You know how they say when you time travel you shouldn’t change anything, because you could change everything that follows? The same is true of nature. If you change the habitat, for example add a little pond for frogs to eat your slugs, you might end up with water spiders.

Water spiders?! Yes, water spiders. I have yet to identify this one. I thought maybe it was dead. It was nearly as big as my little frogs. Then I googled “water spiders” and found out there are indeed water spiders that eat tadpoles. Oh no you don’t. I scooped it up and put it in the grass. Are those baby spiders on its back? Is this a wolf spider? I see they do that. Anyway, no frogs for you!

The raccoons had a holiday weekend hootenanny last night. Drunk on hummingbird nectar, they had the bright idea to tear my National Wildlife Federation birdhouse off of the tree! and pry open the metal plate on the back! presumably to get to wren eggs. Impressive! But the joke is on you, masked bandits. Wrens make dummy nests! No eggs for you!

I think today I’ll stay safe and cool inside and work on my Halloween cardigan. We are watching Joe Bob’s Last Drive In — Uncle Sam because that’s what we do.