Waiting for rain

The day was mostly overcast with a few times of sunshine.  A hummer was hungry in the early morning.  A downy came for seeds, along with chickadees and titmice.  Goldfinches were back.  

Expecting rain, I swam in the morning and encountered the usual beetles and spiders.  A big mama wolf spider in the skimmer was carrying a load of babies.  After my swim, I saw a duskywing skipper and a summer azure on the mountain mint.  A tiger swallowtail flitted across the yard.  Lots of scoliid, threadwaisted, and great golden digger wasps feasted on the mountain mint.  Bumblebees, carpenter bees, and black bees competed with the honeybees.  Even flies sipped nectar.  I located the two young Argiope spiders.  One of them caught lunch.  A couple of dragonflies dueled in the air. 

The rain still hadn't fallen in the afternoon.  While I sat outside, birds acted like I was a grave threat instead of the one feeding them.  Goldfinches flew up then swooped away.  A hummer also flew off when I moved.  So I went inside and that was the signal the nuthatches had been awaiting - both white breasted and brown headed.  There was some drama when a male house finch let a female goldfinch share the seed feeder but chased off her mate.  I heard blue jays gut only saw them flying away from the oak.  A heavy dark cloud with a sharp boundary occupied the evening sky, but still no rain fell.  

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. 

Triple digits

Titmice  and Carolina wrens got up early to beat the heat.  The goldfinch pair came along shortly after.  A hummer gulped down sugar water.  I swam in the morning while there was shade.  Spiders were everywhere around the pool.  So were brown June beetles. 

At lunch time a flock of crows gathered.  I saw 102° on the outside thermometer.  The mountain mint was crowded with the usual wasps and bees and skippers.  A female widow skimmer used the bamboo perch.  In the late afternoon I saw a dark dragonfly in the shade.  It may have been a slaty skimmer.  A duskywing joined the mountain mint diners. 

The goldfinches returned in the afternoon.  I checked on my Argiope spiders but only saw one..  Their webs were fresh and beginning to look more traditional.  Fiery skippers visited the mountain mint.  A blue dasher used a dried gladiolus stalk as a perch.  Down on the creek, an egret fished.  

Wasp drama

The heat returned with sunshine in a hazy sky.  An osprey landed briefly in the pines but I wasn't ready.  A male Needham's skimmer used a bamboo perch.  A different species perched on a bare twig atop the wild cherry.  A damselfly lurked on the pool edge.  My best guess is orange bluet Enallagma signatum.  At supper, several dragonflies darted over the water.  

Bees and wasps covered the mountain mint, but a snout butterfly and a fiery skipper managed to get a share. I thought I glimpsed other butterflies but couldn't be sure.  A gray long-horned bee (Melissodes spp.) posed for me.  So did a mydas fly.  I guessed that a big insect that banged on the window was a cicada killer.  While I was in the pool a wasp flew into me and I knocked it into the water.  I rescued it very carefully.  I also saved a couple of bumblebees and many beetles.  And I evicted a few spiders. 

The two infant Argiope spiders had moved their webs a few inches.  I saw a wasp fly into the white part of each web.  I don't know if they were after the spiders or if the webs looked like something desirable, maybe a moth.  I don't think the wasps caught the spiders.  I looked up spider wasps and  they have a different body shape. 

The beautyberry was in bloom.  Goldfinches refused to visit until I was inside.  I saw the hummer flying around the sakaki. Apparently it bloomed while I was gone.  Dark clouds brought an early twilight.  The illegal fireworks started making it hard to know if there was thunder.  

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.