Chipping sparrow

Brown headed nuthatches were waiting for breakfast.  A molting Carolina wren was next.  Goldfinches were thirsty and hungry.  Mockingbirds and blue jays went for barkbutter balls but then a brown thrasher took over.  The mockingbird got a drink instead.  Hummers got their own drink.  Late in the afternoon, a white breasted nuthatch visited among house finches and a brown headed cousin.  A downy woodpecker arrived around the same time. 

After checking with All About Birds, I think the chipping sparrow might have been a juvenile bird.  In fact, I may have been seeing two birds, a juvenile and a molting adult.  The one without streaks visited the feeder while the streaky one foraged underneath.  I got curious and learned that Chipping in a place name means market.  There was no indication whether that applied to the sparrow.  Perhaps it originated as "cheeping" instead?  

There were two frogs in the pool and a black swallowtail caterpillar in the skimmer.  I put the caterpillar in the sun to see if it would revive and it did.  Thinking that it had left the rue to look for a place to pupate, I put it in the mountain mint but it was not happy and crawled away.  A red wasp was buzzing around the mountain mint so maybe it was wary.  I saw a black and a tiger swallowtail, a cloudless sulphur, a red spotted purple, and some small fliers I couldn't identify. 

The Argiope seemed healthy though deflated.   A dead shrew was lying on the patio.  I wonder what brought us that gift?  I picked it up with a leaf and hurled it down the hill. A very small skink oozed between the retaining wall logs.  The sky was hazy with wisps that might have come from contrails.  I think I finally identified the fungus that comes up every year under the oak as Berkeley's Polypore  Bondarzewia berkeleyi. 

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Waiting for rain

A couple of house finches went fishing or, at least, looked intently into the pool.  Meanwhile, a goldfinch craved seeds.  A bluebird wanted seeds too.  And then a brown headed nuthatch and a titmouse joined the feeder crowd.  Hummers finished off the sugar water so I put out some fresh.  The brown thrasher was disappointed that I hadn't refilled the barkbutter dish but foraged under the seed feeder..  A mockingbird wanted water.  A blue jay watched and commented.  The bald cardinal was beginning to get new feathers but a female showed up in a terrible state of molt.  A couple of other female cardinals got into a dispute.  I think one was hatched this year.  A dove wandered around.  A downy woodpecker got a turn at the seeds.  A white breasted nuthatch visited in the late afternoon. 

The Argiope web was empty in the morning and gone by afternoon.  In its place was a brown balloon of eggs.  Southern purple mint moths investigated the mountain mint.  Black swallowtail caterpillars were fattening on the rue.  I started pruning the mountain mint to see if it would make more flowers and, without noticing, I cut off a branch a monarch had chosen for its chrysalis.  I put the branch in a vase hoping it would keep the chrysalis supported and shaded.  The gold markings really glittered and I could faintly see the developing wings.  A small wasp worked on the mountain mint flowers.. I glimpsed some butterflies but none posed.  

When I first got in the pool, the sun was painfully intense but when I got out, menacing clouds blocked it.  A lot of leaves had fallen into the water.  I saw two frogs but I caught three so were there really three or was one a recidivist?  I also rescued a very young skink.  As it panted on the concrete, a much bigger skink ambled by.  The only bugs in the water were a couple of weevils and a spider I'm fairly sure was an orb weaver.  The hibiscus did make one more flower.  The volunteer sunflower appeared to be doing well, though rain would help.  Leaves were growing on the butterfly milkweed. 

Three frog day

Maybe it was the heat but the birds slept in.   However, I was rewarded by a brand new monarch pumping up its wings on the azalea.  With all the webs around that bush, I'm glad it didn't encounter any spiders!  Finally, I saw a bluebird atop the redwood.  Two brown headed nuthatches came to the feeder together.  A red spotted purple made me waste pixels but it also showed me red berries ripening on the hackberry tree.  

Finally at lunch we began to see birds.  A mockingbird was thirsty.  The sky was freckled with clouds.  A small, tailless skink scooted over the concrete.  A larger skink hid among the violets.  I tried to photograph tiny sweat bees. Some of the beautyberries began to get a magenta tinge.   The sky turned thunderous but nothing came of it.  I believe I found one more hibiscus bud deep in the foliage.  

I found three frogs in the pool and caught all three.  Mockingbirds and blue jays developed an appetite.  A nuthatch was back.  A hummer fussed around the dogwood.  A brown thrasher wanted barkbutter balls for supper.  

H O T

The brown thrasher wanted to know where was breakfast, i.e. barkbutter balls.  So did a Carolina wren.  Since the goldfinches wanted seeds, they were happy.  Both a white breasted and a brown headed nuthatch came for seeds. Mockingbirds and blue jays feasted on dogwood berries.  Hummers half emptied their feeder. 

There were two flowers on the hibiscus and I think they were the last.  I didn't see any buds. The spider looked fat.  I didn't see the other spider that was behind the azalea for more than a week.  I extracted a bullfrog from the skimmer.  The only skink I saw was ambling past the pool which I was in at the time.  K pointed out a yellow crowned night heron along the shoreline.  

Busy day

The brown thrasher was back for more delicious barkbutter but K forgot to remove the cover.  Problem solved, happy bird.  Brown headed nuthatches had to deal with chickadees and house finches.  They were both sneaky and bold.  I put out the last of a batch of hummer juice and made a fresh batch.  The hummers were satisfied.  A Carolina wren wanted barkbutter balls and then so did a female bluebird.  The molting mockingbird watched.  Actually, I saw at least three mockingbirds hanging around.  The male bluebird headed for seeds.  Birds were also eating dogwood berries and green acorns.  

The Argiope on the window switched sides on the web.  Now it can keep an eye or four on us.  I noticed it could move quite fast when something encountered the web.  A spotted cucumber beetle Diabrotica undecimpunctata occupied the yellow rose.  Caterpillars continued to eat rue.  A tiger swallowtail and a red spotted purple eluded the camera but a cabbage white posed.  A fussy wasp circled the mountain mint.  When I swam in the morning the only thing I rescued was a two-lined spittlebug. In the afternoon, I noticed a frog on the top step of the ladder. 

Several morning glories bloomed.  There were no hibiscus flowers but two buds waiting for tomorrow.  I detached a fragment of the big fungus to confirm its spore distribution system.  As expected, the underside was covered with pores    A gill mushroom poked up through the dirt nearby.  The canna was covered with blooms.  A volunteer sunflower made a bud. 

A female goldfinch took a turn at the seed feeder and the male came to watch.  Soon he had to join her but then she flew off with him in pursuit.  A blue jay settled into the dogwood while others flew hither and yon.   A white breasted nuthatch was too wary of me to get a seed.  I went inside and a female red bellied woodpecker took over the feeder. 

Bad feather day

The brown thrasher came back at breakfast.  The creek was peaceful but I had meetings.  At lunch, a scruffy mockingbird wanted barkbutter balls.  An equally rumpled Carolina wren followed.  House finches looked the worse for wear.  Even the bluebirds were molting.  That didn't stop a female from stuffing her beak like a blue jay.  Goldfinches, however, were still on their honeymoon.  

A brown headed nuthatch looked a bit ruffled.  It only had a tiny white spot on the back of its head.  I wonder if that is an indicator of age?  Cornell was no help.  The finches were fighting again and bullying smaller birds.  Some blue jays looked presentable but others had lost feathers.  A hummer tried to feed from the canna. 

It was much warmer in the afternoon, but cloudy and buggy.  I found a bullfrog in the skimmer and had to prod it to leave.  Later I evicted it from the pool and it looked very shocked that it had been caught.  Unfortunately, I found two dead skinks and I think I smelled some of the previous corpses. But I also rescued three live skinks and a field cricket.  Two skinks ran off right away but the third was too tired.  I hope it recovered. 

I found a spent morning glory in a spot not visible from the house.  Black swallowtail caterpillars were still eating and growing on the rue.  A monarch flew past but didn't stop at the leafless butterfly milkweed.  A yellow rose opened.  The hibiscus was still blooming.  

Brown thrasher

If the Weather Service can be trusted, today was the last of the unseasonably cool days.  A mockingbird and several blue jays helped themselves to barkbutter balls.  Then a brown thrasher finished them off.  

The Argiope spiders hadn't moved and the cobweb spider was well away from my chair.  The finches continued to fight.  Hummers too.  A molting Carolina wren looked for something to eat.  It was not impressed by finch belligerence.  When a red bellied woodpecker arrived at the seed feeder the finch left without protest.  A tiger swallowtail attacked its reflection in the window. 

A skink was clinging to the outside of the pool skimmer opening so I helped it up to the pavement.  It was not grateful.  A frog was hiding in the outer part of the skimmer and I didn't see it till I'd finished dumping the basket. I'm glad it didn't get sucked down the pipe.  It swam off and later I found it hobnobbing with another frog.  I evicted one and the other used my climb out stick.  While in the pool, I saw a red spotted purple butterfly on the wild cherry beside the oak. I also found a couple of largish insect exoskeletons floating but I couldn't tell what they were.  Then I found another on the pavement and it was clear that it had been shed by a praying mantis.  

A few wasps were all I saw on the mountain mint but something left a lot of webbing and frass under one of the flower heads..   Birds. especially blue jays, have begun eating acorns.  A great blue heron rested on a post attached to the neighbor's dock.  

Bug

I was gone in the morning.  At lunch, a molting female cardinal looked very shabby and disheveled.  A blue jay was also a molting mess.  A bluebird kept watch on the feeders.  A mockingbird wanted barkbutter balls but was frustrated by a more aggressive blue jay.  Hummers continued to fight over their feeder.  Toward evening, a brown headed nuthatch popped in. 

A strand of web floated across the patio, catching sunlight. The two Argiopes stayed in the same spots, though I saw one run fast across its web.  A few wasps looked for fresh flowers on the mountain mint.  One blue dasher hunted from q bamboo stake perch.  Caterpillars continued to hatch on the rue.   Under one of the tables I found a huge leaf-footed bug.  There were no pool rescues. 

The fungus under the oak looked tasty but I suspect it would be more like wood.  I saw a couple of skinks but they weren't in the mood to pose.  One ran right under my chair. 

Buggy

A couple of seedling sunflowers popped up.  The hibiscus put on a real show with six flowers.  The fungus under the oak was visibly bigger.  The canna was blooming as though inspired by the nearby hibiscus.   Only two seedpods survived on the stripped butterfly milkweed.  Some dogwood leaves turned red or yellow, marking approaching Fall.

Although the monarch caterpillars departed, the black swallowtail caterpillars were visible all over the rue.  I rescued two blue tailed skinks from the water and evicted a frog.  I was too late for a bumblebee.  A glass snail floated on the surface but I put it out of the water too.  A busy honeybee was one of the few insects on the mountain mint.  The spiders hadn't moved since yesterday. A mosquito followed me into the house and feasted as I took off my wet suit. 

Bluebirds came for seeds.  A brown thrasher slipped into the mountain mint stalks.  The red bellied woodpecker was back.  Blue jays were happy about the barkbutter balls.  

 

Still cool

The hibiscus was still putting out blooms despite those wretched sawflies eating the leaves to lace.  The wandering Argiope seemed to have found a spot it liked on the window.  A bluebird surveyed the feeders.  A gray hairstreak visited the violet leaves.  I must remember to check for caterpillars. 

There was nothing in the pool but one young skink who was too tired to move when I rescued it.  A little later, it revived and ran off.  A persistent white breasted nuthatch wanted seeds, and despite finches, a cardinal, and a bluebird, it finally succeeded.   Of course the hummers came frequently and chased each other away.  Female downy and red bellied woodpeckers had seeds for supper.  After all the time the white breasted nuthatch spent getting a seed, a brown headed nuthatch slipped straight in and got one.  

Clouds made a very rosy sunset.  

Cool

Today felt more like October than August.  It was sunny and nice but chilly for swimming.   The wandering and the stationary Argiope spiders were in the same locations but with refreshed webs.  A Carolina wren was hanging around but never close.  With no rain forecast, I felt safe in putting out a dish full of barkbutter balls.  Blue jays and bluebirds noticed quickly.  Crows came at lunch.  

The female downy woodpecker grew very frustrated with the other birds that eat seeds.  The female red bellied woodpecker also came for seeds.  An ichneumon wasp bumbled across the window and I thought it was going to end its days in the Argiope's web, but it flew away.  A tattered duskywing fluttered around the mountain mint. 

A red spotted purple got territorial about its favorite perch and chased off a tiger swallowtail.  A skink chased away another skink.  A couple of kingfishers flew up the creek then back down.  I don't know if that was a territorial chase.  And the queen of territorial defenders, the hummingbird just perched and waited for any bird to dare come near her feeder. 

The fungus under the oak looked like fresh baked bread rolls.   A great crested flycatcher hunted in the red cedar.  White breasted nuthatches persisted in seeking seeds despite the unruly house finches.  Titmice and the downy were also crowded out by the house finches.   A mockingbird was late to the barkbutter table.  The yellow cat used the redwood as a scratching post.  

Damp

Rain and clouds and cool temperatures did not encourage me to venture out but did not deter hummers.  The orange cat came for a drink from the birdbath.  Then a house finch landed on the feeder hanger and the cat was all eyes.  Brown headed nuthatches wanted seeds too.  Goldfinches joined the house finch.  Even a bluebird came for seeds.  (I didn't offer anything that the rain would ruin.) 

The wandering Argiope moved around the corner to the glass right above my chair.  At first, I thought I was looking at a bird splat on the glass.  Then I realized it was the web's stabilimentum, the zigzag and white patch in the middle of the web.  And it was right next to the bird warning decal - coincidence?  A Southern purple mint moth clung to the glass below the web.  The rain stopped but the afternoon stayed cool and damp and uninviting.  

Summer thunderstorm

After overnight rain, morning was peaceful, except for hummer territorial disputes.   A duskywing and many sawflies landed on the hibiscus.  I soaked it and the rosemary in neem oil.  A lot of detritus had fallen into the pool but all I rescued was one brown May beetle.  

Caterpillars stripped the butterfly milkweed.  A camouflage looper needed fresh accessories.  I discovered a cobweb on the back of my chair, complete with spider.  As I sent that spider scuttling and cleaned off the web, the closer Argiope fussed at me, pumping its web.  At lunch, a tiger swallowtail knocked on the window. 

A brown headed nuthatch wanted seeds whether I was there or not.  A blue jay was not pleased that so few barkbutter balls were left.  A mockingbird was disappointed too.  Goldfinches got some seeds.  A red bellied woodpecker lurked in the trees before daring to visit the feeder. 

I had errands in the afternoon and saw thunderheads piling up in the South while the sky over the patio was still blue.  A hummer monitored her feeder and fussed at larger birds.  One hummer had a dark throat mark and a chestnut flank but I didn't see the color of its back.  The brown headed nuthatch was back and a white breasted nuthatch came too.  I'm not sure it got any food thanks to the house finches.  Two of them got into a real fight.  Waterbirds headed for roosts.  I glimpsed a dragonfly but had expected to see more.  A little after 6pm thunder and lightning heralded heavy rain.  

3 frogs

I overslept.  A cicada killer was busy around the violets next to the birdbath.   A hummer was hungry for breakfast. 

One frog sat on the top step of the pool ladder.  It evicted itself as I came close.  The other two were on my "rescue stick" that I wedged into the coping to aid critters to escape drowning.  One was sitting on top of the other.  By the time I got out and got the camera one frog had left.  The other stayed put the whole time I swam around.  After I got out, there were two frogs again. 

The hummer was standing guard in the dogwood again.  Blue jays got excited about the barkbutter balls.  A female bluebird tried to get a few.  Even a female cardinal sampled them.  The bald male stuck with seeds.  The female downy came for seeds too.  A song sparrow pounced on a fallen seed. 

The wind grew very gusty especially when a cloud blocked the sun.  The fungus under the oak reappeared.  A blue dasher guarded the patio. The Argiope with wanderlust was still behind my chair.  Tiny midges swarmed over a stinkbug the Argiope had wrapped.  The blue dasher was replaced by a larger skimmer, maybe a slaty.  And still I got bit.  

Warmer

We had goldfinches for breakfast again.  The hibiscus continued to bloom and a rose bloomed too.  A scattering of leaves on one dogwood turned fall colors.  I had a mid day event which cut into my outdoor time.  On the way there and back I saw lots of dragonflies riding the asphalt thermals.  Some buzzards were doing the same only much higher.  

As soon as I got home I went straight into the pool.  I rescued a camel cricket and a fig beetle.  There was a frog but it mostly hid from me.  A blue dasher perched, waiting for its dinner to fly by.  Many black swallowtail caterpillars at all stages nibbled rue leaves.  I wonder if rue makes them taste bad the way milkweed does for monarchs?  The monarch caterpillars seemed fewer and bigger.  The wandering Argiope was still too close for comfort.  

A hummingbird kept watch over its feeder from a dead dogwood twig.  At supper, a yellow crowned night heron swooped onto a redwood branch.  A mockingbird checked for leftover barkbutter balls.  The goldfinches were frustrated by a miserly house finch. 

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.

Another beautiful day

 A couple of sunflower seeds germinated and sprouted up.  I hope they will survive to flower.  A variegated fritillary appeared to be egging the violets.  One of the Argiope spiders moved into the mountain mint and already caught a meal.   I counted seven monarch caterpillars and probably missed some.  A dozen or more black swallowtail caterpillars were on the rue.  Later, a gray hairstreak also seemed interested in violet leaves.  I also saw tiger and black swallowtails and, I think, a sleepy orange. 

The hummer feeder was empty so I hung another.  I chased two frogs around the pool.  One cooperated but the other outlasted me.   A mockingbird showed up for barkbutter balls.  A blue jay followed.  Something with a big furry butt was up in one of the pines.  Hummers and a blue jay came for supper.

More beautiful weather

Another pleasant day of sunshine, breeze, low humidity.  The creek reflected noisy goings-on across from us.  K picked figs.  A profusion of hibiscus flowers opened.  I got my swim in the late afternoon.  A frog joined me but I rejected him and the same for a couple of spiders.  A half-grown skink was waiting under the lid of the skimmer.  I saw a full grown one on the planter out front and another on the pool coping.  A very little one scampered across the patio.  

The mountain mint entertained a gray hairstreak that obligingly opened its wings.  A camouflage looper looped its way across a flower head.  On the butterfly milkweed, three caterpillars chowed down on a seedpod.  There were bees and wasps, but fewer than earlier in the summer.  

The female downy glared at the hummer feeder and then settled for barkbutter balls.  The hummer or hummers paid no attention.  Then a yellow crowned night heron shot through the yard nearly hitting the hummer feeder.  And a red bellied woodpecker made a brief stop.  Blue jays and titmice made many visits to the feeders.  A dove landed on the feeder hanger.  A squirrel showed up with a warble on its back. 

Still nice

The wonderful weather continued.  I saw a white breasted nuthatch at the seed feeder.  A hummer attacked a goldfinch that just wanted a drink of water.  A tiger swallowtail, a black swallowtail, and some other insects also escaped the camera.  One Argiope was tucked snugly between the azalea and the window waiting for insects attracted to the lights inside.  The one that had moved higher was gone. I noticed a lot of holes in the nearby mud dauber wasp nest.  The smallest Argiope was still small.  A red spotted purple lit on a dogwood.  A noisy squirrel stretched out for a siesta on an oak branch.  A skinklet peered out from vegetation.  An odd wasp seemed to dance like a bee..  Finally a dragonfly took up guard duty. 

Glorious weather

This was the sort of day we hope for in June.  It was still a bit cool and cloudy in the morning when I swam but the afternoon was sunny with a nice breeze and in the low 80s.  Two hibiscus flowers greeted us.  Two frogs were in the skimmer and I thought a third one was sitting on the top step of the pool ladder but I was only able to find two. One was the little bullfrog but the other was different, maybe a green frog?  Though I caught them in the morning and put them out, I saw them again in the afternoon hanging out on the ladder. 

Two big monarch caterpillars and four younger ones chowed down on the butterfly milkweed.  The four Argiope spiders looked well.  A couple of blue dashers got territorial over a perch by thr mountain mint.  A slaty skimmer found the perch outside my window.  I glimpsed a couple of high flying dragonflies and an amberwing in the mountain mint.  A few fiery skippers were around.  A lovely red banded hairstreak visited the mountain mint.  I spotted more camouflaged loopers.  A variegated fritillary seemed to be laying eggs on the morning glory and the violets.  I thought I saw a monarch and a palamedes swallowtail but they were too fast for certainty. 

Blue jays and a bluebird found the barkbutter balls.  Hummers fed in the morning but by afternoon were coming to the window with demands.  Sure enough a spot of mold had started.  So K hung a fresh feeder.  A rain lily popped up in the front yard.  The lantana was a mass of flowers that attracted skippers.  

Cooler

A female goldfinch visited the seed feeder at breakfast.  Then a hummer arrived.  I was glad to see that the feeder contents had not been diluted in yesterday's rain showers.  At least two hummers were after sugar water - one defended the source and one tried to sneak a drink.  The hibiscus opened a flower with two buds ready for tomorrow.  A slaty skimmer perched briefly but, despite the humidity, the middle of the day was windy which kept the bloodsuckers away.  K dumped two frogs out of the skimmer.  One was back in the pool later so I caught it and evicted it again.  I also rescued a mama spider. 

I counted four monarch caterpillars, each a different stage.  And I found more camouflage loopers.  Southern purple mint moths were on the mountain mint but also in the grass and elsewhere.  A monarch and a red spotted purple crossed the yard without stopping.  One of the Argiope spiders had relocated much higher.  The other two were about the same places as yesterday.  And I finally found the fourth which had been below the hibiscus but had moved up to the wall beside it.  A closer look at the brown caterpillar on the butterfly milkweed made me wonder if it had been zombie-fied by a fungus.  It appeared deflated and there were a tangle of threads all around it.  An ant was investigating.  Other small ants were carrying off sunflower hulls.  In the late afternoon the wind dropped but, from the Southwest, clouds moved to cover the sky.  The no-see-ums came after me so I went inside. 

Still rainy

After a long morning meeting, I showed J what lurked on the mountain mint.  She got photos of a monarch caterpillar, a gray hairstreak, and a southern purple mint moth.  A caterpillar was eating his umbrella.  In the pool I caught a frog but it got back in and by that time thunder was accompanying the shower so we left the pool to the frog.  The garden spiders had relocated closer to the window.  

The sun came back later but had to fight past clouds.  Mosquitoes were thick.  Wasps took advantage of the sun.  A tiger swallowtail shopped for child care among the wild cherry leaves.  Hummers approved of their nectar.  

Showers

A Carolina wren was on the seed feeder at breakfast.  Molting left it looking pretty scruffy.  Hummers were back but before the day was over they rejected the juice.  Fresh tomorrow!  The molting cardinal hunkered down on the seed feeder perch, looking more like a pirate than a cardinal.  I picked what looked like a window between rain bands to swim.  Two showers rained on me in half an hour.  I evicted a frog and K scared it back into the water.  I also saved yet another six-spotted green tiger beetle, Cicindela sexguttata, with no spots. 

Bell flowers hung from the ground cherry plants but one under the window was stripped of leaves.  I need to look for the caterpillar that was responsible.  Some Southern purple mint moths rested on mountain mint leaves.  Only two caterpillars were visible today but they were a lot bigger.  And there was something under a leaf that looked like a small brown caterpillar, not a monarch.  I thought a little blob of dead flowers on the mountain mint might be a Camouflaged Looper, Synchlora aerata.  The blog was moving.  Wasps and bees couldn't stay away from the mountain mint.  A yellow crowned night heron perched on a dock piling.  

Less wet

A female bluebird wanted seeds but the male cardinal was being a bully.  Maybe it was because he was molting and feeling ugly.  I counted four mid-size caterpillars on the butterfly milkweed.  The two largest that I saw before had disappeared.  One persisted on eating a seedpod which attracted very tiny ants. 

Some bees and wasps came for mountain mint nectar.  I rescued yet another green tiger beetle from the water.  It refused to pose.  Hummers were more cooperative.  One tried the butterfly milkweed.  After I got out and sat down to drip dry, a rain shower came out of nowhere so I dripped my way inside.  

Wet day

The very hungry monarch kept feeding despite the rain which, fortunately, was gentle.  The butterfly seemed territorial, at least, it flew after K and later a crow when they came too close.  Meanwhile, at least four caterpillars were chomping up the butterfly milkweed.  I saw a black swallowtail too.  I too ignored the rain and went swimming.  That was fortunate for a mama spider, a green tiger beetle, and a couple of wasps. 

A Carolina wren was hungry too and visited the seed feeder.  A brown headed nuthatch got the munchies later on.  Hummers ignored the rain to consume sugar water.  

 

Tropical Storm Debby

A monarch was back at the butterfly milkweed.  The monarch's tongue was grooved like a hummingbird's.  There were caterpillars too.  They stupidly ate a seedpod.  A slaty skimmer perched briefly.  A duskywing fed on the mountain mint but I didn't see any fiery skippers.  Bees and wasps annoyed the butterflies on the milkweed and mountain mint.  I saw a couple of dark butterflies, one of which was probably a black swallowtail while the other might have been a red spotted purple. 

It was a good thing I didn't delay swimming.  I evicted a frog and rescued a mama spider, another green tiger beetle, another fig beetle, and a ladybug beetle. We decided to have lunch outside since I was still dripping.  While we ate, clouds flowed up from the South.  Not too long after we finished the first rain band from tropical storm Debby passed over.  The monarch didn't stop feeding till after I dashed indoors.  The clouds spinning around the low pressure center covered Florida to New Jersey.