Lost now found: Chocolate Lab [July 14]

All better--her family just came to pick her up, yay :)

Looking out for each other

Big kudos to Barb, our neighborhood watch coordinator, for leading the effort to update neighborhood watch signs around the neighborhood. Through your MANA dues, we have been able to purchase 50 new signs:

Looking out for each other
at the intersection of Scott Circle and Willivee near the PATH.

To make the story sweeter, Tony (one of the owners of our awesome Intown Ace Hardware) spontaneously donated the hardware for the signs once he heard what all the nuts and bolts were for. Yep, they are still The Coolest Hardware Store (video proof after the jump).

Lost Cat [July 2]

BRUTUS:  lives on Sanford.  If you know where he might be, please call the Moormans at 404-790=2618.  He has been gone since 7/2 and they are very worried.

Lost Dog [July 5]

OSCAR: He got out this morning [7/5] near Sycamore.  He is very friendly and if you can catch him that would be great.  If you know where he might be,  please call Kristi at 336-408-3951.  There is also a post on the Medlock Park Neighbors FB page.

4th of July Fireworks

The Dekalb Neighbor newspaper has a list details for 4th of July festivities at

• Stone Mountain
• Dunwoody
• City of Decatur -- rescheduled, Sept 28
• Avondale Estates
• Lennox Square
• Centennial Olympic Park

For details, see FANTASTIC FOURTH: Celebrations abound throughout DeKalb County

p.s.
But check with each venue as the weather is looking kinda sketchy.

Predator!

Behold our friendly winged predators, bug gourmands all.

Common white-tail dragonfly aka long-tailed skimmer, male.

This is a scolid wasp (Scolia nobilitata?, female?), enjoying some oregano nectar. We like this gal: she lays eggs on
scarab beetle grubs, yep, those white grubs that eat your grass roots and draw moles into your yard.

Long-legged fly, a tiny predator [this one is around 5mm long], guarding a basil leaf.
Beauty AND good taste!

Thread-waisted wasp. Like the scolid wasp, adults enjoy nectar while babies are reared underground on a strict insect diet.

The itsy bitsy spider patrols the bee balm. 

Another smallish wasp, also favoring the oregano.

Bees galore

June 2013: not shy about raining.
We may break
10" yet!

All this rain and green means there's lots of bug activity out there. Here are some of of Medlock's busy bees.

Tomato fairy godmother: this tiny bee is loaded with white pollen
from working the tomato blooms. 

Same tiny species as above (?), working the bee balm.

Here's a bumble bee, executing a typically graceful face-plant on a bee balm blossom. Notice the size of this bee
to the flower's stamens: it gives a good perspective on how small the bee in the previous photo is.

With so many bees around, who shows up if not the dread tiger bee fly? It's a fly that feeds on bees. Boo, hiss.
The wings have clear spots that give them a tattered appearance.