Mosquitoes

Some early flickers of sunshine encouraged me to brew some solar tea.  When I went to collect it later, a kingfisher noticed me and flew from the dock.  The sky was mostly low stratus clouds making the sun no brighter than a table lamp.  Still, that was enough to pull the temperature up to 80° and the humidity high as well.  Mosquitoes were ambitious and in my face while I was in the water.  I saved a young skink, evicted a good-size bullfrog, and rescued a half dozen black ground beetles, and a tiny snail.  None of them stayed for a portrait.  Yesterday I removed the rescue stick just in case I wasn't able to do it later.  Is that why the water was full of beetles?  A stream of chickadees came to the feeder, and sometimes dodged a cardinal.  I heard a blue jay.  A yellow butterfly fluttered out of sight at lunch. The saltbush began blooming.