Knitting Mill Creek

It was chilly when I left for the breakfast meeting but plenty warm afterwards when we walked down to see the restored wetland.  And it was humid and buggy.  The mosquitoes were so big I thought the first one I saw was a spider.  I could see the stripes on its legs and its green head.There were lots of flowers in bloom. Then I stopped at a garden shop to look for wild flowers.  I bought two plants and a friend gave me a third at the meeting.  By then I was dripping with sweat and very tired.  So I didn't accomplish much for the rest of the day. 

The azaleas in back were finished blooming and so were the dogwoods but the blue and yellow flag irises were beginning.  I spent some time photographing a venusta orchard spider beside the steps. 

I found three young caterpillars on the rue leaves.  Wasps fed on the rue flowers. The hibiscus sawflies crawled on the violet leaves, waiting for the hibiscus to emerge from the ground.  A brown stinkbug ascended a rose cane. 

I must have been very quiet because a downy woodpecker landed on the suet beside me.  But as soon as I moved, he fled. 

Gray

The temperature dropped hard.  The air was chilly and dank under an overcast sky.  We had an appointment in the morning.  In the parking lot, a mockingbird took over a car aerial.  The squirrels were frisky at lunch time.  A yellow flag iris bloomed.  A blue jay sneaked bites of bark butter but I caught up with it chasing something through the mulch.  The feral cat showed up at supper. 

Still gusty

The day began and ended in overcast, but in between the sky was intensely blue and the air warm.   Despite the wind, there were lots of butterflies.  I saw a monarch, a cloudless sulphur, a palamedes swallowtail, and several smaller brownish orange butterflies.And two tiny caterpillars on the rue. A sizable dragonfly buzzed me a couple of times.  The rue attracted a variety of wasps.  A skink chased another across the lower patio. 

Birds were more scarce.  A titmouse had seeds for breakfast.  Outside, I startled a male cardinal when I moved.  A couple of blue jays chased through the trees.  A downy woodpecker flew into the dogwood but flew back out almost immediately.  And high overhead, a swallow fought the headwind.

Windy

The storm left sky and earth scrubbed and shining.  But the wind was still gusty. Turtles lined up to bask, overseen by cormorants.  Lots of periwinkles found resting places above the water.  An egret paced beside the shore.  A little moth spread its wings on the window.  The wind trashed an orchard spider's web.  Geese brought their six goslings to graze. 

A dragonfly zipped around the yard about 18" above the grass.  I wasted pixels and only got a blur.  Earlier I saw a black and a tiger swallowtail.  I found a patch of a different kind of moss, Polytrichum commune - Common Hair Cap Moss.  Most moss in the yard is either pincushion - Leucobryum glaucum or  Fern Moss - Thuidium delicatulum.  I believe the stuff on and under the retaining wall is cypress-leaved plaitmoss Hypnum cupressiforme.  The fuzzy fiddleheads of Christmas fern were beginning to unfurl. 

K cut off the redwood branches that were blocking my view of the lake.  Thus I saw a great blue heron land on a dead tree.  Then an egret landed on a nearby log.  A raft of cormorants paddled down the lake past the egret and some got out of the water.  The egret joined the heron which eventually departed.  So did the cormorants. The feral cat came by at dusk, and was rolling on the lower patio as though in catnip.

Stormy

The sky was gray when we got up and the air felt humid. The first wave of storms hit in the early afternoon with fierce gusts and hammering rain. A second line passed through around quitting time.  Wildlife made itself scarce except for a crane fly and a slug on the window.. 

Warm

It was another pretty day that I spent mostly in meetings.  At breakfast a squirrel entertained me by trying to get into the seed feeder. 

In the parking lot after the lunch meeting I could hear swallows chattering as they hunted bugs in the air, but I didn't see them.  At home, geese rested by the spartina and goslings climbed all over mama.  I saw a cloudless sulphur and did manage to photograph a silver spotted skipper. The first rose bloomed and so did a yellow iris. Clematis flowers were all over the trellis. 

As I left home in the afternoon, I spotted a brown thrasher with a long straw in its beak.  I took some pictures around the Greer Environmental Science building, but wildlife was mostly absent, except for a mockingbird.  After dark, a frog chorus was loud in their wetland ponds.  

Skink

Why are crane flies so fascinated with windows?  I saw a black and a tiger swallowtail. And wasps and bees, of course. 

An egret appeared to hold a conversation with an oddly pale mallard.   A couple of geese brought their four goslings to eat our grass. 

I think a squirrel was eating green cherries.  Another turned somersaults off the redwood trunk and generally acted like it was intoxicated. 

A skink scampered past me and slipped under the pool cover.  A little later, it or another emerged and then froze, perhaps noticing how close I was.  It was definitely blushing.  One turtle sunned itself on a log. 

Blue eyed grass was beginning to bloom and a money plant was festooned with green coins.  The purple iris apparently bloomed without my noticing.  The Solomon's seal flowers seemed mostly done.  The coral honeysuckle was covered with flowers so if any hummer didn't like what was in the feeder, it would not go hungry.

Too busy

It was another lovely day and I was running around the whole time.  I remember a blue jay visited the bark butter.  The Solomon's seal was in bloom.  A jumping spider occupied the middle of the window.  Not much else.

Earth Day

I remember the first Earth Day 49 years ago, just the fact of it, not the weather or whether I saw any wildlife. I doubt it was as lovely as today.  Clouds blew in from the East and North all day, sometimes getting thick, bur only a few were left at sunset to be painted vivid colors.

The blue jay raided the bark butter again.  A titmouse came for seeds.  I spotted a goldfinch on a branch over the creek downstream.  A flock of little birds zipped around in the blooming wild cherry, but I'm not sure they were all the same species.  One was a summer-suited male myrtle warbler and another was a female. 

An egret lurked downstream and a great blue heron flew over the house.  A pair of geese escorted their goslings upstream. 


A skink seemed very red about the head but moved too fast for details.  Butterflies stayed ahead of the camera.  One was a tiger swallowtail, the other smaller and orangey brown. Later I saw a dragonfly as well as an assortment of bees and wasps.  Syrphid flies found the first flowers on the rue. 

Lunar calendars

This being the first Sunday after the first full moon after 3/21, the vernal equinox approximated, we celebrated Easter.  It's also the middle of Passover.  Morning was sunny, the afternoon cloudy, and then the sky cleared before sunset.

At lunch, there were a great many skinks.  A blue tail climbed the feeder post, then thought the better of its exposed position.  Blue jays played photo tag with bark butter for a prize.  Bees and wasps hung around the patio door.

Birdsong wetland again

Something big, probably an osprey landed in a pine.  The feral cat was fascinated by something under the white azalea.  Later I saw a downy woodpecker on the suet. 

We took a walk through the park after discussing how parks and other open spaces could help control flooding.  I heard a red winged blackbird but I never located it.  A heron watched from across the river.  We found mussels and periwinkles in the creek leading from the pond to the river.  Compared to my visit March 16, last night's storm left enough water to show it really was a wetland.

Scary weather

In the morning I went to the Brock Environmental Center in the rain that wasn't supposed to fall till afternoon.  As I walked in from my car, I could hear birds but I couldn't find them by sight.  Blackberry brambles were blooming.  The wind drove the Brock's turbine rotor blades so fast they were just a loud blur.  The rain stopped before noon but the wind kept on.

Weather maps showed a low pressure center West of the Appalachians that was slinging a line of storms Eastward even as the wind poured up from the South. It spawned tornado warnings, gale warnings, marine warnings, and flooding for the Albemarle watershed while pushing the water out of the Lynnhaven.  Critters mostly hid except for some idiot crane flies and a few cormorants headed home.

Yellow crowned night heron

I didn't really get a chance to observe till lunch.  A couple of crows perched in the oak and one made a sort of croaking purr that I think meant it was pleased. The other bird was quiet and pretended to ignore the noise.  A mockingbird circled the yard, tree by tree. 

Several skinks were on the move.  The coral honeysuckle was covered with flower clusters.  In the front, the crape myrtle and the pecan were leafing out.  Flower buds appeared on the wild cherry. 

The first yellow crowned night heron of the season stalked along the water's edge behind a pair of grazing geese.  The tide was out.  Up on the lake, the turtles basked on their logs.  Late in the day, an egret waded below the dam.  The night heron returned and took up a post to preen. 

An osprey, a damsel fly, and a black swallowtail got away without a photo.  So did a small flock of small birds that were getting a drink on the pool cover when I noticed them and they flew away.  The wind was noticeable but the day was very warm, peaking over 80°F.

Breezy

The sun was bright but the sky was hazy.  The cat prowled around the lower patio.

I saw a dragonfly, a tiger swallowtail, a skink, a blue jay and an egret, but the only decent picture was a wasp.  Some birds made a squalling commotion in the bushes in front, but I couldn't tell if it was predatory or territorial.

House wren

Three species of swallowtail flitted through the yard, tiger, palamedes, and black.  I also saw a snout butterfly and a cabbage white.  Bees, wasps, and a dragonfly also buzzed around.  Lots of skinks scurried about their business.  Some used the pool cover for a warm shelter.  A squirrel sprawled out on top of the cover. 

Another migrant arrived - a house wren inspected the birdhouse on its new shepherd's crook hanger.  A titmouse whistled with me. I barely glimpsed a crow chasing some kind of raptor.

Hummingbird!

A mockingbird hunted in the front lawn.  An egret waded by the pollen-coated bank of the dam.  A black swallowtail egged the rue.  Another, very tattered, went from flower to flower for nectar.  I was certain I saw a big green and white beetle in the rue but the camera revealed a dogwood petal caught on the new leaves.  A snout butterfly perched on a stake and showed where it got the name.  A brown moth perched on a brown twig above the brown dirt and the camera refused to focus on it. 

A gorgeous male ruby throat informed us that the sugar water had gone bad.  He was gone before the camera finished opening.  He or another returned at dusk.  I had put out a fresh feeder but the hummer didn't stay.

Very warm

It was humid under a gray sky that did not completely block the sun.  The South wind brought the temperature up to the sweat zone. Last night three slugs crawled on the glass.  This morning a small one headed back down to safer spaces.  A white throated sparrow breakfasted on the seed feeder. A downy woodpecker hid in the dogwood.  When a blue jay visited the bark butter, a female cardinal shot out of the camellia and drove the jay away.  It was all to fast for me to get a picture. 

Pollen puddled on leaves and marbleized the surface of the creek.  It also coated the shore and made it look like a sandy beach.  I wonder if it adds nutrients to the water?  Skinks were out at lunchtime.  A couple of buzzards circled. 

The wind tore petals off the dogwood that was first to bloom.  Egrets fished around the dam.  A dragonfly landed on the patio, possibly because of the wine.  A single crow chased an osprey downstream.  Perhaps it was defending a nest.

Queen yellow jackets hinted suitable nesting sites.  The coral honeysuckle was a mass of flowers.  Beetles mated on the trunk of the cedar.  The rust-colored fungus was back on the cedar.  Mammoth carpenter bees also scouted suitable ground for nests. Buttercups, vetch, and bedstraw took over the front grass.  I planted cilantro and a very odd violet I found with just four petals. 

Rain

The patio was wet when we got up but there was a dry "rain shadow" by the door showing that the rain had fallen at an angle from the South.  The rain began again after breakfast, this time more strongly.  It stopped for a while mid day, but started again as soon as I went outside. After dark the sky cleared and bright moonlight replaced the sunless day.

Pollen coated the creek.  I saw an egret and a heron below the dam outfall but too much vegetation was in the way.  Chickadees visited the feeder. 

Windy

Egrets competed for prime fishing spots.  Blue jays were less cautious than usual.  The male cardinal was missing feathers from his forehead.  I spotted one white throated sparrow. I hoped the South wind would blow us some migrating birds, but I didn't see any.  It certainly brought plenty of heat.

I saw flower buds on the rue.  The Solomon's seal shot out of the ground about eight inches - there was nothing there on Tuesday.  The azaleas rushed to open but the wind stripped off the cherry blossoms.  I wonder if they were fertilized first.  Dogwood flowers held on tighter and the one with peculiar buds still had a few not fully open.  One hickory leafed out but the other was just beginning to open its buds.  Sycamore balls and pollen-shedding oak tassels were blown sideways.

A skink scuttled out from under the pool cover and into the shrubbery.  I saw a black swallowtail flitting around the rue and I think a tiger swallowtail further off.  But the wind might have fooled me with a leaf.  Yellow kneed wasps struggled to fly, and were disappointed by the new bench seat of treated wood.  Queen yellow jackets scouted possible residences.  I found a bird skull in the mulch under the dogwood.  My best guess is a crow.  Even between the clouds flying North, the moon was hard to see through the haze.

Turtles

Despite being home all day, all I really saw was turtles on their logs.  The downy woodpeckers did visit to satisfy their suet addiction.  Titmice came early but got away un-photographed.  Something large and dark flew to the base of the cherry.  I thought I saw some dragonflies among the wasps buzzing around.  It was a little cool but very pleasant and sunny till late afternoon.

Lull

Sunny and quiet.  The morning clouds lined up in rows.  The downy woodpeckers continued to work on the suet.  Lots of bees and wasps were active in the afternoon.  Turtles dried on the lake log.  I saw a heron fly downstream.  It seems to be the slack time when the winter migrants have disappeared but the summer migrants haven't arrived.  And the year around residents are busy with nests.

Warm

We had indoor temperatures outside. Pollen began leaving a bathtub ring of yellow on the margins of the creek.  The water was quiet and reflective.  Shingles blew off in the storm and squirrels acted like the fallen shingles might jump up and mug them. 

Some blue jays hung around in the trees.   I believe they were catching wasps!  A yellow jacket was attracted to the hummer feeder but gave up.  Only a few turtles crawled out to bask.

Something made rings of ripples close to shore, but I've no idea if it was a critter or methane bubbles.  Then I noticed a narrow V wake speeding downstream.  As I suspected, it was a snake.

I took pictures of a lot of flowers, and later, the crescent moon.

Donner und Blitzen

The patio got a power wash in the morning which no doubt disturbed the local wildlife.  The dogwood that has unusual buds was just opening them.

We saw a skink at lunch, but I wasn't fast enough with the camera.  Wasps and yellow jacket queens were on the prowl.  Turtles were happy. 

The afternoon was hot, humid and increasingly overcast.  Still, the thunderstorm didn't arrive until well after dark, but when it did, rain hammered the windows.

Beautiful day

As usual, I was inside for too much of it.  And when I was outside, I didn't see much and mostly took pictures of plants.  There were yellow-kneed wasps harvesting wood from the bench.  A small cloud of midges danced above the bench.  An industrious downy woodpecker stuffed herself with suet.  An egret stalked the low tide shallows below the dam. 

Oak leaves emerged above the flower tassels.  The domestic cherry tree was loaded with blossoms.  Red maple keys glittered in the sun.

Misty

Morning was slightly foggy.  Buffleheads disturbed the creek's reflections.  Another raggedy myrtle warbler came for bark butter.  A pair of mallards napped on the dock while a great blue heron stalked something under the dock.  On the lake, three shoveler drakes pinwheeled, trying to stir up food from the lake bottom. 

Downy woodpeckers worked on the suet. Blue jays hung around but if they came close, it was when I wasn't looking.  The hackberry began to leaf out, much earlier than last year,

Sunshine was supposed to arrive in the afternoon but instead there was a light rain.  The sky did begin to clear toward evening.  When I came home a squirrel was eating sassafras buds.

Wet

The rain was very light, but it left all the seats wet.  A bufflehead pair paddled between raindrop splashes.  An egret fished below the dam.  I glimpsed an osprey in the pines.

The downy woodpeckers finally found the suet.  I saw three white throats in the wet mulch.  A very sooty molting male myrtle warbler sampled the fresh bark butter.(Bark butter tubs are better on rainy days than the bbballs.)  A seed snatching titmouse and a bark butter eating blue jay eluded this photographer.

Flowers

The weather was much like yesterday, a bit cool, but beautiful.  The creek was placid and glittered with reflections.  The "fried egg" daffodils opened and one of the money plants began blooming. There was one flower on the chionodoxa.  Violets were full of blue, white, and in-between flowers.  Their relatives, field pansies, colored many lawns. 

We had an arborist and crew prune limbs that overhung the pool and contributed detritus - leaves, berries, and acorn shrapnel.  It opened up views more than I expected. Hopefully nothing was nesting yet.

White throats began their foraging early. Myrtle warblers defended their food supply.  The downy woodpeckers were still frustrated by my moving the suet.  Turtles basked on their logs in the lake.  An egret patrolled below the dam at low tide.  And the tide was quite low due to the advent of a new moon.  

Warm Spring day

It was sunny and in the 60s and the wind wasn't too harsh.  Downy woodpeckers, white throated sparrows and a pine warbler visited.  A crow feasted on something dubious up in a tree.  A site that tracks hummingbird sightings showed a couple in our corner of Virginia. So I put out hummer feeders, relocated the suet, and hung a birdhouse.  The woodpeckers had not found the suet yet when it got dark. 

Cold rain

Bad drainage flooded a parking lot I had to wade through.  And the wind made sure that I was chilled right through my coat.  The windows at home were too streaked to get pictures of the few birds that ventured out.  Those included downy woodpeckers, titmice, white throats, and the myrtle warbler. A great blue heron watched the water from the end of our dock. 

Chilly

Poisson d'Avril was sunny but cold and windy. A myrtle warbler came to breakfast.   White throated sparrows skittered around.  The male downy woodpecker looked very bright and shiny. Wind roughened the creek and discouraged birds. A visit from the feral cat didn't help.  But mainly I was otherwise occupied.