Dragonflies

I was gone in the morning.  At lunch, a male widow skimmer used one of the bamboo stake perches.  Then I had an afternoon meeting so my swim was late.  More beetles, including a weevil, to rescue but not much else.  After I got out, I saw one or more dragonflies hunting over the pool. It (or they) zipped erratically at about dogwood height, apparently seeing lots of prey, but I never saw a dragonfly land.  I just had an impression of a pale tan body with no markings.  The sky had clouded over so the light level wasn't very high.  

I went outside hoping to get a picture of the dragonfly, but no luck.  Instead, a hummingbird visited the milkweed, then came and gave me a thorough examination, and moved on to the feeder.  I didn't see what happened next as I was staying still in the hope of not spooking it.  There were honeybees and leaf-cutter bees on the mountain mint.  At supper time, a male goldfinch visited. 

 

Hottest 4th

A Carolina wren visited before it got too hot.  It hopped, rather than flying, from the lower dish to the upper.  An venusta orchard orbweaver spider constructed an intricate web over the azalea next to the window.  That should work excellently after dark with a light in the kitchen.  For identification, on the Internet I found lots of pictures of the spider but none of the web.

Because of the predicted heat, I went swimming earlier than on previous days.  I fished out two crane flies but only one recovered.  Also, one of the water-walking spiders, but this one had no babies.  Many more May beetles (southern masked chafer Cyclocephala lurida) plus some black ground beetles, a yellow jacket alive and a honeybee dead.  An interesting moth, possibly a tulip-tree beauty Epimecis hortaria secreted itself just below the coping where it was safe from anything not in the water.  Wasps were active but the only other insect I saw was a tiger swallowtail.  

The outdoor thermometer showed 104 at 4pm.  The sky was hazy with thicker patches so the sun was intermittent.  I had changed the hummer feeder in the morning and I thought I glimpsed a hummer, but I'm not sure.  A mockingbird flew into the cherry tree.  A squirrel found K's peanuts but took the last one into the shade to eat.  

Hazy

The white throats were still with us, packing on the calories for the trip North.   Bluebirds visited the glass dish.  The mockingbird pair were hungry too.  Of course, blue jays came as soon as the dish was refilled.  A Carolina wren popped in for a barkbutter snack.  

I saw a honeybee in an azalea flower.  A few other bees and wasps checked out the flowers as well.  The day was windy so the temperature in the low 80s didn't feel hot.  

 

Warm but gusty

A great egret rested on the neighbors' floating dock.  I wanted to photograph the insects that visited the yellow rose but the wind kept bouncing it. There was a spotted cucumber beetle   Diabrotica undecimpunctata, a honeybee, and a leafhopper.  A brown skipper landed on a gladiolus leaf.  Blurry, see-through clouds lined up in rows and later became cirrus brushstrokes.  Indoors, a little bumblebee bumbled around the bathroom.  I tried to swat a mosquito in the shower.  

Mystery bird

The drizzle continued in the morning but about 11am we began to dry out.  A Carolina wren ate suet.  I only located one of the spiders but all five monarch caterpillars were chomping away.  One black swallowtail caterpillar was still eating rue and the chrysalis was still there.  Despite the chill, I got in the pool and worked on all the leaves and needles that had blown in.  In the course of that, I rescued two honeybees, a scarab beetle, and what I think was a ladybug larva.  A hopeful mosquito got up in my face and a red spotted purple landed near me.  

A small dark bird feasted on beautyberries.  The light was poor and it was shaded and obscured by leaves but my overall impression was black and white.  Nothing in the field guides matched.  I had hoped the cold Northeast wind would at least bring some migrants and it may have been one.  As I headed back inside, I saw a southern purple mint moth.  

Fig patch

Fearing rain, I went picking figs in the morning.  I didn't take the camera.  Clearly we missed at least a week of ripe figs because there were splatted ones all over the ground and fuzzy, moldy ones hanging from the twigs.  I saw honeybees and yellow jackets feasting, but not many other wasps.  A well-fed Argiope had built a web right in the middle.  I had sprayed myself with bug repellent but neglected my arms and got three mosquito bites.  But mainly I got very hot and plunged directly into the water.  Nothing interesting was afloat today but dragonflies were on patrol.  A tiger swallowtail and a black swallowtail fed on the butterfly milkweed.  

The wren was back at the suet.  There was a queue for barkbutter balls that included a white breasted nuthatch and a bluebird.  Interesting clouds occasionally hinted at rain.  Skinks found urgent business across the patio.  

Rain

Another hibiscus flower opened.  A male goldfinch came for seeds but he was very anxious and twitchy.  I hustled outside early because of the rain prediction.  That proved fortunate for a bumblebee and a mama wolf spider.  A green planthopper, maybe Acanalonia conica, occupied a twig I use for fishing spiders out of the pool skimmer.  Afterward, I spent some time drip-drying and watching the show on the mountain mint.  Clouds blew our of the South, passing in front of the sun so I didn't have to keep to the shade.  

I saw honeybees, black Megachile bees, scoliid wasps, threadwaisted wasps, potter wasps, and the big wasp I thought was a horse guard but am informed is a Feather-legged Scoliid Wasp Dielis plumipes.  A hummer rushed through the yard, taking a sniff at various plants but ignoring the feeder.  A brown headed nuthatch decided I was harmless.  I could only find one of the two Argiope spiders in the mountain mint.  A widow skimmer was back on the short perch by the yellow rose.  The rain began after lunch and fell gently all afternoon.  At first, a Carolina wren ignored the rain and ate suet.  The window got wet and I quit watching.  

Elusive butterflies

It was another scorcher so I swam in the morning.  Floating in the water were a queen ant,  a robber fly, a firefly, a woodlouse hunter spider, a largus bug, and many more ants, flies, little wasps, and mulch roaches.  I thought the spider was a goner but when I next checked it had disappeared.  I complained because there weren't any butterflies or dragonflies, but they appeared in the afternoon.  I think I captured a wasp killing another insect, but it might have been mating.  

A blue jay came for barkbutter balls and brown headed nuthatches for seeds.  The sakaki was nearly finished blooming.  A great crested flycatcher made a commotion chasing something through the oak leaves.  A skink wanted to get behind my chair and made a detour through the grass.  A female downy had a go at the suet.  A pair of geese with three half-grown goslings paddled upstream while a fish jumped in the background. 

A tiger swallowtail and a dark butterfly proved impossible to photograph.  Wasps and bees were more cooperative.  A very dark skipper visited the mountain mint.  I could see insects going to the asters but I couldn't tell what they were.  One might have been a Southern purple mint moth and another some kind of beetle.  Prince baskettail dragonflies patrolled the hazy sky.  A different dragonfly perched on a dead twig at the top of the wild cherry.  And a Needham's skimmer used one of the perches.  

Chill wind

Despite the rain, the hibiscus surprised us with another flower.  A hummer sought breakfast during a lull.  The Argiope weathered the storm.  Brown headed nuthatches couldn't wait either.  In the afternoon, the wind flipped around to the North and cleared the sky, but lowered the temperature.  I cleaned tree trash out of the pool and evicted one frog.  It seemed tired and didn't really lead me on much of a chase.  

A honeybee was busy with the mountain mint.  As I dripped and shivered in the wind, I noticed lots of long-legged flies on the mountain mint, some red, some green.   Then a fiery skipper landed and a Southern purple mint moth flitted among the mountain mint stalks.  A white breasted nuthatch persisted until it got its seed.  A tree on the far side of the dam turned gold.  It looked to me more like the tree was dying than coloring for Fall.  The cormorants made their nightly commute.  

Rain at last

The chrysalis I had accidentally pruned eclosed today.  So did another in the mountain mint.  I found tiny ants carting off fragments of what I hope was a third and not either of the two I watched.  Maybe I pruned another and didn't notice?  I was sad the butterfly didn't make it but intrigued that the ants carved up even the wings to carry off. 

The chipping sparrow came back.  It was definitely a juvenile.  (Unless it was a song sparrow that was missing its chest spot?)  A great blue heron flew up into a pine behind the oak and hackberry.  I couldn't see it there but I could hear it grumbling.  Nuthatches visited the feeder and mckingbirds came for a drink, but I didn't see many birds beside the sparrow.  Of course, I didn't put out any barkbutter balls because I expected rain. 

Clouds gathered and dissipated and the temperature reached 90°.   I swam in the morning fearing an afternoon thunderstorm.  There were two frogs to entertain me.  And I extracted that stupid caterpillar from the skimmer again.  I didn't wait around to see if it revived again.  I also fished out a honeybee. 

A tiger, two black and, I think, a palamedes swallowtail all flew past.  So did a cloudless sulphur and a sleepy orange and some smaller lepidoptera I couldn't identify except for a fiery skipper.  The overexposed and blurred photo I got of the Palamedes might have been a giant swallowtail.  No dragonflies, however, and only a few wasps and the Argiope were around as predators.  

After 6pm the light got very low.  Finally rain fell for about half an hour.  Then the sky lightened and the rain slackened but didn't stop. 

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.  

 

Hot

Goldfinches started the day with cuteness.  A Carolina wren added a few notes.  There was some competition for seeds as the female cardinal was in a mood.  A pine warbler put in an appearance that looked very much like the female goldfinch.  Fortunately their beaks are quite different.  I pulled up a lot of cinquefoil that was creeping onto the patio. 

I had a leisurely morning swim, saved some beetles, and evicted some spiders.  While I was dripping off, the mountain mint's fan club entertained.  I saw more bumblebees today.  The usual wasps and skipper were feeding.   A squirrel bopped up the steps then caught sight of me and crept quietly away.  A black swallowtail egged what remained of the rue.  About two thirds of the rue died after blooming. 

Small clouds flowed from the West and the thermometer showed 100° again.  I saw high-flying dragonflies and some kind of raptor.  A four-spotted pennant perched at the top of the oak and was only visible when a gust of wind parted the leaves.  I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't been trying to photograph the raptor.  The predicted rain did not fall.  Maybe it will come overnight? Clouds turned orange at sunset. 

Still cool

Morning was overcast.  The black-and-white cat lurked under the feeder but neither birds nor squirrel showed up.  After the cat gave up the goldfinch pair visited.  The clouds began to break apart before lunch but there was little sunshine.  

I went out looking for spiders.  The orchard spider had disappeared but I found the fingerprint web of the baby Argiope.  The spider's stripes blended perfectly with the lines in the web.  A southern purple mint moth landed on the watering can.  Very pretty, but they are rough on herbs.  A great golden digger wasp fussed with the mountain mint.  Honeybees were more methodical.  Other bees and wasps filled up on mountain mint nectar.  

There were still plenty of clouds in the afternoon but more sunshine and that made the temperature rise into the 80s.  The hummer came back to the gladiolus, so they must provide some nourishment.  Soon she was off to the mountain mint and hidden from me.  After supper, the male goldfinch made a brief stop but didn't eat.  

Clearing the air

I didn't even look out a window Friday or Saturday.  Sunday, there were pigeons in Union Station.  The train home passed lines of thunderstorms till one let go overhead.  We passed out of it but it seemed to be following.  Sunset looked more alien than pretty.  When we finally pulled in, lightning was flashing in the south and the air felt sodden.  The storms pushed the temperature down from triple digits.  

It was still raining this morning but the sun was out before lunch.  The rain was welcome as was the cooler air.  Goldfinches ignored the rain which had bowed the sunflower all the way over.  When the rain stopped a bluebird appeared. 

The afternoon got quite windy but insects flew anyway.  The mountain mint was vibrating with honeybees, bumblebees, wasps and other bees.  I saw a sand wasp and a great golden digger wasp.  A tiger swallowtail nectared on the aster.  A monarch swooped around the flowers but didn't land and ignored the milkweed.  Flies too were attracted to the mountain mint as was a skipper.  A saddlebags dragonfly was strong enough to hover in spite of the wind gusts.  

The wind cleared the sky and battered the hibiscus flowers.  The goldfinches came back for supper and found fresh seeds.  I also saw a blue jay and, I think, a white breasted nuthatch.  Lots of titmice and chickadees that came for seeds were frustrated by the goldfinches.  

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%. 

Two frogs

A Carolina wren was up for breakfast.  The male fledgling cardinal foraged beneath.  His beak was beginning to turn orange.  The molting blue jay got some breakfast too.  Blue morning glories bloomed all over.  

Passing clouds kept the sun bearable while I swam.  An unfortunate skink required disposal.  Not one, but two, green frogs played hide and seek with me.  I caught both but one just hopped right back in.  Last I saw, it was perched on a stick.  Wasps and honeybees, a black swallowtail and a sulphur were the only insects I saw.  Oh, I rescued a cricket.  Hummers were around but not cooperating.  I did get glimpses of live skinks too.  

Green heron

We got up late.  Fledgling cardinals begged and their mother fed them so this must be a new batch.  There appeared to be a boy and a girl.  A Carolina wren ate mealworms because the barkbutter balls had all been eaten.  The bird gave me a dirty look so I put out more later.

The hummers continued to battle oblivious to the benefits of sharing.  Honeybees and wasps were back at the mountain mint. Today's rescues were a mama spider and a skink.  The frog was in the skimmer basket till I rapped on it to loosen the leaves.  It leaped out and dove into the water. Later I caught up with it at the ladder and it hopped out before I could give it a nudge.  Maybe it's getting the point?

In the afternoon, a little green heron preened on a dock piling.  It seemed to have some itchy spots.  One big turtle occupied the lake log.  

Frog and skink

At breakfast, two wrens shared crumbs, embarrassing me into refilling the dish feeders.  Two yellow roses bloomed this week.  Wasps and honeybees worked on the mountain mint.  I think one wasp was after caterpillars, not nectar.  Meanwhile, a black swallowtail was doing its best to make more caterpillars.  

I finally got back in the water which was fortunate for a skink I found clinging to the wall of the skimmer.  It didn't move much and I checked a couple of times for a heartbeat, but finally it disappeared when I wasn't looking.  I also harassed the green frog with a slow pursuit around the pool.  I didn't try to actually catch it and I wonder if it was playing too.  

The sky was hazy blue until wispy clouds appeared in the evening.  A swallow flew over and was gone before I could think of moving the camera.  a dragonfly hunted at treetop level.  Cicadas provided accompaniment.  

Towhee

Today's early bird was a mockingbird.  Morning glories bloomed profusely, maybe in response to the cooler temperature.  But there was a hibiscus blossom as well.  The air was very crisp and clear, thanks to the Northeast wind caused by Idalia spinning out at sea.  The bald blue jay came back.  A second mockingbird arrived and didn't want to wait for the blue jay.  

A new visitor foraged in the mulch - a fledgling towhee.  Towhees became scarce here in recent years.  I blame the feral cats.  Bluebirds fed on the remains of the barkbutter balls, mostly dust.  A female goldfinch went to the seed feeder.  The boss hummer watched from the wild cherry.  A Carolina wren hunted for fallen mealworms.  One of the fledgling cardinals took over the mulch from the towhee.  

It was a good day for butterflies.  I saw skippers, a snout, a summer azure, a tiger swallowtail, and a very cooperative buckeye. Honeybees competed with the buckeye for mountain mint nectar.   A skinklet roamed the patio and I fished two more out of the pool.  I evicted a green frog and it hopped right back in.  I very carefully rescued a thread-waisted wasp that flew off immediately.  Late in the day, I thought I spotted a cruising twelve spotted skimmer, but it was just a glimpse. 

Gulls and cormorants flew overhead,  An egret flew up to our shoreline and later downstream.  There was a lot of activity in the tree canopy but the only bird I caught was a red bellied woodpecker, a female I think.  A pine warbler dined on mealworms.  I saw both a white breasted and a brown headed nuthatch coming for sunflower seeds.  

Humid

At breakfast, the windows were fogged which was strange because the temperature was the same inside and out.  I guess the air was so humid that it wet every surface.  As the outside temperature rose, the glass cleared.  The young cardinal photo-bombed a picture of a Carolina wren.  Wet-looking clouds passed over but no more rain fell.

In the afternoon, I covered myself in bug repellent which may have worked because all I encountered was a mosquito attracted to my face.   A blue dasher dragonfly watched from a high twig on the wild cherry and later a slaty skimmer used one of my perches.  Bees and wasps and one cabbage white bustled around the mountain mint.  A few honeybees came back.  A black swallowtail passed through without showing interest in parsley or rue, so I figure it was a male.  Ants crisscrossed the patio but one seemed to move oddly.  Sure enough it was a spider, a small woodlouse hunter. 

A couple of white breasted nuthatches took turns at the seed feeder, in between finches and cardinals.  Hummers visited the fresh juice.  The balding blue jay ventured to eat mealworms while I sat outside dripping.  Another watched longingly from the dogwood.  A female goldfinch checked the sunflower for any forgotten seeds. 

I saw several skinklets hustling across the patio.  Why do they think they need be over there and then a few minutes later over here instead?  I was surprised in the evening to see two fireflies blinking under the maple.  It seemed very late in the season for them.