Bright sun

September ended in a really beautiful day, but not quite warm enough to swim, especially as it was quite breezy.  There were a black and a tiger swallowtail, a cloudless sulphur, and a duskywing skipper.  A bit of slime mold and some tiny mushrooms popped up in the mulch and I found two figs.  Wasps were still hard at work on the mountain mint.  Beetles rafted on the water.  A couple of skinks were out mid day.  

Summer requiem

Soft dawn clouds were tinted at breakfast.  Unfortunately, there was more plastic trash than birds on the creek.  I spent much of the morning in a book discussion of Chesapeake Requiem.  I finally got back outside mid afternoon but the rain soon started.  Since I was in the pool, I tried to ignore it till I was done.  I rescued a little frog from the skimmer and many beetles floating around the pool.  Most were ground beetles but there were a couple of scarabs and one sidewalk tiger.  There were also many glass snails afloat.  I didn't know if they needed rescue but I fished them out anyway.  I didn't have the camera on account of the rain, so use your imagination.  

Fresca!

Fresca is an Italian word I heard in a swimming pool at a hotel on Lake Garda.  A large man was bobbing in the chilly water and shouting "Fresca!" at what I presume were his wife and the next generation, all of whom looked very dubious at the idea of getting wet.  Sunshine today raised the air temperature to about 80°, and the pool water to 72°.  It was indeed fresca and I was hesitant to actually swim.  But then it wasn't too bad once I got used to it.  This may have been my last chance.    

The wildlife were lively. I saw a dragonfly and a sulphur and a red spotted purple that all got away.  

So busy

I hardly got outside.  And it was a wet, gray, unattractive sort of day anyway.  Little bumblebees replaced the mammoth carpenter bees on the mountain mint.  I have to clip off more of the spider mite infestation.  An ant nest was sending out its winged queens.  They ignored a millipede hurrying past.  A spider walked on water.  I rescued a couple of ground beetles. 

Off-and-on rain

It was a zebra sort of day with stripes of sunshine and raincloud.  Several times the rain clouds were overhead while the sun shone underneath at an angle.  Gray or bright, the creek mirrored the sky. 

The new daylily bloomed.  A brown thrasher breakfasted on bark butter rain mush.  When the day warmed, a skink ventured out.  A Carolina wren tried to snatch a meal from the seed feeder.  Downy woodpeckers showed up when I put out a fresh tub of bark butter. 

The usual wasps and a few bumblebees were on the mountain mint.  Unfortunately the spider mite infestation kept spreading during the rainy days.  A skipper, a hairstreak, and a black swallowtail took advantage of a sunny interval.  And a black swallowtail caterpillar munched parsley.  Then I spotted wheelbugs mating!  A damselfly lurked near the pool.  I rescued crickets and leafhoppers and one beetle.  A very small spider seemed to be creating a fairly large web under the dogwood.  I hope I remember to check in the morning. 

And in the pool were two frogs, one medium and one quite small.  I evicted the little one but the water was too cold (70) to encourage me to chase the other one.  Later I saw the small one sitting on the pool ladder while the big one still fled when I attempted to scoop it up.  

 

Wet and gray

The hibiscus put forth what I expect was its last blossom.  A glass snail wanted to cross the patio for some reason.  I moved the praying mantis which appeared to still be alive though something had been chewing on a fore-wing. 

The meteorologists said the rain was the remnant of Hurricane Beta. The rain wasn't heavy and there wasn't much wind, but it just felt dank like an old cellar.  The birdbath only got half full.  Tides returned to normal and the creek was still between the bands of rain that dimpled the surface.  The cloud cover had thinned enough at dusk to show the moon.  First quarter was last night so it was overhead and waxing gibbous this evening.  

Dreary

The overcast sky began to drip in the afternoon.  It was not enough rain to water plants, just enough to wet the patio furniture and discourage insects. I did find the praying mantis lying on its side, still moving a little.  I wonder if it ate a caterpillar full of rue and was poisoned.   

A beach ball or balloon floated downstream.  A great egret fished from out floating dock and almost fell in. 

A mockingbird feasted on beautyberries while a brown thrasher went for the dogwood berries just a little higher.  Two Carolina wrens snatched bark butter balls.  Then a red bellied woodpecker took over the bark butter feeder.  Pine warblers wanted some too.  A titmouse slipped in for a share.  The downy woodpecker wasn't going to be left out.  But then they all disappeared.