Hazy

It was still very comfortable outside but the haze suggested to me that this might be the last of these beautiful, low humidity days.  The goldfinch pair came early for seeds. A hummer was next.  Then the orange cat tried to catch something by the birdbath.  One hummer appeared to have a dark collar.  A mockingbird and blue jays came at lunchtime for barkbutter balls.  I think the bluebird was after seeds rather than barkbutter balls. but I was too close to the feeder for her comfort. 

The Argiope spider that had moved to the mountain mint moved back. It picked a new spot just inches from my chair so I decided to sit elsewhere.  I may have scared it because it began pumping its web like a child on a swing.  A tiger swallowtail flitted among the trees and at one moment was chased by something that might have been a hummer or a cicada.   Black swallowtail caterpillars were all over the rue.  The monarch caterpillars were harder to spot but they too were plentiful. 

Despite the sun, I went swimming after lunch.  I found a mama spider in the skimmer and persuaded her to ride a stick out.  A full grown skink was dead in the skimmer, alas.  A  commotion at the far end of the pool turned out to be a live adult skink which I carried over to the ladder thinking I might get pictures.  Another skink, nearly as big but with a still blue tail, had also gone for a swim.  I carried it over to the ladder but it dived back into the water rather than share the step.  So I assisted it to climb out.  Then I saw a frog was watching.  All in all, I caught and evicted three frogs.  Meanwhile, the skink on the step got tired of waiting so I helped it climb out too.   

A squirrel was hanging upside down to eat green dogwood berries.  The nearby hackberry tree looked loaded but nothing was eating those berries.  A yellowish skimmer perched briefly, then left.  Later a great blue skimmer occupied the perch.  A black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, perched on a morning glory leaf.