Cloudy

I planted the seed from the daylily pod before swimming.  The water was full of beetles and frogs.  I lost count of the beetles but there were three frogs, one dead, one that was none too lively, and one that seemed OK.  Of course there was a mosquito.  Back on terra firma I found the Argiope doing well, bees and wasps enjoying the mountain mint and milkweed.  A fiery skipper preferred the mountain mint even though it would have been camouflaged on the milkweed.  Then I noticed a common whitetail dragonfly on the top of the retaining wall.  A little later, a skimmer claimed the garden stake.  A skink crept out of the vegetation over by the hummer feeder.  Chickadees came for seeds despite my presence, but other birds stayed away.

In the front yard, a rainlily popped up at the end of the dry creek bed.   And a second crop of fairy ring mushrooms appeared like mourners around the spot where the oak died from emerald ash borers.  We got a tornado warning after dark but we didn't get any high winds here.  

 

Wind shift

The wind swung around to the Southwest which cleared the air, but heated it.  I got my swim in the morning.  Several May beetles needed rescue.  I also fished out drowned camel and field crickets and a big mulch roach.  A small brown diamond clung to the wall.  When I touched it with a twig, legs popped out and it transformed into a spider..  (Always use a twig!)  Bees and wasps worked on the milkweed and mountain mint.  The orchard spider worked on its  web.  A late daylily bloomed behind where the primroses had been.  I fear it's getting too little sunlight there.  There was a hibiscue blossom as well.  

Solstice

I swam in the morning while there was still some shade and rescued a handful of brown scarab Phyllophaga May beetles and one ladybug.  I think the ladybug was dead though.  A tiger swallowtail tried to wrestle nourishment out of a fancy daylily.   The beautyberry started to blom.  We went to a sunset vigil and a mockingbird circled overhead.  The first quarter moon had a faint halo.  

 

Towhee

The morning creek was flat and shiny. Squirrels were play-chasing and one fell. It disappeared behind dogwood foliage and there was some thrashing so I guess that broke its fall.  But I never saw it emerge.  Another squirrel began eating barkbutter balls.  So much for "hot pepper!"  A gladiolus stalk in the front yard bloomed, as did two different daylily plants along the pool.  

Bluebirds appeared at lunchtime.  A mockingbird followed on the barkbutter dish.  And then a male towhee popped up in the mulch!  It was excessively camera-shy.  Because of meetings scheduled later, I went swimming in the early afternoon with no shade from the sun.  There was nothing but beetles, spiders, a mosquito, and little wasps in the water.  I glimpsed a tiger swallowtail.  

Zebra swallowtail

Another beautiful day of which I missed too much.  I had to rush off early to an appointment but afterward I went to Wild Birds Unlimited since I was in the vicinity.  I played with Merlin taking (bad) phone photos of goldfinches and a song sparrow while I waited for the store to open.  Back home, I admired the lilies in the front yard, white and dark red, also daylilies and a rainlily.  A skink descended the bedroom wall.  

At lunch, a gorgeous zebra swallowtail fed on the milkweed flowers.  The crow demanded treats.  A mockingbird was camera-shy.  A Carolina wren was perky.  Then I had online meetings.  

A white breasted nuthatches joined us for supper but was unwilling to share with a titmouse.   

Spider season

A Carolina wren poked through the seed trough.  I saw the first daylily flower, at least first for our yard.  The crow was back for another bath.  We got some sun in the early afternoon and I attacked the algae in the pool.  Several of the walks-on-water spiders avoided me but I persuaded one to move to dry land.  A crab spider was much more cooperative.  I also fished out a pretty little insect with black wings and a red head, possibly a wasp.  

Later in the afternoon we had a short deluge and a couple of thunder showers.   A crane fly tried to get through the window.  When the rain stopped a blue jay arrived and considered the wet barkbutter balls.  After dark, I saw a moth at a window.  

Mostly insects

A Carolina wren kept going back and forth between the suet and the step below, and I kept missing it.  The back yard Argiope stayed put.  The last daylily bud opened.  Clusters of green berries dotted the beautybery bush.  I had just enough time for a swim before lunch but saw nothing needing rescue.  Something bit or stung me, however.  Threadwaisted wasps congregated, and mated, on the mountain mint.  A tattered buckeye butterfly joined them.  I also saw a tiger swallowtail but didn't have the camera handy.  A titmouse had a run-in with a bullying house finch.  Again, evening brought a thin sheet of cloud, though this time I was looking Northeast.  No rain fell, after all. 

Hazy sky

In the morning, there was a pair of goldfinches. The male took over the feeder and I didn't see the female get anything.  A downy woodpecker returned to the suet.  A monarch butterfly was elusive even though it craved the milkweed.  The orange daylily looked like it was down to its last two flowers, but the ruffled bi-color daylily was still going strong. 

The pool was empty of any living thing but ants.  After I got out, I was sitting beside the hummer feeder when I saw a male hummer on a dead twig at the top of the wild cherry.  Meanwhile, a prince baskettail (Epitheca princeps) and maybe a saddlebags dragonfly were cruising overhead.  And high aloft several birds floated past that were just silhouettes.  The camera developed a problem and I lost the pictures of the soaring birds. 

Brown headed nuthatches paid no attention to me.  Two Carolina wrens arrived later during supper.  A squirrel found where I dumped the hummer juice.  

Into the water

Bluebirds got an early start.  The daylilies continued blooming along with the butterfly milkweed.  A blue dasher dragonfly perched on the rose bush to hunt.  I restocked the dishes and that attracted blue jays. I also hung a fresh hummer feeder but it had no visitors.  A squirrel leaped between trees.  The brown headed nuthatches got hungry at lunch time.  

A crow inspected the patio.  It kept its beak open, but I don't know whether it was panting or some other reason.  There was a commotion in the wild cherry and I found purple poop on the patio furniture, but all the cherries I could see were green.  Nor could I tell what was making the disturbance.  At last, the day got warm enough to get into the pool.  The water was brisk but endurable.  All I saw was two spiders, one the walks-on water kind, the other a crab spider of some sort.  

Hail!

At breakfast, a fledgling bluebird roosted on the seed feeder perch with its back to the food.  Clueless!  When it finally left, a brown headed nuthatch took over.  Then an adult male bluebird arrived.  The fancy ruffled daylily put out a flower and the orange daylily was still blooming.  I left for a meeting followed by a picnic.  We had sunshine, low 80s, and a stiff breeze which I think kept the mosquitoes away.  In fact, I didn't see any insects except for the ubiquitous cabbage white.  

Cumulus clouds boiled up across the sky after mid day.  A male cardinal was on the feeder when I got home, seeming anxious.  And no wonder because another male showed up and kicked the first one off.  It appeared to me that the dominant male was beginning to go bald.  A brown headed nuthatch waited for a turn.  Then a female bluebird wanted to know why the dish feeders were still empty.  I referred her to the National Weather Service. 

Fortunately the bad weather held off till late afternoon.  But the storm at supper was very impressive.  It came in waves with peanut-size hail.  I thought it was clearing at sunset but another wave came through growling with thunder.  The temperature dropped fast as well, but the storm seems to have moved off to sea. 

Great crested flycatchers

A blue jay was up early as was a Carolina wren.  Bluebirds arrived a little later.  An American crow made several visits during the day.  A male great blue skimmer used one of my dragonfly perches.  The wind was still gusty but the creek was unruffled.  The sun felt strong despite a hazy, milky sky.  There were three orange daylily flowers today and the milkweed was an orange blaze. 

In the afternoon, I saw two great crested flycatchers, and heard them too.  They are as raucous as blue jays.  A clump of dried leaves in the oak might have been a nest, or maybe just a broken branch.  A brown headed nuthatch returned to the seed feeder.  I counted at least four chickadees on the feeders and drinking from the ant moat. Their behavior made me wonder if they were siblings.  

Still cool

A Carolina wren was up early.  An orange daylily opened.  Dark clouds passed by looking full of rain, but none fell.  I thought I saw a bunny but it was a squirrel in an odd pose.  Out front, the lantana started to bloom.  White lilies, orange daylilies, and pink rain lilies put out flowers.  A strawberry plant popped up beside the dry stream bed.  A slaty skimmer used a perch outside my window.  

Bluebirds were busy so I thought they might still be feeding offspring.  A variegated fritillary fed on the butterfly milkweed.  Every so often it remembered that it needed to move around to confuse predators, but soon it was back at the milkweed.  The wind was much harsher than predicted and hard on small flying critters.  While cutting back the cinquefoil, I found some more wolf's milk slime mold.  I cannot imagine how it got that name.  

K hung more suet.  While pruning I surprised a blue jay.  An odd wasp-like flier wandered on the window.  It might have been an earwig.  A brown headed nuthatch came late to the seeds.  A couple of chickadees considered the dish feeders.  My impression was that one was a parent and the other a fledgling.  The bird certainly seemed clueless but eventually discovered the food.  

Pleasant temperature

More daylilies and hibiscus flowers greeted the dawn.  Later I saw a rain lily in the front.  A hummingbird tried to feed on the gladiolus.  She ignored the feeder and flew next to the mountain mint.  

The mountain mint wriggled with the movement of bees and wasps and skippers.  A tiger swallowtail wandered around the yard, appearing and disappearing into the trees.  Dragonflies were perched and waiting. 

An egret marched up the creek at low tide.  A skink tiptoed across the wall of the house out of sight of a crow on the roof.  

Mysterious stranger #4750

I was busy in the morning.  At lunch, a mockingbird  checked for treats.  The goldfinch pair had seeds.  Later, when there was shade I swam and chased spiders and rescued beetles.  A damselfly cruised slowly and hovered just a few inches above the pool surface.  I didn't have the camera and I doubt I could have photographed it if I had.  But it was very cool to see.  

A maroon daylily bloomed.  The plain orange and the ruffled yellow daylilies were still blooming steadily.  The sky was hazy in the late afternoon.  Then we got a very mysterious visitor.  A pigeon landed on the edge of the pool.  It seemed as big as a duck.  Its light leg was banded with the number 4750.  What do I do with that information?  At any rate, after a little while, the bird flew away.  

The goldfinch pair returned but the cardinals harassed them.  Both male and female acted like bullies even when they didn't want to eat.  The two male cardinals had an extended chase as well.  Testy!  

Humid

The overnight rain was slow to dry but the sun shone on summer flowers. Butterfly milkweed, coral honeysuckle, daylilies, roses, and buds opening on the gladiolus.  The sky was a hazy blue. I saw a tiger swallowtail but it ducked into the trees.  I put out some barkbutter balls and blue jays materialized.  Chickadees appeared to be followed around by a fledgling they had stopped feeding.  K hung a fresh hummer feeder but I didn't see any activity.  I didn't like any of the photos today.

Rain

Morning was sunny and dragonflies were everywhere.  Wet-looking clouds flowed by.  A female great blue skimmer perched outside my window.  Lots of daylilies bloomed.  I was busy with a project and missed most of the day's sights.  By late afternoon rain had begun.  During a lull, a male goldfinch sampled the seeds in the feeder.  Then we had a brief gully-washer.  

Towhee

We went to a picnic today and had lovely weather for it - sunny, breezy, low humidity, no bugs.  That last was observed by K.  There was lots of clover but only one honeybee.  We suspect the city sprayed the dickens out of the park.   When we got home, I noticed a new daylily had begun blooming.  There were still lots of orange daylilies.  A yellow crowned night heron chose a dock piling as a place to preen.  

Toward evening as I ate supper, a hummer visited the feeder.  Another rosebud started to open.  The butterfly milkweed buds opened but the mountain mint wasn't quite ready.  The topmost leaves turned pale but there weren't any flower heads yet.  As I was about to get up and put things away, a male towhee showed up.  He puttered and fidgeted all around the steps and under the feeder and around the birdbath.  He was fairly successful at finding seeds.  The seedpods on the money plant looked like gold coins in the evening light.  

It has been a wet year thus far.  For the first five months of 2024, we were 6" above average, about 34%. 

Dragonflies

Overnight rain dropped the temperature.  A blue jay came for rain-softened barkbutter balls.  I took advantage of the pleasant weather to do some yard puttering.  Tiny, bright orange wolf's milk slime mold Lycogala epidendrum popped out of the end of a landscape timber.  There were eleven flowers on the orange daylily.  A Carolina horse nettle was blooming.  Parsley flower heads looked like fireworks bursting.  The first gladiolus spears appeared.

I spotted a dragonfly on a clump of dead leaves floating in the pool.  It didn't move even when touched so I figured it was dead.  I think it might have had a damaged wing.  In the afternoon, I found it floating on the surface of the water so I hauled it out and discovered it was alive.  My best guess is that it was a harlequin darner Gomphaeschna furcillata.  A female blue dasher kept watch from a dried up daffodil.  Lots of wasps were busy around the yard.  I rescued a bumblebee and a couple of beetles.  The forktail damselfly was again perched on the pool coping in the late afternoon. 

A soaring bird might have been a Mississippi kite.  An egret flew downstream.  The male pileated woodpecker came by to see if there was suet.  But even though I put out fresh sugar water, I didn't see a hummer.  

Dragon and damsel

The female bluebird was back at the seed feeder.  Both sexes are more interested in seeds noe that we're adding a mix to the sunflower seeds.   The female pileated made a brief stop but didn't find any suet.  Blue jays found the barkbutter balls.  An orange daylily bloomed.   The hummer returned.  A grown up skink put its head out, saw me, and retreated. 

At last, today more Odonata appeared.  Male and female blue dashers used the bamboo perches.  As did a female common whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia).  A damselfly watched from the pool edge.  Maybe that's why I wasn't bothered by an in-your-face bloodsucker?  A small orange snout butterfly, an even smaller pale butterfly (probably an azure), and a black swallowtail explored the vegetation.  Wasps searched everywhere.  I rescued a ground crab spider Xysticus (sp) but I think I drowned a mother wolf spider with a ball of eggs.  

Yellow flowers

Yellow daylilies bloomed beside the yellow iris.  Yellow rosebuds poked above the yellow rue.  Even the parsley flowers looked yellow.  Unfortunately the rain beat the yellow coreopsis out of sight.  The pink evening primrose revived from the rain. Cabbage whites flitted around but I didn't see any other butterflies. 

The overnight rain overflowed the ant moat and the dish feeders.  Today's early bird was a female bluebird after seeds.  Then a brown thrasher arrived.  Pretty soon another joined it.  I assumed they were mates. When the rain stopped, I put a few barkbutter balls on the ground.  

A mockingbird eventually showed up and flashed at the barkbutter balls.  The male cardinal was a very determined lover, more successful on terra firma than the seed feeder perch.  Late in the day, I saw a brown headed nuthatch.