Sunny start

Over night lightning kept lightning up swirling clouds and there was rain.  I did see one bright planet rising before dawn.  The windows are fogged again.  Doves have been hanging around for the last several days.

The sun has been come-and-go, but no rain till just now, about solar noon, a few sprinkles.   A little while ago butterflies were very busy around the vegetation on the far side of the pool.  I couldn't identify the dark ones at a distance, but the tiger swallowtail was unmistakable laying eggs on the wild cherry.  See how its wings shiver as it lays?   At one point it flew very purposefully across the creek and later it buzzed the bird feeder scaring off a cardinal.  I suppose the vivid color is a warning to birds of foul taste but I wonder what kind of thought sends the butterfly across the creek.  That's more than a random search program. 

A couple of Carolina wrens foraged in the mulch with a tufted titmouse.  All their kicking and scraping has excavated a depression under the feeder.  One of the wrens looks like a fledgling to me - I'll have a better idea when my computer comes back and I can use photo editing software again.  Meanwhile something was thrashing at the far end of the pool.  K nobly rescued a skink.  Another very small skink slithered across the top step a little later. 

I saw a palamedes and a backlit katydid.  A dragonfly went by in a blur.  Lots of caterpillars are chewing on the rue.  I found two fritillary caterpillars drowned in the pool.  It stayed sunny and hot till about 4:30pm. Then clouds poured in from the Southeast accompanied by thunder grumbles but no rain.  A cardinal called in his wayward fledgling who flew past my ear and made me jump. Finally, after 6pm, light rain.