Mostly at home .....

     A combination of bad weather, other things to do, and perhaps a feeling of lethargy when it was really hot, has kept us at home more than usual, so this post is mainly from the back yard.

06 August 2021

     Our Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) bushes have been prolific this year and the blooms have been quite incredible.

     The other day while sitting on the deck having a cup of tea, a hummingbird came to sip on the nectar, but we didn't have a camera at hand and it hovered only for a few seconds. It would have made a great shot.

     The Phlox (Phlox paniculata) is no less spectacular.

     We are very much enamoured of these flowers, and as we get older the fact that they are perennials requiring little care is a bonus.

     There are many species of Anemone (Ranunculaceae), all beautiful, but I am not sure of the exact species that lives in our garden.

    You will no doubt agree that it is gorgeous!

    A Leaf Beetle (Chrysomelidae) trundled around, and we found it very attractive.

     I have been unable to narrow it down as to species, but that is hardly surprising considering that there around 50,000 species of beetle in the world, many have not been identified, and even for those that have the taxonomy is far from resolved.

Lily comes for lunch

     Our little princess came for lunch for the first time.

     She was as good as gold and sat in a booster chair set on a regular kitchen chair, since we no longer have a high chair.

     She ate well, but only exactly what she wanted and nothing could convince her to try anything else. There was lots of healthy food, however, and she certainly did not go hungry.

     She even tried a little pasta salad but it was not her favourite.

     She chatted to us the whole time, clearly thrilled to be "visiting" and played that universal game of all children, i.e. throw something on the floor and watch those silly adults pick it up, like Pavlovian dogs on cue.

     It was wonderful to have Heather and Lily have lunch with us, and there will be more occasions like this to follow.

     She waves good bye now without any coaching at all!

     And by the way, she can take several steps unaided. Soon she will be faster than us!

07 August 2021

     We were quite delighted to have a visit from a Juniper Geometer Moth (Patalene olyzonaria), resting quietly after a busy night.

     This pollen-dusted Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) provides graphic evidence of the pollination services provided by bees.

     May their populations increase!

     Over the years we have been visited by a number of neotropical warblers, infrequently and unpredictably, so it was quite exciting to see a female American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva).

     Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an obligate brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of other species, and takes no part in raising its own young. 

     We have seen host parents of several species feeding young cowbirds, but never a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) so it was with a sense of discovery that we noted this male feeding a young cowbird.

     The picture is not great but it is the only one we have to memorialize this activity.

     As you may see from the picture below the cardinals have obviously been good surrogate parents and have raised a robust, healthy youngster.

     The Rose of Sharon buds, just before bursting out, are attractive in their own right.

     A Common Ringlet (Coenonympha california) is quite common as the name implies.

     European readers will notice the very close similarity to Large Heath (C. tullia), an illustration of speciation if ever I saw one.

     Our coffee cups empty, the apple cake crumbs swept away, we got up to go back inside, just as a flycatcher sailed in.

     At this time of the year, when the birds are no longer singing, the best ID that's possible is Empidonax sp. We did not know it's name, but we did know the family and its visit was well received.

08 August 2021

     A female Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) spent quite a bit of time in the backyard, snatching sunflower hearts from the feeders to stash away in the bark of nearby trees.

     We were out and about in the afternoon and spotted beautiful Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) in a garden close to the road.

     A female Monarch (Danaus plexippus) was resting on milkweed (Asclepias sp.).

     Perhaps by the time I post again we will have ventured a little farther afield. See you then!