Bright day

It has the fresh look that sometimes follows a good rain.  There are clouds but blue predominates.  Four squirrels foraged and fussed.  One groomed atop the feeder.  Another seemed convinced a third was in heat.  Finches, chickadees and cardinals visited.  A hummer took an interest in the rosemary flowers.

Well, so much for that - it has turned dark and I think I hear thunder.  Rain for lunch.  A Carolina wren poked around under the grill.  I saw a blue tail whisk behind the feeder post.  The squirrels are still chasing each other. 


The rain finished quickly and the sky cleared.  Many dragonflies appeared, at least four kinds - pennant, saddlebags, skimmer, amberwing, etc.  The wren also explored the gutter under the shingles.  Out front, a hummingbird clearwing moth feasted on the lantana.  Now that the rosemary has resumed blooming, the honeybees are back.  Skippers also like the rosemary.

Clouds from the East

It seems like the wind has been out of the West for weeks.  Hummer(s?) and finches, squirrels and chickadees.

A black swallowtail developed an obsession with the red cedar but I'm sure that is not suitable for caterpillars.A skink came by.  An osprey soared over.  A murder of crows hung around making rude comments.  The hummer visited frequently.  It has streaks and spots on the sides of its tummy.

The morning's cream puff clouds turned into a menacing overcast in the afternoon.   Some other butterflies and dragonflies came around and the skimmer was full of June beetles.  The overcast brought the cricket chorus on early.  One squirrel has gotten pretty accustomed to me sitting outside.  And the finches ignore me mostly. 

At dusk, th rain finally began.  Lightning is still flashing in the East after midnight. 

Cooler

It's only supposed to get up to 90 today.  The sky is blue and the wrens are busy at the birdhouse again.  I was afraid the wind had discouraged them during the evening storms.  All the feeder birds are back, including titmice.  Squirrels and doves are hunting on the ground.  The hummer is back for fresh juice.  For some reason, the finches don't let this one join them.

Lots of cumulus puffs have appeared in the sky.  Then they went away again.  It's been a good day for insects.  An amberwing, a pondhawk, a widow skimmer and a Halloween pennant posed.  Black, tiger, and palamedes swallowtails hunted suitable plants for eggs.  Fritillaries, red admirals, and other butterflies flitted around.  Bees and beetles too - the rosemary is beginning to bloom again.  While I was swimming, at least three Carolina wrens came to investigate.

I heard laughing gulls, a kingfisher, a jay, crows, and some very buzzy bird - I thought it might be a mockingbird imitating insects.  An osprey soared but I did not hear it.  A grown skink scurried past the steps.  Earlier, I saw one out front when I went to pick figs. 

Sticky

A lot of rain fell yesterday evening and the temperature plummeted.  Now it's getting hot again, and humid.  I saw an orange ladybug on a diseased morning glory leaf when I put the sun tea out to become tea.

It's been a good day for arthropods, lots of butterflies, beetles and dragonflies.   A yellow sided skimmer hung out on the perch.  And then, by the pool ladder, a family of four raccoons appeared about 5pm. 

"Scorcher" the paper says

And I have to be outdoors.  A cardinal visited the refilled feeder.  A dragonfly has been banging on the window. When I came in from picking blueberries, I discovered a tiny green lynx spider on my bucket.  I have transferred it to the portulaca pot.  It is about this big: ()  The blue pointer is the bottom of one of the ice cream cones decorating the bucket. 

It was very hot at the community fair.  Dragonflies and laughing gulls had a good time while humans sweated.  The closest weather station to home says it's 105°.  But the one for the park where I was registering voters says only 96°.  Thankfully, there was a breeze. 

Clouds came up in the late afternoon and there was quite a downpour with a lot of wind.   

Heating up again

And the feeder is empty.  The whole day has been very hot and I've seen nothing to report.  Oh wait, I did see an osprey flying over the highway. 

Clear sky

The storm passed before midnight.  The rain did not fill the birdbath, but it did drop the temperature.  The Carolina wren was busy around the feeder this morning.  I don't see any activity around the birdhouse - it was tossed around a lot in yesterday's wind. 

The temperature is moderate and there's a breeze but the sun is intense.  I saw a tiger swallowtail, gray hairstreak, a red-spotted purple, and dragonflies, but nothing stayed still for a photo.  Geese were out on the creek as was a distant kingfisher.  Mushrooms have popped up.

A gorgeous orange butterfly frustrated my photographic efforts.  The hind wing is dark, the front orange and the lower side orange.  It only landed on the dogwood as far as I could tell.

Birds rising

A little before sunrise the egrets moved out from wherever they sleep.  They fan out flying high.  Then, as they sort out fishing spots they fly low over the water.  An osprey also soared upstream before sunrise.  The finches showed up first and the house wrens got busy about the same time.  Chickadees and cardinals arrived just after sunrise. The squirrel with the white spot was up early.  The sky is clear for now. A cicada killer cruised the patio.  They are huge and ferocious-looking but harmless to humans.

I neglect to mention the sounds.  The buzzing has already begun.  Cicadas, crickets, and something that goes zooom-zoom endlessly with a twangy note.  Plus the bird song, of course.

Skink sighted at lunch, hummer too.  Late afternoon, a featureless gray overcast, then a wall of black out of the North.  Wind gusts were scary.  A couple of chickadees fought for possession of the feeder, ignoring the rain. 

Fogged windows

Humidity is high.  The blueberries have swelled from the rain.  Chickadees are busy on the feeder and wrens at the birdhouse.  Doves are hanging around.  The dragonfly patrol continues.  A Carolina wren foraged at the feeder and on the ground below. 

Clouds and sun are fighting it out. House finches, chickadees and titmice are crowding the feeder.  One young titmouse eats out of the hummer feeder.  I say young because it has little black on the face as yet.  All varieties of swallowtail have passed by.  Innumerable June beetles have gone for a swim, along with little black scarabs, tiger beetles, and a couple of other kinds of black beetles.  And field crickets.

Crows are so ubiquitous I forget to mention them, but three in different trees triangulated on me in the pool.  It was intimidating.  Gulls are also around every day, the majority are laughing gulls. 

Drying out?

The sun just broke through.  Squirrels, chickadees and finches were out early.

The sky is staying gray despite the moments of sun.  Wrens are definitely moving into the birdhouse again!

By lunch, the sun was winning.  Several skinks came out.  The hummer was hungry.  Lots of dragonflies. 

Dramatic clouds in the early evening, then a large orange crescent moon sinking West.

Wet and gray

I think it rained all night.  Hungry finches, a Carolina wren, chickadees, hummers, and eventually cardinals came for breakfast.  The pavement is drying and there is a blue patch of sky but the clouds look like they have more rain to send. There are still blueberries and the rain may revive them.   The hibiscus have finished their first blooming and the rain broke the gladiola spike.


The sun is out for now.  Titmice are coming to the feeder and a wren is inspecting the birdhouse.  Should I remove the old nest or leave it alone?  There is probably time for a second brood this summer.

Rain returned at lunch.  A chickadee also got curious about the birdhouse and it squabbled with the wren.  Two titmice got into a fracas as well.  The sun came out while it was still raining, but now it is gray again, and wet again.  Another break mid afternoon was followed by thunder and more rain. 

Dusk with thunder and lightning under a sky the color of a bruise.

Cloudy

The overcast is breaking up now, but the individual clouds look like rainmakers, not thunderheads, or so I hope.  Last night, something knocked over my portulaca pot and generally tossed things around - raccoon?  Finches. a titmouse and a Carolina wren have been on the feeder, and a hummer visited. I don't know why, but the wren goes stiff with its beak pointed up every so often.  It cannot be to look around because its view is blocked by the feeder.

A black swallowtail is hanging around laying eggs and some kind of fritillary is flitting through.  A sulpher investigated the gladiola.   Lots of dragonflies are prowling the air.  The cardinals and chickadees have arrived.  The wren disputed precedence with a cardinal more than twice its size.  A hummer tried to feed on the gladiola again. Later a hummer took alarm at a cardinal on the other feeder.  The hummer kept darting around instead of drinking, and even when it did, it popped back up quickly. 

Then around 5pm the rain finally began.  It has not been heavy but maybe it will keep up long enough to make a difference.  As it began to grow dark, a wet young raccoon sauntered up to the patio and began to rummage in the mulch.  My efforts to photograph it were frustrated by reflections.  When Kathleen turned the light out, it saw me and ran.

Dawn watch

Before the sun rose, the hummers were feeding.  Then came the chickadees.  After a bit, the finches got brave enough.  A Carolina wren chased bugs and seeds.  Four squirrels arrived.  The sun broke through and the cardinal pair appeared.  A couple of dragonflies buzzed the patio.  Down on the creek, egrets were fishing.  Ducks flew past. 

Yesterday Kathleen said she saw a tiny skink.  This morning I spied it in the grass, which was the same size.  It emerged on a rock where it was more visible.  The dawn was hot and now it's hit 100 before 10am.

Toward evening a pair of house finches got all excited by something on a tall weedy wild lettuce relative - bugs?  The plant is blooming with tiny dandelion-like flowers.

Hot and hungry

An egret flew downstream in the early light and somewhat later a great blue heron flew the other direction.  A flurry of finches descended on the feeder and squabbled over pecking order.  The other suspects appeared, including a titmouse.  Hummers were pleased with the refilled feeder.  Squirrels investigated the ground beneath.  It is already very hot.

In the afternoon, the dragonflies took over.  A spangled skimmer and a golden winged skimmer quarreled over the perch.  Other dragonflies occupied every dead twig and spent daylily stalk.  Some did headstands in the heat.  Several skinks came out on the concrete and two chased each other on the retaining wall.  Some laughing gulls created a ruckus down on the dock.  The billowing cumulus clouds cast wonderful shadows on the sky.  The hummer and the cardinals were wary of me but hungry anyway.  As was the squirrel with the white spot. 

Hazy sky

This morning, cardinals noticed I refilled the feeder.

At lunch, still only cardinals and finches.  A skink made a mad dash across the pool patio, then returned to the lower steps.  Lots of dragonflies are in the air, including a mating pair of saddlebags on the wing.   A very orange red admiral paused near the birdbath.  The haze has resolved into thunderous appearing cumulus and a few splashes of rain.  It is rumbling now.  Rain. 

Hot and humid

I need to refill the feeders.  OK, there is fresh seed.  I'll get the hummer feeder after lunch.  Not much is moving.  And I see no action at the birdhouse!  Did they fledge yesterday when I wasn't watching?  The daylilies are getting close to the end but a new spike of gladiolus has begun blooming.  And there are still blueberries. 

A dark butterfly and a gold bodied dragonfly passed through.  Dragonflies are everywhere.  Clear wings on anything that is vertical and offers a 360 view.  A reddish brown dragonfly cruised the grass around the maple, maybe a saddlebags, but it never perched. 

Sunny

A very painterly sky with clouds in varying shades and shapes. The light is very sharp and there is no haze. 

A black swallowtail laid more eggs on the rue and parsley.  The widow skimmer hung out on the perch again.  The wren parents continue their hard work. 

In the late afternoon, a sheet of silvery cloud spread out of the North with cumulus rising below it.  Sunset light only made it through in patches which looked quite strange. 

Light overcast

Some sunshine.  The widow skimmer is back.

Rain sprinkles after lunch.  A common whitetail dragonfly landed on the patio.  Usually they are cruising overhead.  A Carolina wren visited the feeder along with many chickadees.  The hummer also stopped by.  A skink flowed across the step.  A very orange red admiral flitted through.

Still pleasant

The osprey continues to fish in our creek.  A large dragonfly with unmarked wings beat on the window.  The blueberries are still going strong.

Black swallowtail caterpillars at all stages are munching on the rue and the parsley.  A variegated fritillary with a tattered wing flitted around the lower steps.  A cicada case clings to an iris leaf.  Gorgeous male Eastern pondhawks are hanging around the far end of the pool. Green June beetles are buzzing around the pool and falling in. 

A skink wagged its blue tail and scurried under the rosemary.  A hummer was flustered by a dragonfly that also wanted to perch on a dead dogwood twig.  Meanwhile, the wrens stay busy with the birdhouse.  A yellow crowned night heron landed on the dock. 

In the late afternoon, an Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) passed through.  Dragonflies were all over.  First a female, then a male widow skimmer rested on my dragonfly perch.  A male Eastern pondhawk tried to take it over and succeeded briefly despite being smaller than the skimmer.  The male skimmer put on what I think is a courting display, fluttering its wings to show off the white spots.  Overhead I could see dragonflies with clear wings, with saddlebags, and with spots.  All were in silhouette without colors.  They seemed to stay about 30 feet up and to rest in the trees.

Cooler and drier

The nicer weather brought all kinds of visitors!  Two hummers, one of which took an interest in the hibiscus and lavender.  A female goldfinch thought the hummer feeder was a drinking fountain.  A Carolina wren shared the feeder with a blushing finch, i.e. a brown house finch beginning to show some red on the face.  Male and female widow skimmers hunted over the lawn.  An osprey again hunted the creek.

Just before lunch, a skink took the sun on the brick wall beside the downspout.  A male eastern pondhawk contested for the perch with a dragonfly with a red abdomen.  Two buzzards circled.  

More rain

It's coming down fairly hard.

Finally, late morning it has quit for a while.  Titmice, finches cardinals and chickadees reappear.  The clueless hummer keeps trying to get a meal from the underside of the feeder.  Across the creek, an osprey lands in the pines then plunges into the creek.  I couldn't see if it caught a fish.  A squirrel has knocked one of the fish decorations off the portulaca pot.

More hummer warz at lunch.  One hummer definitely is interested in the lavender.  Great photo ops missed because I was eating.   Clouds still look threatening, but it is drying out.  Lots of fledglings around - a finch was cheeping on the feeder perch. 

Rain

The sky darkened to the North and we had a downpour mid morning.  There had been rain over night as well.  The Fairy House program had to stay inside the library.  By mid afternoon it was still raining.  Geese made an effort to enter the pool.

Evening now and the rain has stopped but all is wet and the clouds continue to threaten.  A snail climbed on the wet window glass.  A Carolina wren hopped about the patio and the house wrens are working hard to keep their nestlings happy.  A chickadee came to the feeder and a squirrel pawed through the wet debris below. 

A medium sized spider is hanging outside the bathroom window where it was yesterday at this time.  I can't see the web but it is clearly working hard. It did not get washed out the water spout.

At supper, things got exciting.  Titmice showed up for the first time in weeks.  I think it was a fledgling chasing its parent.  At any rate, they had some disagreement with the finches over the feeder.  The youngster picked bugs out of the hummer feeder.  It may not be eating seeds yet.  Then two hummers showed up.  One chased the other away.  After a bit, what was clearly a clueless fledgling made several attempts to figure out the feeder.  It tried to come at it from underneath.  It perched but didn't find the holes.  It has dark feathers on the throat already.

A bit cooler

Hopeful geese tried to visit.  The hummer and the seed feeders showed up and the wrens continue busy with their offspring. 

I was gone till lunch.  Then, as I peeled money plant seeds, gold finches visited the lavender.  A chickadee ate ants out of the hummer feeder.  A Carolina wren scouted on the ground and the house wrens kept up the stream of bugs to the birdhouse.

An adult skink nonchalantly sunned itself on the wall under the bird feeders.  A male widow skimmer took up guard on the perching pole.  A tiger swallowtail investigated the cherry tree.  There were quite a few spiders on the money plant seeds.  And when I tried to work outside, I got bit again.  I wish the wrens would catch the flies.  Or the dragonflies could - I'm not picky! 

Thunder is rumbling now.  We could certainly use some rain.  Undoubtedly the promise of rain is what has brought the green head flies up to the patio. 

More heat, more haze

At least there is a breeze. It has registered over 100 all day.  A squirrel is using its tail as a sunshade.  The usual suspects are visiting the feeder.   I can hear the baby wrens crying for food and the parents are fetching little caterpillars mostly.  The hummer investigated the wren house! 

There is a cloud of dragonflies cruising over the patio - various species, including a saddlebags and a skimmer with gold stripes.  The green heads finally found me about 6pm.  One came inside on me and will never trouble anyone again.

Hot

The hot haze continues.  This morning the hummer seemed unhappy with the feeder.  It tried each opening, then flew off to the lavender and tried that.  Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough for a photo.

At lunch, a female finch chased off a male.  Then a Carolina wren landed on the feeder and the finch made no objection.  We cleaned and refilled the hummer feeder - it's hot enough to turn the sugar water into candy,  Candied ants, anyone? 

White sky

Before the sun, there were dragonflies, hummers, finches, cardinals, chickadees and wrens.  Squirrels too.  Several egrets passed overhead.  The night chorus of crickets was drowned by the bird calls.  I wonder if the haze is ozone? 

As the day warmed the butterflies came out, cabbage and swallowtail.  The cabbage butterfly found a blossom on the rosemary.  The hummer also took an interest in the rosemary.  The huge flock of geese keeps visiting and pooping. Yech.

Glowing orb web

Overnight, a spider suspended this web over the pool.  In the early morning I happened to be in the right spot to see the sun catch it.  A few minutes later it was invisible.  Finches, chickadees and a hummer were up early, as were the house finches.  It's pretty clear that two of them are teaming up on the house  Some small bird was persecuting a crow.  The same occurred yesterday. 

Hazy holiday

The sky is blurred and the air is thick and hot.  The three squirrels continue to act up which makes them thirsty.  Finches are courting again.  Have they forgot how much work their offspring were?  A female hummer was scared off by them and tried the hibiscus for a change.

The AC is out again, so outdoors I stayed, wet.  A flock of nineteen geese, including goslings at various stages, invaded the yard, and when my back was turned, the pool. The hummer has found an outpost on a dead dogwood branch.  The wren has found a porch swing in front of the birdhouse.  Dragonflies quarreled in the early evening.  They had clear wings, red eyes, and a yellow diagonal on the side of the thorax.  But I didn't get a photo because I was chasing geese.

Squirrel antics

Three of them chased each other in the early morning.  One got up the post and frightened off the hummer.  Then it perched on the feeder roof and did an ADHD jiggle, lost its balance and fell off.  It caught the perch and saved itself. 

The hummer later returned.  A red admiral butterfly perched on the window frame.

A skink came out at lunch.  A black swallowtail and a palamedes swallowtail flitted around.  Squirrels were thirsty.  The punk cardinal showed up.  The wrens have been active - both species. 

Breakfast

Blueberries for us and sugar water for hummers, seeds for finches.  It is hot and hazy already.  The beauty berry is blooming and the money plant seed pods are ripe.

Wrens are active.  I saw a tiger swallowtail and either a palamedes or a giant.  I wonder why hummingbirds cluck to themselves?  The punk cardinal has just one feather of a crest left.   A dark bird with some white on the wings makes a churring sound - woodpecker?  The pool skimmer was full of June beetles, both brown and green, and a bit of eggshell.

Rinse and repeat

Lightning last night and a shower this morning, but no discernible water in the birdbath, so I filled it myself.  The hummer was up early.  I don't know if there is only one female hummer around, but there have been no chases.  It or they made several visits in the early morning.  A Carolina wren got very feisty with the finches.  A crow was interested in the pool.  A female widow skimmer with very pale upper wing markings perched on the stake I put out for dragonflies.