Skinks

The Argiope seemed very content in its cul-de-sac and by suppertime had dinner all wrapped up.  Wasps visited the rue as well as the mountain mint.  I found a teeny monarch caterpillar on the milkweed that always seems to be the butterflies' target and i transferred it, leaf and all, to the butterfly milkweed.  Not much later, a monarch visited the same milkweed and i suspect left more eggs.  I also saw black and tiger swallowtails.  A skipper joined the throng of bees and wasps on the mountain mint.  A robber fly appeared to expire while clinging to Andy's water bowl. 

Then I found a skink swimming.  It found me too and climbed my swimsuit out of the water.  It didn't want to leave my hand for dry land.  A frog in the skimmer did its best to elude me but in the end I got it out.  Another skink tried to wedge itself under the fascia board on the house.  A skink, possibly the same one, came down the wall beside the downspout and scared off a hummer.  

The suet cage was empty but it seemed each bird had to convince itself.  The fledgling bluebirds were particularly hardheaded.  A Carolina wren hunted in a red cedar. I heard a goldfinch flying over the yard.  Some hummers insisted in looking in the old locations for their feeder but at least one knew where it was.  A brown headed nuthatch sounded quite annoyed by the empty suet cage.