The poor, dried up frogpond has sent froggies elsewhere... Happily, there is a storm front going across the region and we had 11.2 mm last night (0.44") of rain. More on the way. We are having a drought, and this will bring relief, although it won't top up the water system.
to my goldfish pond, specifically. I counted 14 frogs in my wee pond. The leopard frogs are in the foliage, my veggie garden and the ornamental gardens. I don't know where the bullfrogs have gone.
The trees are full of aerial insectivores, birds that only eat bugs in the trees, like the American redstart (witchety-witchety-witchety), and the Red-eyed vireo (song is like a conversation,"How are YOU? I am fine. Talk to you later." I have a hard time photographing them, not only am I only 5'4", but they are in the tall trees! Dorah did a catch-and-release last year, I must confess.
Phoebe had two nestings, after a poor start. They are around on the ground snapping up bugs, bless their hearts. These photos are quite artsy, except they were taken through the plexiglass on the upper deck. (Remember my bugs...)
The butterflies have been busy. We have a ton of milkweed and I spotted my first monarch butterflies here in two years! Fritillary, methinks, as well as an admiral.
The mason bee house is going great guns.
Dragonflies are happy, as are the Butterflies on the weeds. The goldfinch is thirsty. We are so dry! It's a banner year for raspberries, that'll make our bear happy! We want happy bears! It's a banner year for Virginia ctenucha, as well. It's a pretty moth, quite ubiquitous. I hatched one from a cocoon last year. New hatchling: Virginia Ctenucha they come from a lovely fuzzy cocoon. a beautiful moth, with an orange head and flabellate (feathery) antennae, blue marking and a blue thorax. My book tells me that black and blue indicates to birds that they are bitter-tasting and/or poisonous.
I have found my first chrysalis, which is either the Eastern Comma, or the Question Mark!
For more critters, visit Eileen's Saturday Critters #134!
