Hibiscus blossom

I forgot to make an entry yesterday but it wasn't a dull day.  The male goldfinch seemed to be getting a drink every time I looked.  I camera-chased a tiger swallowtail.  Also I've been noticing wild cherry leaves carefully sculpted by caterpillars to hide that they've been partly eaten.  A spider was rafting on a sculpted leaf so I brought it to land.  It spun a bit of web then launched itself up into the dogwood, at least six feet up and away.  I thought it was one of the heptagonal orbweavers, but it was more brown with a butterfly shape marked in beige.  Turns out it is a butterfly orbweaver Araneus pegnia.  I also got pictures of the floating pine needles making occult symbols in the breeze.  A buzzard flew over and a hummer visited the fresh feeder.  

The morning looked nice but I had a meeting.  I think this may be the latest in the year that the hibiscus has bloomed.  There was a hummer and a goldfinch.  In the afternoon, I waited for some shade but almost waited too long and got sprinkled upon.  A cicada was submerged on the top step so I fished it out. Later I carried it up the steps for a photo and it began to revive!  iNaturalist identified it as a Northern dusk-singing cicada Megatibicen grossus.  

A frog in the skimmer seemed dead so I disposed of it.  Another in the pool was bigger and fairly lively, but I caught it. A determined mosquito bit me on my face since that was all it could reach.  I did my best to drown it.  I saw a monarch and a little skink as I dripped off.  I couldn't find any monarch caterpillars but the parsley plant I bought had a first instar black swallowtail caterpillar.  There were flashes of sunshine between the thunderheads while I was outside, but thunder and real rain began before 6pm.  It cleared after about half an hour.  

 

Accident

A storm overnight brought down leaves and needles but little rain.  The pool skimmer was packed with needles.  When I had removed most of them, I lifted out the basket and a frog jumped out and into the pipe leading to the pool filter.  I left the basket out in the hope it could swim back, but it didn't reappear.  Eventually I gave up and put the basket back in place.  I did catch another frog later and I rescued a heptagonal orbweaver.  And I think I must have fed several mosquitoes.  Earlier, a dragonfly hunted from a garden stake.  A dark butterfly passed by.  While I was dripping off, a very small skink with a very long tail ventured out, but I didn't have the camera.  Today was just as gloomy as yesterday and I didn't want to risk rain on the camera. The thirsty goldfinch was back.  

 

Warmer

The day got warmer than predicted and stayed humid.  Cloudy periods alternated with burning sunlight.   A heptagonal orbweaver spider with red legs and a yellow abdomen tried to take possession of the door and another dangled over the pool steps.  I found two grown skinks basking, one by the pool steps and the other by the deep end.  The skink by the steps disappeared into a crack but later it emerged and ran across the concrete with its head held high.  Two frogs were hiding in the skimmer but I chased them down.  

I found another praying mantis castoff exoskeleton afloat.  There were mosquitoes, but nothing worse.  A blue dasher was standing watch when I came outside and a bigger dragonfly glittered in the sunlight when I got out of the water but I never got a good look at it.  A third skink wanted something behind my chair but didn't stay there long.  I saw a weevil sitting on a chair arm.  A titmouse watched from the dogwood.  As we ate supper, there was a flash and a loud crack of thunder, then nothing.  Sometime later a light rain began.   

De gustibus non est disputandum

I caught two frogs this morning but neither offered to eat the mosquito that was bugging me.  I also, gingerly, fished out some small wasps.  Something has been eating green dogwood berries and dropping bits around the skimmer.  As I came dripping up the steps, I saw a small monarch caterpillar on the butterfly milkweed.  Looking closer, I found three more.  They seemed to prefer eating flowers instead of leaves.  I suppose that could be because their mouths are still small and the petals are thinner.  Or, maybe there is some advantage to stopping the milkweed from blooming?  

A robber fly lurked on the railing.  The Argiope was missing again.  K refilled the seed feeder, changed the ant moat water, and took down the suet cage.  We could hang a second hummer feeder but that has to be changed a lot more often than suet and I'm no longer surefooted enough. 

 

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.  

 

First frog

The sun was back and the North wind blew fluffy clouds across a blue sky.  Naturally that kept the temperature lower.  Despite all the recent rain, July was still below average and the year five inches below - 21" to 26".  Two hummers were attracted to the hibiscus blossom and the feeder, so one chased the other and neither fed.  Squirrel hanky-panky shook the cherry tree.  I saw a tiger swallowtail and a blue dasher and, of course, bees and wasps.  A great blue heron sat on a piling and a gull flew past.  Magnified by its shadow, a tiny skink crossed the wall of the house.  

The Argiope was still in the azalea and getting to look more adult.  Later when there was some shade, I worked on cleaning the tree scraps out of the water, There were lots of beetles, ants, a drowned stinkbug, and I rescued a small wasp.  Mosquitoes were annoying.  I saw something larger floating in the deep end and thought at first it might be a big moth on its back.  Instead, it was a small frog, right side up and arms spread wide.  It was fairly naive and I had no trouble evicting it.  I'd have liked to have kept it around to eat mosquitoes but I worried that the pool chemicals would poison it.  

Afterward, as I dripped and watched the bees and a skipper in the milkweed, a hummer joined them.  She also sampled the mountain mint.  Alas, she was far too close for the camera to focus.  When she flew off, I turned around and surprised another skink that darted under the azalea.  A fledgling cardinal lurked in the dogwood.  

Shower

I got caught in a downpour while returning from a meeting and it followed me home.  As a result, I was late swimming.  There were more May beetles, a green stink bug nymph, and a greenhouse millipede.  And mosquitoes, of course.  The usual insects fed on the mountain mint and milkweed.  The spiders were in about the same spots.  I was frustrated by a common whitetail dragonfly that refused to let me get any pictures.  I got flashes of the black patches on its wings but mostly identified it by behavior.  There aren't many dragonflies that perch on the ground.  

 

Humid

Light rain fell in the morning and the temperature was moderate.  I glimpsed a goldfinch but bigger birds scared it off.  At lunch, K fed the mother and child crows.  A brown thrasher was interested in the leftovers as well as what fell from the seed feeder.  A brown headed nuthatch sneaked around bigger birds to get seeds.  A molting titmouse was more easily intimidated.  

Mist collected on the orchard spider's web. I waited to swim till mid afternoon when surfaces were drier.  The usual beetles were swimming too including a green June beetle.  A duskywing fed on the mountain mint alongside bees and wasps.  They were joined by a gray hairstreak.  The sun began to find loopholes in the cloudcover but mosquitoes were beginning to fine me.  

Pileated females

A Carolina wren greeted sunshine under a hazy sky.  A nervous cardinal grabbed a seed but son the dominant male chased him off.  The dominant pair then kissed beaks.  A house finch landed on the hummer feeder for no good reason.  Another squirrel misjudged its jump and fell, this time out of the redwood so at least thirty feet, but I didn't see a corpse.  A crow felt the need of another bath.  

I saw a tiger swallowtail and the little butterfly I guessed was an azure.  Four spiders needed to be evicted from the skimmer.  I also removed a couple of scarabs from the water.  A mosquito (or something with an interest in my blood) was annoying till I managed to splash it.  As I dripped afterward, a female squirrel - the one with the odd patch of pale fur - came close  in order to forage under the feeder.  A brown thrasher was more cautious.  

Two apparently female pileated woodpeckers landed.  One ate suet while the other sat on the roof and watched.  I guessed the one of the roof was a fledgling, no longer being fed by mama.  Sunset turned rose and purple but I didn't bestir myself for any pictures.  

 

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.  

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.  

Last summery day

I got a new angle on the orchard spider and it looked quite different in bright sun.   The swallowtail chrysalis was very brown.  Today was even warmer than yesterday so I got one last swim. I rescued two mama spiders that ran off with their spiderlings and an Asian horntail, but I don't know if it revived,  The mosquitoes were thick - they must have read the weather prediction.  Clouds were building up when I went back inside.  

End of summer

At breakfast, I glimpsed a snowy egret on the bulkhead and got just one photo before it flew.  A monarch was duped by the bright red of the dogwood berries, but found no nectar.  A red spotted purple found a resting spot under an azalea branch.  Now there are three sacks of spider eggs and three chrysalises to monitor.  A bluebottle fly was sitting on my chair, all gorgeous metallic teal on an absolutely icky body.  

The orchard spider was in the same spot, as were the Argiopes.  Rather than venusta, it better fit mabel orchard orbweaver, Leucauge argyrobapta.  Something had taken down the big org web across the pool.  A red-banded leafhopper sat on one of the moonflower leaves.  Passing cclouds and a Northeast wind muted the sun's warmth. The water was not warm and the wind was chilly but worse were the mosquitoes.  Not a dragonfly was to be found.  

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.  

Mosquitoey

Before my morning meeting, a little green heron was sitting on the dock.  Lots of leaves blew into the water and made Rorschach images.  I visited the Berkley's Polypore and got thoroughly bitten by mosquitoes.  The chrysalis was showing some wing color - fingers crossed that I'm there when it emerges.  I found only one black swallowtail caterpillar and no monarchs.  A monarch butterfly flew past the butterfly milkweed without a glance.  The remaining Argiope seemed fine.  A large silvery feather poked into the ground.  

 

Hot again

I had meetings and didn't get outside till late.  There was noting in the water but leaves.  A persistent mosquito annoyed me despite the lack of rain.   I couldn't find the caterpillars or two of the spiders.  The one that was behind the bench moved back to the rose bush where I first saw it.  A red spotted purple flitted through the yard and kept going.  A crow carried on in the top of the oak.  I got a view of the chrysalis from the other side.  

Pleasant

The weather seemed to have a theme for late August, post Erin.  The days have been sunny, breezy, and mellow 80s.  As usual, a Carolina wren and a house finch were the first visitors of the day.  Small, shredded cumulus clouds drifted out to sea.  Erin did not blow the hummers away, not even the male.  I got many pictures of his gilded gorgeousness today.  

Birds nibbled unenthusiastically on the shriveled wild cherries. A blue dasher obelisked on a perch but soon gave up.  I don't know why because there certainly were mosquitoes.  There were butterflies but they were unwilling to be identified.  I am still wondering what ate the leaves off one branch of the beautyberry.  I don't mind the leaf loss, I just want to know that king of butterfly or moth to expect.  The "authorities" all say beautyberry has no insect pests which is not helpful.  

While swimming, I rescued a black bee and a weary skink.  I thought I saw a frog but, if so, it disappeared.  Another blue-tailed skink crept down the steps.  The lobes of the fungus make it look a bit like an unfolding flower.  The largest black swallowtail caterpillar looked like it was thinking of pupating.  The largest Argiope caught its dinner while we ate ours.  They are so still most of the time that it is startling how quickly they move to secure prey.  A young cardinal foraged around the birdbath.  

 

Caterpillar!

The sky was still overcast and the wind from the Northeast, though not as strong..  Titmice were feeling surprisingly bold.  Bluebirds were hungry but wary.  A crow walked around the patio.  After I swam, I decided to pick figs.  The Argiope was gone and mosquitoes and bees were thick, but I picked plenty of ripe figs.  I also found a tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, busily devouring ground cherry leaves.  BugGuide has a side-by-side comparison with the tomato hornworm that was very helpful.  

Perhaps influenced by that Northeast wind, some cherry leaves started to show fall colors.  A skink looked for a warm spot but decided hiding was a better idea.  Bluebirds returned in the afternoon.  A male hummer visited the feeder till a titmouse spooked it.  I saw brown headed nuthatches but only got pictures of a white breasted nuthatch.  

 

Gloomy

The day was sunless and windless and the humidity encouraged mosquitoes.  A widow skimmer was on duty along with the spiders.  A monarch flitted around at lunch.  I rescued a rafting green June beetle, aka a fig beetle.  A green leafhopper, Siphanta acuta, came along with it.  Also I fished a mama spider and her little ones out of the skimmer.  

Geese made a big commotion on the creek.  A great blue heron preened on the dock.  The pileated pair visited the suet, one at a time.  Brown headed nuthatches queued up for seeds.  Bluebirds and blue jays came for barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren made the rounds of the feeders.  I glimpsed a hummer.   

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.