Sunday, August 30, 2020

Ideal summer day

It was a lovely day with low humidity and all the sunshine anyone could desire.  Hummers joined us for breakfast.  After lunch, a goldfinch got a drink from the ant moat, so K hurried out with more water.  I saw a Carolina wren and blue jays during the day,  A raggedy bluebird wanted its supper. 


A fiery skipper fed on the mountain mint, along with the bees and wasps.  A red spotted purple was busy across the yard on the cherry.  A great blue skimmer monitored the yard from a bamboo stake.  A female widow skimmer took a post near the mountain mint but I don't think it was after the bees or wasps.  A black swallowtail took a turn at the mountain mint. I believe the big scoliid wasp I saw last week was the Blue-winged wasp (Scolia dubia) and the third kind of digger wasp may be a Katydid Wasp (Sphex nudus).

I decided I couldn't let summer pass without making sun tea once.  I enjoyed watching it steep.  Skinks enjoyed the sunshine.

The hibiscus put on a brave show, but I could see sawflies leaving eggs on the leaves.  I would have gone after them with the neem oil but it was too breezy.   The milkweed by the beautyberry was still overrun with aphids.  The beauryberries were close to full size, though still completely green.  The fruits on the hackberry were turning red.


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