Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Hot sun, cool breeze

The sky was intensely blue.  A Carolina wren gleaned crumbs for breakfast, reminding me to refill the hanging dishes.  The male juvie cardinal looked almost adult.  Only his beak gave him away.  Another male fledgling was still doing the feed-me shake.  

The aster put out a late blossom.  Dogwood berries looked ripe.  So dis some of the beautyberry clusters.  A cabbage white seemed interested in morning glory leaves.  Bumblebees joined wasps on the mountain mint.  I found the remains of a black swallowtail in the remains of a web.  Another flitted around the rue.  The monarch caterpillar seemed a little fatter.  I found a drowned cicada but this one was only half the size of the one I found last week.  It was quite green too.  A fuzzy yellow caterpillar climbed the side of the pool and disappeared.  I think it was a yellow woolybear, Spilosoma virginica. 

I saw several blue tailed skinks including one I rescued from the pool.  I thought I saw two frogs in the water but one turned out to be the skink.  The lizard seemed to be following the frog around and even climbed on top once.  After I put the skink out on the nice hot concrete, I evicted the frog as well.  But then it or another appeared back in the water. 

Blue jays feasted on acorns and weren't very interested in the feeders.  Two red bellied woodpeckers landed on the maple trunk but quickly sidled out of sight.  A mockingbird also hid in the leaves.  White breasted nuthatches were brave enough to get seeds while I was outside.  


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