Hummingbirds

A goldfinch was the first bird.  A bluebird came as soon as I put out mealworms.  Then a male red bellied woodpecker wanted suet.  Chickadees were unimpressed.  The white breasted nuthatches were back.  A Carolina wren inspected the area from atop the feeder hanger.  

When I got out of the pool, a  dragonfly perched on the bamboo stake the orchard spider used as an anchor.  I believe it was a yellow-sided skimmer, Libellula flavida, though at first I thought it was a Needham's skimmer. 

The usual insects crowded the mountain mint, including a great golden digger wasp, leaf-cutter bees, and a bee with very furry legs.  I saw more juvenile grasshoppers, or maybe katydids.  The water was again full of beetles,roaches, and small wasps.

A blue tailed skink crossed the patio and climbed the wall.  Something I thought was bigger than a squirrel disappeared behind the oak next to the fence.  Probably a cat.  Clouds piled up and provided welcome shade.  There was some afternoon rain but it barely wetted surfaces.  A nice breeze ameliorated the humidity.

A bluebird watched from an oak branch.  A mockingbird landed on the shepherd's crook.  One of the hummers, a female, kept expecting results from the hibiscus or gladiolus.  The male, however, know right where to go.  The white breasted nuthatches tag-teamed at the seed feeder.