Butterflies

The male pileated came for breakfast.  He didn't know that was the last of the suet   A female goldfinch surveyed the food on offer and turned up her beak.  Mockingbirds also had some suet.  The cardinals were courting again but I caught them as they turned away.  A female bluebird appreciated mealworms.  A brown headed nuthatch took seeds to hatch.  It also intimidated a much bigger house finch. 

The temperature got up into the 90s, with a nice breeze and moderate humidity.   Hot enough to swim, so I did.  That was fortunate for a camel cricket and two scarab beetles.  On the other hand, the two big black beetles I found in the skimmer were probably beyond reviving, though beetles can surprise you.  In the afternoon, more beetles were rafting but I did not try to rescue them. 

Then we went out for lunch and when we were home again, there were butterflies.  A black swallowtail laid eggs on the rue.  A couple of cabbage whites dueled in the air.  Then I saw two mating on a money plant pod, one much yellower than the other.  Another cabbage white, (maybe the one dueling earlier?) tried to break up the happy couple but did not succeed.  A variegated fritillary butterfly flitted around the yard.  The female bluebird came back for more mealworms.