Overcast off-and-on

The hummer got bolder and chased off a female goldfinch.  A lot of birds hung out in the dogwood - downy and red bellied woodpeckers, the goldfinches pair, and a white breasted nuthatch.  All except the red bellied woodpecker visited the seed feeder, along with its regulars.  The red-belly appeared to be a fledgling. 

By lunchtime it was quite hot.  A skipper joined the bees on the lavender.  A blue dasher perched in between hunting forays while other dragonflies zoomed around.  Several great blue herons fished along the creek.  The downy, the hummer, titmice, and the regulars were back at their feeders.  Meanwhile in the front yard, the false indigo was making pods while the crape myrtle had begun blooming. 

In the afternoon, a female widow skimmer also perched on a stake.  Overhead, a saddlebags patrolled. I saw another butterfly I thought was a swallowtail.  I rescued another carpenter bee from the water, along with beetles and something small with a pattern of white triangles that flew off.  Oh, and spiders: wolf spiders and a crab spider, and a  floating dead spider.  There were fewer wasps as the rue was nearly finished blooming but plenty of lavender for the bees.  A hawk rode the afternoon thermals.

After an evening meeting in Norfolk let out, there were sprinkles of rain but they did not follow me home.