Cherry pickers

A pair of Carolina wrens showed up at breakfast.  Because of the weather forecast and the evil fly I swam in the morning.  There were a good many May beetles needing rescue and one very small mama spider.  I glimpsed a butterfly but, surprisingly, no Odonata.  A skipper found the first flowers on the mountain mint.  An egret stalked along the bullkhead.  The crow came looking for treats.  

In the afternoon, birds feasted on the wild cherry.  I saw mockingbirds, chickadees, cardinals, and some I wasn't sure about, maybe an Eastern kingbird?  A bluebird looked around before joining the cherry pickers.  The recent rains plumped up the cherries which had been wizened and tough in the drought.  The blueberries seemed to be waiting for more encouragement.  Scientific American reported that there is a structure in plant cells that reacts to the sound of falling rain.  DEQ had not lifted the drought warning despite the recent rain. It still only accumulated to 2/3 of the average for the first half of the year.  Today's rain arrived around 3pm.  

Too much running around

Yesterday the money plant pods were fully dried and ready to disperse seeds.  A green pod appeared on the milkweed.  The sky was mostly cloudy.  I saw a young rabbit on my way home. Today, instead, I saw an egret perched on something sticking up out of Pretty Lake.  

At home, a Carolina wren visited the glass dish.  A mockingbird followed but the crow stuck to the easy pickings off the patio.  I rescued many beetles but left alone a yellow fly, a bit bigger than a housefly but the same shape.  The New England aster began to bloom and there were tiny pink buds on the beautyberry and the mountain mint.  I saw a skink but it hid behind foliage.  Wasps were busy.  

Goldfinch pair

The temperature dropped overnight and only rose into the low 70s during the day.  I stayed out of the water.  K put a fresh feeder out and a female hummer visited.  I poured some barkbutter balls on the ground for crows.  There were white flecks on one crow's right wing.  A crow took a bath but I don't know if it was the same one..  

A pair of goldfinches checked out the dishes but not the seeds.  Bluebirds, mockingbirds, and a blue jay came for barkbutter balls.  The tallest mountain mint stalks began to turn whitish.  

Delayed post

A male cardinal carried on at breakfast.  Bluebirds came in the late morning.  I saw a Carolina wren earlier but didn't get any pictures till mid afternoon.  Something turned some mountain mint leaves yellow and something snapped one of the hibiscus stalks..  The sky was overcast and the air sticky.  

An egret landed on the dock then changed its mind.  At least three brown headed nuthatches tried to get past a cardinal to the seeds.  A hoard of tiny black ants found the kitchen.  Then the Internet went out in the evening. 

Song sparrow

Bluebirds came early to get seeds.  A male oriole was at the jelly early.  Blue jays and a mockingbird preferred barkbutter balls.  A myrtle warbler had jelly on its mind.  A song sparrow bustled industriously around the patio with the white throats.  They did not get along well.  A female red belly got some barkbutter balls and some suet.  

Violets were blooming and I even found a few flowers on the rosemary.  I pulled up excess mountain mint.  The beard lichen on the bench back has spread.  I wish we had a better place for it to grow.  A cabbage white flitted around the yard till it was forced down by the wind.  The wind got so fierce that it drove me indoors despite the temperature being in the upper 70s.  Clouds moved in ad dark came early.

Fall colors

Early sunshine bounced off the bank and lit the water.  The beautyberry shed about half its leaves.   The hickory leaves were toasted crisp.  The mountain mint seed heads snagged the flying fluff from the saltbush which made them look frosted.  T thought I saw a brown bird land in the beautyberry but it was an oak leaf.  

Since I wasn't seeing anything but vegetation, I went up to the corner park.  Greenbrier and poison ivy were thick on the trees.  Virginia creeper and some of the poison ivy were very colorful.  Leaves that looked like grape mingled with the more hostile vines.  I saw no grapes but plenty of poison ivy berries.  A nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus, was growing on the dam. Mallows had left seedpods behind.  Duckweed floated on the lake, especially in sheltered spots.  Locust pods rattled in the breeze.  I heard but did not see a kingfisher.  

Gloomy day

Today was cooler under an overcast sky.  Red and yellow finches shared the feeder, briefly.  A Carolina wren investigated the seeds and caught a big bug.  Two squirrels chased each other and disturbed birds.  One squirrel actually managed to steal a few seeds from the feeder.  The other had a sweet tooth and tried the hummer feeder.  A pair of brown thrashers hunted in a rosebush. 

The mountain mint was lively with wasps and bees.  I saw a blue mud wasp but it didn't hang around to be photographed.   I did get two different kinds of black bee.  A slaty skimmer used the bamboo perch outside my window.  A hummer visited.  I got my swim time in the morning and we even ate lunch outside.  The aster had buds again.  A great blue heron perched on a dock post.  Not long after that, the rain began.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

Rain lilies

Goldfinches came back.  This year they have been less wary and also more interested in the seeds on offer.  There were birds up in the trees but the only one the camera caught was a chickadee. 

I missed the regular front yard lilies - they must have bloomed very quickly.  I was grateful that three rain lilies popped up where the dry creek bed meets the grass.  The gardenias were still blooming but nearly finished.  The crocosima flowers were well started and mixed with lantana. Two peppers were growing on last year's surviving plant.

And in the back yard, the blue aster had flowers.  An accidental sunflower tracked the sun.  Coral honeysuckle trumpets dangled off the fence, trying to lure hummingbirds.  Wasps and skippers had discovered the mountain mint.  Of course, cabbage whites flitted around.  Dragonflies were more purposeful.  A skimmer used the bamboo perch.  The orchard spider still lurked in the azaleas. 

Blue sky, hot sun

The goldfinches were up early.  The orchard spider rebuilt her web after the wind tore it yesterday.  At lunch time a Carolina wren hunted crumbs in the barkbutter dishes.  The mountain mint started to bloom.  A mockingbird came for supper but found the barkbutter balls were gone.  

Rough week

I tripped and made a mess of my leg.  And then there was an all-day conference.  Today was really the first day I was able to enjoy the outdoors.  I was fascinated yesterday by the orchard spider in the azalea outside the kitchen.  It doubled its size since I last noticed it.  It was hard to get a good angle on the critter.  Yesterday was also very windy and some bugs were blown against the windows.  

Today was breezy, warm and sunny, and just delightful outside.  The mountain mint was getting ready to bloom.  The gladiolus were competing with the roses for redness and the milkweed matched the daylilies for orange.There were yellow daylilies too.  And there were yellow goldfinches.  A male goldfinch and a male house finch got a little testy.  

Blue jays rejoiced that I refilled the barkbutter dishes.  One snatched a crop-full while I sat next to it.  A bluebird ate seeds.  A night heron flew over, changed its mind, and flew back.  A skink almost eluded me and a tiger swallowtail got completely away.  Bees and wasps were busy as always.  

Leap day

The sun was back and so was the female red bellied woodpecker.  A female oriole investigated the rather watery jelly.  Starlings hung around waiting for food to happen.  So did the feral cat.  The dog chased it away twice.  Doves foraged under the seed feeder and the cat pounced unsuccessfully.  A bluebird had seeds for lack of anything better.  (It was too cold to go outside with refills.)  A myrtle warbler ate jelly.  The mountain mint was all cut down, improving the view.  I spotted a white breasted nuthatch on the seed feeder.  A pine warbler got some suet. 

Cloudy and buggy

A Carolina wren came for breakfast.  Blue jays were fashionably late.  Bluebird fledglings wanted a share but were wary of the blue jays.  I didn't see the white breasted nuthatch till afternoon.  A house finch and a bluebird fledgling appeared to be anting on a high oak limb.  I couldn't see any ants that far away, but I could see the birds were holding their feathers apart. 

The clouds sometimes looked like froth or suds.  I was immersed in water except for my head when something bit me right under my ear.  Where I cut back the mountain mint, it put out new flowers and attracted more bees. 

Rain

Since Sunday's thunderstorm never happened, I picked more figs.  I did not find the missing spider, though the other Argiope by the bench was still present with a web full of noseeums. Nothing more interesting than crickets had fallen into the pool.  Well,except for the yellow ladybug with no spots which I think is an Asian species, Illeis koebelei, imported as a biological control.  

As I was dripping dry, a sulphur butterfly flew over the house.  When I looked closely,  it appeared that the tiny flowers on the mountain mint were getting scarce.  A skink slipped past the watering can.  The thunderstorm arrived around 6:30pm and made the dog anxious.  It probably put an end to fig picking.  Sunset gave the clouds a colorful rim. 

Green bee

A bluebird emptied the dish of mealworms.  Titmice were busy at the seed feeder.  The mountain mint was covered with honeybees.  A blue mud wasp and a great golden digger wasp joined the smaller wasps and larger bees but all together they were fewer than the honeybees.  

The pool was loaded with scarab beetles.  I saw skippers and a cabbage white butterfly, and I caught the green bee on camera.  Veils of thin cloud swept across the sky.  Dragonflies stayed at treetop level so all the camera could get was a tiny blur. 

Ouch!

Goldfinches came to check on the progress of their sunflower.   A mockingbird had suet.  (The barkbutter balls were rain mush.)  I saw a brown thrasher while I was swimming.  A Carolina wren shared suet with a downy woodpecker.  The woodpecker wasn't a gracious host but the wren didn't care. 

Skippers and other butterflies found the mountain mint.  Bees and wasps went for both rue and mountain mint.  I wonder how they will flavor the honey?  Some of the wasps looked like great golden digger wasps but were too small to be called great.  Red ants dragged a deceased bumblebee across the patio.  They had some trouble when they got to the vegetation.

When I was clearing tree debris from the water, I picked up a handful of pine needles and pecan catkins and got stung.  I didn't see the culprit, but I suspect it was a really small wasp or bee. The cool water eventually soothed the sting.  Two kinds of scarab beetle seem to fall into the water constantly.  One kind are what I call May beetles, and I think the other are shining leaf chafers, though they don't look particularly shiny to me. 

While I was in the pool, the clouds thickened and looked more threatening. It was a god thing that I picked blueberries before swimming.  The rain started shortly after I came inside and continued in waves into the evening. 

Not sunny

A mockingbird was first at the suet.  Then a white breasted nuthatch wanted some.  A cabbage white flirted with the mountain mint but a tiger swallowtail flew past without pausing.  There were a few tiny flowers on the mountain mint.  The rue was more appealing to bees and wasps.  A ladybird beetle hunted small prey.  The sunflower drew bees. 

In the afternoon, the scientists came to monitor the freshly planted spartina.  It was supposed to be all day sunshine, but the sky was mostly threatening clouds. Bluebirds found the barkbutter balls.  A hummer located the refreshed feeder but I was too close.  Leatherwing beetles migrated from the parsley to the mountain mint.  The bullfrog was back, enjoying the pool.  

Big frog

Finally a warm, sunny day, though still breezy.  I was late restocking the dishes.  And the suet was almost gone too.  Blue jays noticed that the barkbutter balls had reappeared.  Mockingbirds wanted suet.  Bluebirds didn't care as long as it was food.  

When I got in the pool, I went to empty the skimmer.  It was packed full of leaves and very heavy.  When I started to shake out the leaves, it came to life and startled me into dropping it.  A furious frog climbed out and shot over my head into the water.   Eventually I located the frog on the bottom of the pool but the camera only saw a blur.  Later it surfaced and I confirmed it was a bullfrog. 

Both the butterfly milkweed and the mountain mint were close to blooming.  Some wasps appeared to be waiting for the flowers.  

Three species of woodpecker came to work on the worn down nubbin of suet: downy, pileated, and red bellied.  The red bellied woodpecker was a male that had no visible red on his belly.  A Carolina wren wrestled a barkbutter ball into submission.  A molting male cardinal tried to make off with the wren's dinner.  

Geese with two half grown goslings paddled downstream. Something dark flew downstream but all I got was an indistinguishable blur.  Then an egret flew upstream and I had better luck.  Something made rings and ripples in the surface of the creek without ever showing itself.