Lost cat [July 27]

via Pat Camp:

Large orange and white male cat has been missing since July 27. Gordon is seven years old and lives on Willivee Drive. He was wearing a blue collar with a tag. Please call Vicki White at 404 660 2842.

We have had a number of cats missing in the neighborhood quite recently -  3 of them orange or tabby.

Also -  folks -  it would be good if you could check your crawl space and / or shed in case Orange ran in when door was open.

Lost Cat [July 27]

Please be on the lookout for this lost kitty:

My family is asking for you to be on the lookout for our domestic short hair cat.  Tweek is a 10 year old large orange tabby male cat who has been missing since Saturday, July 27. He lives on Brengare Drive and has a collar.  He loves for people to give him pets, so he goes door to door to get them.  He usually is home for meals but we have not seen him. Please call Aimee at (404) 931-9376 (same number on his collar).

Pollinator snack bar

This buttonbush at Medlock Park is certainly drawing a crowd: there's an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly, a couple bumblebees, a small bee, and a silver-spotted skipper.

West Nile Virus detected in mosquito in Clifton Corridor area

West Nile virus advisories are not uncommon; see previous MANA posts on this topic.

The following advisory from DeKalb County's Board of health was relayed by Emory University today (July 25):

The DeKalb County Board of Health reports that a mosquito collection from a sampling station located near the Clifton Corridor area has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).  While the potential for WNV transmission exists throughout the metro area, this WNV positive collection does indicate a higher risk at this time in the Emory / Wesley Woods / Clifton Corridor area.

Please review the precautions below provided by the DeKalb County Environmental Health Department:

•       Apply insect repellent. DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus and IR3535 are effective repellents recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, please see:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/mosquitorepellent.htm.
•       When possible, wear long sleeves, long pants and socks. Clothing may also be treated with permethrin.
•       Use extra care when mosquitoes are most active. The mosquitoes that are most likely to carry West Nile virus are more active from dusk to dawn.

The DeKalb County Board of Health is aggressively working to prevent West Nile virus transmission. Program technicians will be providing additional mosquito control services in the area.

In addition, Emory Facilities Management is checking containers and other removable breeding sites, which may hold water.  As a standard precaution at this time of year, DeKalb County also encourages everyone to check around their apartments and homes for the following:  Flower pot saucers are one location where mosquito larvae are often found. Some items such as bird baths can be dumped and rinsed twice a week, but do need continual attention. Magnolia leaves should be raked up or shredded to keep them from holding water. Also, make sure roof gutters are clean and draining properly.

Requests for a mosquito assessment for your DeKalb County home can be reported to the Division of Environmental Health at 404-508-7900 or www.dekalbhealth.net 

Lost Cat: Loki [July 13]

Loki is a large orange Maine Coon male cat who has been missing since Saturday, July 13. He lives at the Heritage Square condos off Desmond, and generally stays close to home. He is chipped, but doesn't wear a collar. Loki is friendly, gentle and laid back. His family really misses and loves him. Please call Laura at 404-245-8901. (Flyers are up around the area.)

via Deanne

"PEDS will be holding a Slow Down! signs distribution event on Wednesday, July 17th from 6-7pm at Suburban Plaza. Displaying a yard sign is a really terrific way to raise drivers' awareness when traveling our neighborhood streets. There is no charge for the signs, thanks to Abbadabba's sponsorship of this effort. This may be one of the last opportunities to get one of these bright yellow signs, so please stop by if you can.
http://peds.org/get_involved/stop-neighborhood-speeding/slow-down-signs/

Please help to get the word out to neighbors."

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.