Cooler and sunny

All is well in spider-land. There are at least two males hanging out with the argiope. You can see one between her front legs but it is out of focus because it's really behind her. There are also a bunch of small black spiders with fat abdomens about the size of a corsage pin bead, but I haven't seen any red markings.

Once again wispy cirrus clouds are giving way to thunderheads out of the Southwest. But they're just passing through. An egret fished from the floating dock. I saw a brown thrasher and later heard either it of a mockingbird giving a concert. A gray hairstreak visited the rosemary and I glimpsed a black swallowtail and a cabbage butterfly. Some dragonflies zoomed through without pause.

The pool water is about 76F, not quite too cool. The skimmer was just full of fishing spiders.

after the storm

Things have a well-scrubbed look and the sun is shining. Birds are hungry, cardinals and chickadees at the feeder, egrets by the dam outflow, and a hummingbird appeared! Geese were flying maneuvers. Later cormorants flocked but without the precision of geese.

The spider came through the storm as did her mate. Although, the other day there were two males and now I only see one. More red hibiscus have popped out. The rosemary is humming with tiny halactid bees, large bumblebees, and an occasional skipper.

I went for what may be the last swim of the season - cool but not uncomfortable. Then very threatening clouds rolled in from the Southwest, but just passed on through. A kingfisher announced himself as he perched on a dock piling. A red-bellied woodpecker was very raucous as he ate acorns. I don't know why some birds feel compelled to call attention to themselves, but it is very helpful.

Veiled sun, thin overcast

I think I remember this kind of sky being a weather predictor. Stratus, I think. I rehung the hummer feeder even though I haven't seen one in two weeks. If no migrants show up, this will be the last time this season.

The sky has cleared and gotten hot and humid. Cream puff clouds are streaming North. The skink scuttled across the patio at lunch. A black swallowtail and later a fritillary flitted by. Lots of bees or all sizes and species are working on the rosemary. Damselflies have taken over the creek and I don't see any dragonflies.

And now, around 5pm) we have a thunderstorm and heavy rain. Some spectacular lightning strikes. Maybe hail? The power flickered repeatedly and from FB I see others lost power. I certainly wasn't expecting this today.

Breathless, still and humid

There are large patches of slime mold under the fig trees. The mushrooms are moldy! The air is barely moving.

I surprised the rabbit who was apparently napping under the oleander. A gorgeous tiger moth with peach underwings showed up on the wall of the house. Fortunately it was well away from the spider.

Morning glories, roses, rosemary, one hibiscus flower, goldenrod and a few gardenias are blooming.

Finally we had the tree people in to take care of the mess left by the May storm and by Irene.

Drying out

A brief glimpse of sun. Two crows, one perched on the pool rim, the other on the railing - I cannot guess what interested them in the pool, but as soon as I moved (inside the house) toward the camera, they flew off. Then a squadron of geese came barreling down the creek.

The newspaper has noticed the fairy ring mushrooms. It says they are Chlorophyllum molybdites. The russalas hide in the grass, but they too form arcs.

The sun is staying for longer intervals, but the clouds still threaten and wet surfaces are not drying.

Dripping

The sky is gray. Everything is wet and dripping. I went out in front last night to look at the sunset and surprised the rabbit. The sunset colors were like an old bruise - I think lurid is the term.

I noticed more russula mushrooms in the lawn. So this morning I went on a mushroom hunt. Both red and green russulas are in the grass. Something white is coming up where the oak was. More brown parasols everywhere. And, the winner, a stinkhorn in all it phallic glory!

Madam Argiope continues well, as does her suitor, which I suspect means they have not yet mated. The afternoon brought yet more rain.

Fogged windows

Fogged up the camera lens too. Wetness everywhere - 6 inches of rain so far this month.

Mushrooms are everywhere as well. The front mulch bed smells strongly of mushroom. There are more little brown parasols and a couple of larger, ragged-looking reddish gill mushrooms, maybe russula. Many other yards have fairy rings of white mushrooms.

At lunch, a squirrel scampered past with a pecan in its mouth. Why don't I ever find any pecans under the tree?

The argiope continues to prosper. She fattened up considerably after the moth and looks ready to lay eggs. She was busy with the web again today - the threads show up faintly across the top of the porch light. It is fascinating to see her move through the air and then dab a spot with the tip of her abdomen to tack the thread in place. The spider that I suspect is her mate is lurking in the lower right edge next to the door frame. At least she is tolerating its presence.

Dull gray and wet start to Fall

The argiope is having a large breakfast.

Brief appearance at lunch by skink.

Then, rain, rain, and then some more rain. Ferocious-looking clouds.

Scattered sunshine

In other words, like scattered clouds only in reverse.

I just discovered that ants are using the hummingbird feeder as a source of honeydew instead of aphids. There is a parade of tiny ants with swollen abdomens up the feeder and down the post to their nest somewhere in the mulch. The one right inline with the hanger but at the bottom of the photo is an example. But no hummingbirds, and since Irene blew through no wasps.

Instead, we're having mockingbird warz. They are disputing who gets to feed on the dogwood berries. The clouds are ferocious looking this afternoon with scattered downpours. In between it is hot and humid and still. A buzzard soared in circles below the clouds.

On the porch there are more spiders than the argiope. One with a white face was wedged between the gutter downspout and the wall trying to drag a small green moth into the crevice. Another above the door opposite the argiope has a black widow look but I can't see its underside to be sure.

Really big bumblebees are working on the rosemary today. For a week I've only seen small ones. A gray hairstreak was also feeding on the rosemary blossoms.

By late afternoon every quarter of the horizon was dark with storm clouds. And then it rained. Tonight, the argiope was busy remaking her web. A much smaller spider was working right behind her - her mate? She looks much more intimidating moving around than hanging placidly behind the zigzag.

Rain returns

It looks like summer is over. With the rain and overcast sky, the water temperature is dropping. During a break in the rain a mockingbird worked on the dogwood berries. I think the squirrels eat them too.

By mid-day it cleared somewhat. The spider is still guarding the porch. My lantana is still blooming. The plant is now about ten years old, pretty good for an "annual." Each spring I wonder if it has frozen or if it will come back, but so far it always has. Of course it is on the South side of a wall in the sun.

The sky has continued to brighten while I was inside at the computer.

Dewy morning

Everything is moist, but otherwise pleasant. A late hibiscus blossom and a rosebud compete with the dogwood berries as red accents. Carpenter bees sunbathed on the post holding the feeder. Blue jays are calling and flying around, but since they are too heavy for the feeder, they stay away. I heard a kingfisher too. It's been chickadees and cardinals mostly this morning.

Well. The bright sun did not last. Now there are heavy clouds hanging in dark gray clumps. There's sky in between, but the effect is overcast and about to rain. The air is still and the clouds are not moving very fast.

Sunshine at last!

There are still clouds, but not the heavy, gloomy overcast we've had since Friday. The front door spider is still with us. Boo!

The seed feeder is popular though I still haven't seen any hummers. Usually the titmice are too wary to visit the feeder when I'm outside, but this one has a hungry teenager to feed. The fledgling sat in the dogwood screaming for breakfast while the parent on the feeder made a scratchy yes, yes sound.

The afternoon cumulus puffs were blowing quickly from East to West, but there were also long streaks moving more slowly from West to East. Somehow the skink got itself into the pool skimmer.

Formation flying

This time it was a large flock of geese. Unlike the silent cormorants, geese announce themselves, honking all the way. They also form more precise formations.

It is still gloomy, cold, and gusty, but it is drying out. The seed eaters are busy on the feeder. We finally got the hummingbird feeder clean and put it back out. This cardinal doesn't seem to understand where the seeds are. Unless it thinks it's Snoopy?

The argiope is still lurking by the porch light. I got a glimpse of a flicker this morning.

Rainy day

Cold too. I went to Richmond today, leaving in the dark and coming home in the rain. The sky looked like dirty rags dripping down.

Here's a photo from when the storm moved in on Thursday. It looks to me like a grasping hand.

Cold wind

The sun is peeking through thin overcast. Gusty wind makes the chill feel colder but it has also dried everything after last night's rain. Finches, cardinals, and chickadees are busy on the feeder, but some are avoiding the wind by looking for seeds on the ground. The wind may have emptied the hummingbird feeder. Three more hibiscus blossoms, but they are huddled half open like the morning glories. Lots of tree debris blowing around. The clouds seem to be clearing. No, it has gone gray again.

Still summer and smoke

A late hibiscus blooms. The spider still lurks beside the door. The swamp still smolders. The temperature is predicted to drop tonight. I've been hearing kingfishers all week but haven't actually seen any.

I fished a very small cicada out of the pool - half the size of the usual annual cicada. I wonder if its size is because it is late in the season, or possibly because it depended for nourishment on one of the trees that blew down?

Gusty winds all day with dramatic clouds. The gulls were playing on the wind like a carnival ride. Other birds were struggling. This heron was blown to a standstill. Then an eagle came low overhead and I sat there with my mouth open and my camera closed. Toward evening it looked very stormy and started raining after 6pm. Thunder, lightning, and downpour.

Smoke and spiders

Apparently the swamp still smolders. The air is hazy and the smell is strong. I got a glimpse of a goldfinch at lunch.

The argiope spider still guards our front door - a pity it isn't closer to Halloween. It is using the porch light to lure evening snacks.

A big chill is predicted for the rest of the week. The sun went down like a fat orange pumpkin casting a reddish light. It is quite still.

Beautiful morning

Cool, sunny and still. There was a spectacular full moon last night.

Harried parent birds were busy ferrying seeds to offspring. A titmouse on the feeder assured its fledgling in the dogwood that it was coming back. The cardinal mom looks very frazzled. Her fledgling is plump and trying to figure out what is food and what isn't.

All day, a bank of clouds played hide and shine with the sun, shifting from East to South to West. It made for a lovely sunset.

Blue and gray

Clouds are passing to the Northeast, keeping the sun veiled, but making just intermittent wisps against the blue overhead. It is quiet except for a lawn mower, a jay calling, and crickets that haven't retired. A bumblebee is working on the morning glories. There are lots more buds on the dogwoods than there were flowers this year, now that the oak isn't providing shade.

The sun cleared the cloud bank by 11, but now there are a mass of thunderheads rumbling in the Southeast. Butterflies are enjoying the sun.

Golden dawn

The sky was a glowing apricot in the East this morning. But every surface was dripping with condensation, even the screens.

I put out fresh juice for the hummers. Mary Reid Barrow's article says they will be migrating soon. I may have to buy some pineapple sage. The hummers seem satisfied with the new sugar water. It is dripping, maybe because I didn't let it warm up before screwing on the base?

A woodpecker checked out one of the dogwoods. I think it is a hairy woodpecker but it's hard to be sure of size. Later I caught a mockingbird working on the dogwood and beauty berries.

Heavy clouds have come out of the South and there have been a few drops of rain. As the afternoon progressed, the cumulus clouds cast dramatic beams of light and shadow. An osprey flapped past.

In the pool, I found a gray beetle that was new to me. It was bright metallic blue-green under the wings. After some searching of Bug.net, and Forestry Images, I think it is a jewel beetle, specifically a pine borer, Chalcophora virginiensis.

Another beetle was roaming the top step of the ladder, watched over by a large fishing spider that has taken up residence on the ladder. I decided not to rescue its lunch. Frankly, I am intimidated by spiders that can chase me around the pool. Also, a garden spider has built a web under the front porch light. I much prefer them because they stay put behind the white zigzag in the web.

Sunshine

The seed feeder is busy, cardinals, chickadees, and finches queuing and squabbling. Still no hummers.

Late in the afternoon, I saw an eagle circling, harassed by a crow. Then a flock of cormorants also circled repeatedly over the creek. I have no idea what they expected to see, but apparently it wasn't there. A tiger swallowtail, a buckeye butterfly and a skipper all visited. So did mosquitoes.

Birds are starting to work on the beauty berries. I saw a mockingbird swinging upside down from a bunch.

Clearing predicted

Lee brought what I think of as post-hurricane weather while Irene did not. I am very ready to see the end of humid gloom. There have been some brief moments of sun, much like yesterday.

The clouds continue to pass North, but there is more sun in between. Butterflies and the skink have ventured out. Chickadees and cardinals likewise. I have not seen any hummers today.

Wetness everywhere

The air, the leaves, everything drips. The camera fogs. I guess this is the result of tropical storm Lee?

Chickadees and titmice are doing fast-food at the feeder, not dining in.

Somehow I've managed to get poison ivy again. Itchy and sticky.

Continued stormy

Now the hummers are battling over the rosemary. You'd think that the one who claimed the feeder would let the other have the bush, but no. All or nothing. I believe I understand why the Aztecs pictured their war god as a hummingbird.

Turns out the hibiscus is not quite finished. And, unusually, we have had gardenias throughout August, perhaps because it was not quite so hot. Today I see some maroon morning glories among the blue. However, something is infecting the morning glory leaves. It looks fungal.

The sky was blue an hour ago but now it looks like rain. Another hour and it's back to blue. More shilly-shallying, then rain after lunch.

Frog weather

It is extremely humid which makes it seem hotter than it really is. Weather only a frog could love. Clouds are streaming out of the Southwest looking like rain. The dampness seems have gotten into the wildlife - things are slow. A hummer has visited and a chickadee. I saw a black and a giant swallowtail. Bumblebees are busy with the rosemary. And of course there was the frog.

Now there is more blue in between the clouds and thus more sun, but I don't trust it.

Thunderstorms off to the North in the afternoon and the West in the evening. Lots of lightning, but where's the rain?

Blue so far

Rain is supposed to move in later. I brought the sugar-water feeder in to clean and refill and a hummer showed up and buzzed all around looking for it. Now that it is back in place I don't see any hummers. It feels hot already.

The clouds have rolled in from the West. The hummers have found the feeder. Three of them got into a chase. Also, they've taken to noticing their reflection in the patio door. A black swallowtail was laying eggs on the rue. A female amberwing was lurking in the rosemary.

Holiday boaters flushed a heron and were escorted by crows. I wonder if they noticed?

And the rains came.

Will it rain?

Weather Channel says no, sky looks like yes. Hummers are still at it - "share" is not in their genes. A dove landed on the seed feeder but couldn't figure it out. A blue jay scavenged fallen seeds while the usual suspects ate overhead. The hibiscus seems to be finished blooming.

I no sooner wrote this than the sun came out. The sky overhead is still gray but there is a break in the East. Last night I noticed the moon is at first quarter. It was quite bright. Good grief, now I smell smoke again.

The sky has condensed into cream puffs that are blowing off to the northeast. The blue in between looks muted, maybe by smoke, though I no longer smell it. And there is a breeze at ground level. Where the oak no longer shades it, the dogwood is pushing new branches out from cracks in its bark.

Late afternoon. A little green heron staked out the neighbor's unused dock which is barely above water. Unfortunately it was silhouetted by the sun. Meanwhile an egret circled overhead. I also saw a female Eastern pondhawk dragonfly in the marsh grass, but couldn't get a good angle on it.

I fished a drowned cicada out of the pool, but no frogs today.

Bright and sunny

Busy feeder birds, all day long. The spartina is blooming, another sign that summer is waning.

Here's yesterday's cicada. In Provence, the cicada is called a cigale and claimed as the regional bird for its singing. La Fontaine's fable about the grasshopper and the ant was actually about a cigale and an ant. I saw two more cicadas today, one in the yellow rose bush and the other up in the oak. But this is the best photo.

Another green frog was in the skimmer. It was small but had some extra skin around its throat as though it had been calling.

For several hours a yellow-bodied dragonfly with clear wings patrolled the pool. It never perched and all my photos are fuzzy but it may be a cinnamon shadowdragon. I also saw a blue male Eastern pondhawk and that tiny amber spotted dragonfly that stays close to the ground. I think it's a female amberwing. I watched a mud dauber wasp collecting mud down by where Irene toppled a pine tree.

The giant swallowtail visited and I chased it around with the camera. It flies very slowly and looks like it would be easy to photograph, but it is not. I wish it would lay some eggs on the rue - the caterpillars are fascinating. They look like bird poop and are called orange dogs.

Signs of September

Dogwood leaves beginning to turn. Dogwood berries and beauty berries looking tasty. Waterbirds learning to fly in formation - I can't be sure they are geese at this distance.

It is cool and damp. Usually after a hurricane we have hot and sticky.

One of the hummers was outraged to find that a chickadee was sitting in its favorite dogwood. The hummingbird buzzed in circles around the poor chickadee till the larger bird gave up and flew off. At least one and maybe two of the hummers are getting dark throat feathers.

A cicada fell in the pool. I fished it out and got some photos as it dried out. I found a gray tree frog in the skimmer, distinctly different from the green frogs.

Then a hawk showed up. I think it's a Cooper's hawk as it seems to be too big to be a sharp shinned hawk. It didn't catch anything while I was watching but later a whole flock of crows were mobbing a tree across the creek.

Amazingly cool

September 1st and in the 60s with sun. The rabbit sampled various flowers while a squirrel scavenged fallen seeds. The hibiscus is down to one blossom but the morning glory is covered in blue. Titmice, chickadees, cardinals, finches and hummers came for breakfast.

Not so cool when staffing a voter registration table at ODU in the sun. But it could have been much worse - there was a breeze and not much humidity.