Mirror-bright creek

Beautiful reflections in the sunlight. Hours at the Suffolk peanut Fest and all I saw was one butterfly.

Back home, a potter wasp was drinking goldenrod nectar. The salt bush is covered in white, I think they are blooms, but may be seeds.

Cloudless and calm

Still no sign of the argiope though other spiders seem fine. It has gotten warm, but breezy. The goldenrod is in full bloom.

I don't think this is going to be a colorful fall. The dogwood leaves are edged in brown. I am reminded of Poe's Ulalume, "The leaves they were crisped and sere." I wonder if Poe ever visited the Dismal Swamp?

Missing spider

It disappeared some time yesterday before 9pm leaving a perfect, untouched web. Even odder, the two spiders I think are males are still around and still alive. It is cloudless and warmer today. Nevertheless, the pool is now closed.

Chill

Definitely not summer any more. The hibiscus is still blooming, as is the rose. Lots of red.

As I sat outside chilling in the wind, cardinals, chickadees, and a titmouse came to the feeder. Bumblebees are still busy with the rosemary. The blue morning glory has died back, possibly from the rust on the leaves, but the red morning glories are still blooming.

The pool is still open and various wildlife are falling into it. In bright sun, their shadows are fantastic. Despite being able to walk on water, this spider keeps trying to get out. A beetle was swimming and creating amazingly large ripples for its size. A caterpillar was swimming by bending into a ring and then straightening.

The wind has shifted around to the Northwest. Strange weather when North Dakota is warmer than South Carolina.

Back home

The cloud cover parted over the bay, but the skies around are full of drama. Cumulus are streaming out of the West, just as I did. It is definitely cooler than before, though warmer than Chicago. At 5pm it looked like rain any minute, but by 7pm the first quarter moon was shining in a clear sky.

The spider is still with us.

Henri Fabre's insects

I indulged myself by buying a used copy of The Children of Summer, Margaret J. Anderson's adaptation for children of Fabre's research. The book is now out of print. It's title is a metaphor for insects.

What made Fabre exceptional was that he observed the living insects and wrote about behavior rather than simply classification. He is part of the inspiration for this blog.

The last time we were in France, I tried to visit the Musée Harmas Jean-Henri Fabre in Provence, but it was closed for renovations so I'll probably never have another chance.

Dramatic dawn

Heavy clouds are still blowing through SW to NE, making dawn more colorful than usual. The yard doesn't have a good view to the East because of trees. The way the creek angles makes sunsets more visible. A cardinal was up early. It is quite a bit cooler - no more swimming I suspect.