Pool covered

The pool covering was yesterday, but the day slipped away without a post. I am always sad when it's pool closing time, even though I didn't want to get in the cold water Monday.  Nevertheless, I kept the camera busy.  A heavy dew made surfaces elegant.  The hibiscus did bloom.  And there was a seedpod. 

I found an orb web under the trees.  The tiny spider had an even tinier fleck of red that indicated it was an orchard spider, Leucauge venusta.  A black swallowtail visited the parsley though it's awfully late for a caterpillar to start life.  A cricked rafted on the water.  I saved four ground beetles. 

Carolina wrens worked on the dish of bark butter and mealworms.  A female bluebird looked around but didn't see anything she wanted.  Then a robin showed up.  Titmice drank form the ant moat rather than the birdbath.  A pine warbler got some mealworms. 

I was fascinated by the way the sun refracted the distorted surface tension caused by a floating leaf.  They made amazing patterns.   Later, clouds made sunset impressive, but hinted at weather to come.  

Rain began at breakfast and was light but steady.  A little before 4pm, we had a cloudburst and then the sky began to clear, but it looked strangely dark.  Blue jays competed with squirrels for pecans.  A Carolina wren was not pleased by bark butter rain broth soup.