Cloudy

I saw lots of butterflies throughout the day: swallowtails, skippers, a red spotted purple, a cloudless sulphur, hairstreaks, and a duskywing.  The only dragonfly was a male widow skimmer.  Wasps fed on the mint and rosemary.  A family of cardinals tried to catch bugs and one, I think cicada, zoomed away buzzing in outrage.  I also saw a cicada killer and more antlion dimples.  In the pool, I rescued a full grown field cricket and a barely visible red leaf-footed bug nymph riding the prow of a leaf like a figurehead.  I saw swimming something I believe was a dragonfly nymph.  It looked an inch long with big eyes and pale legs that ended in black.  Scared me but I wish I could have found it again after I got out to take a photo.  A big spider was all folded up under the coping on the pool. 

A family of red bellied woodpeckers  flew in but didn't stay.  A blue jay poked around under the oak, then perched on the trunk like a nuthatch.  I saw a couple of wrens.  Hummers were pleased to have their feeder refilled.  It had mildew around feeding holes - I hope we got rid of that.  A female goldfinch drank from the hummer feeder moat.  A dove poked around the mulch.

Overcast broke apart and reformed several times.  A couple of skinklets and a larger skink scampered over the concrete.  A hint of purple tinged some of the beauty berries.  Apparently one of the squirrels was in heat because there was a massive chase around the oak.  At least four and maybe six were involved. One squirrel needed refreshment.