Dare I say sparkling?

Bright sun on the rain-washed leaves. The geese came up the hill only to encounter me and hustle right back down. I was reading the paper and noticed what looked like a piece of PVC pipe behind a bush - it was the lead goose's neck. The goslings are fully fledged with adult plumage but are still smaller.

The young rabbit passed through early. Mushrooms are fruiting in response to the rain then withering in the sun. After viewing a considerable number of Google images, I think they look like Parasola auricoma.

A buckeye butterfly appears to be nectaring on the rosemary.

I shouldn't have dared: thunder rumbled through the late afternoon and then rain came. The cloud was so directly overhead that from the north-facing windows all I could see was blue sky. I saw the juvie rabbit again as it scampered away from the storm.

Gentle rain so far

Good for plumping up the blueberries.

Rain continued all day, off and on and sometimes hard with lightning. I saw a mushroom ring in a neighbor's yard.

Washed fresh and sparkling

The clouds seem to be clearing off. The storm last evening lowered the temperature, though the humidity is still high. Good for the ripening blueberries. The grackles are feasting.

Many visitors this morning: the goldfinch pair, a dove, a male red-wing blackbird, a couple of wrens, and a dark bird bigger than the finches with no field marks that I can see. It sat on the feeder blocking the finches, chickadees and titmice. I wonder if it is a female r-w blackbird? The crow family were loudly demanding breakfast on the neighbors' roof. The young rabbit passed through.

The afternoon brought thunderheads but no rain. And here's an after dark visitor. I went to see what was knocking on the door. I believe it is some kind of longhorn beetle.

Still hot

I'm continuing to have computer problems which is why posts have been short.

A mockingbird came through yesterday and a blue jay just sat in the mulch for a while - cooler? Cardinals, house finches, chickadees and titmice at the feeder. The crow family hangs around in the trees. Lots of dragonfly species - a emerald green and black medium size (female Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis simplicicollis), a small rusty red (Eastern Amberwing Perithemis tenera), and a couple of large ones that go too fast to see clearly. The Pondhawk likes to perch on plants well away from the creek. The Amberwings hang out in the marsh grass - they're the ones I posted the other day mating. Today one shared a floating plank with a small blue crab.

The promised rain finally arrived with the evening and has cooled things down considerably. Perhaps that's why I can connect to the Internet now?

Overcast

A few drops of rain. The juvie cardinal continues to practice looking for food on the pavement. Chickadees and house finches continue to contend for a place at the feeder.

Hotter today

This morning the whole pot hanger was on the ground with the portulaca pots. The question is whether to put it back up at all.

The chaste tree is blooming. It grew from a ragged root I rescued when they bulldozed Saw Pen Point to put up the mansions.

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A beautiful, temperate day, except in computerland. A squirrel was doing acrobatics on the feeder in the morning. The finches have been chowing down all day. The other regular seed eaters could hardly get time on the perch. The finches have gotten pretty used to us on the patio and don't fly off any more.