 2009 and was completed in 2012. The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom and the seventh-tallest building in Europe.
Go to the Shard’s website here. Go to the viewing gallery here.
The Tower of London is a historic castle along the river Thames. Construction began in the 11th century, and its role through history has been significant. It served as a fortress, a royal palace, a prison, and currently houses the crown jewels.
For over 600 years, the Tower of London was also home to a collection of exotic beasts gifted to the royal family by foreign rulers or added through conquest. The Royal Menagerie, a sign of power, included lions, tigers, a polar bear, monkeys, zebras, kangaroos, alligators, and elephants. At its peak, the menagerie included 60 different species and nearly 300 animals. Because keepers did not have an understanding of animal biology or the knowledge of how to properly care for these animals, many did not survive, and public visitors were hurt due to the lack of safety protocols. Care for the animals did improve but the menagerie was permanently closed in the early nineteenth century. The study of these animals led to the advancement of veterinary science and the establishment of modern zoos. Read more here.
If you visit the Tower of London, be sure to stop by the interactive exhibits.
The only animals that remain at the tower today are ravens. A legend states that if the ravens ever leave the tower, the monarchy will fall. A ravenmaster cares for the ravens.
My son-in-law is a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, a team in the NFL. I may need to gift my granddaughter this board book, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven.
The trickster side of ravens is explored in this number book. The illustrations are especially beautiful!
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 12:24
Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. Genesis 8:6-7
