My summer vacation is winding down.
Vacation is a misnomer.
My tasks simply change.
No complaints here.
The moon has been putting on a show this week until tonight.
All I see is clouds now. This is not a permanent affliction.
Rest assured, the moon is still there.
Sometimes the clouds are welcomed.
Weather comes and goes. It has its own agenda.
Patience is required.
Tomorrow is a new day.
The Blue Jay is rather big for a backyard bird. Its vibrant blue stands out and draws attention. They love the peanuts and will come close to retrieve them. They can be rather loud and raucous. This summer they have been tame compared to the grackles. Several of them, possibly a family or two have been visiting regularly. They all have been unusually polite...so far. The squirrels have been the bravest and most persistent. I have three favorite coffee mugs. One is a blue jay, one is a dragonfly, and the 3rd is a hummingbird. I think I need to find a squirrel mug. Today I saw my first hummingbird for the summer of '23. It came close to the kitchen window to make sure I noticed it had arrived. I don't put out the sugar water until I see the first one. The red flower feeder is clean and ready to be filled
Back in the day I spent hours photographing the minuscule life in my garden. Above you can see a dahlia home for a spider family. In the large file image you can see that the daddy has dragged home something for his babies to snack on. I hope in this smaller file you can see this detail. The snack is white, almost transparent. Here is an another image I captured in a nearby flower. Perhaps the aliens are already here hiding in our gardens.
This one looks harmless to me. It might be his baby that the spiders are going to eat. In the natural world you have to eat or be eaten. Everything is eventually recycled.
Let us take another look at our friendly hoverfly. Here it is having fun between the sheets(petals) of a peony.
The garden hoverfly believes in making love, not war. This couple gets intimate on a Salvia greggii named "Wild Thing." The setting seems appropriate.
The swirls & whirls of the center disk contain multiple florets. Their colors range from green to orange to brown. The pink rays surround the disk & lighten up the garden. Many insects come to feast on this flower's nectar. Pictured above you can see an innocent hoverfly has come to visit. It is harmless to humans & does not sting. It is a beneficial insect. The adult feeds on flowers & can pollinate some. Its larvae, which is its immature phase, is nearly invisible. The larvae feeds on aphids, & by doing this it helps the gardener.
The Point of Rocks Bridge carries U.S. Route 15 across the Potomac River. It connects Frederick County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia. The light and shadow under the bridge merges the real with its reflection. It reminds me of an old style strip of film, though the picture is digital.
An Eastern Red Cedar is the scene of a natural reaction.
Here the larval skin is shown. The dragonfly is a blue dasher. The wings are still wet. It will not fly until they are dry. There was a storm the night before.
This 12 spotted skimmer rests on a blade of blue grass. Even though its back faces me, its amazing eyes can watch me within a 360 degree vision range. My camera rests still upon a tripod. No nervous motion triggers a flight response. A picture is captured. Then it takes flight out of frame. Recently I witnessed a 12 spotted skimmer within my pond. It had climbed up onto the stem of a water lily. Its larval skin had been shed. It was still attached nearby. I always marvel at the wondrous wings stretched out to dry. They had successfully unfolded and expanded. It soon took off, ready to thrive with a new lease on life.
movingforwardslowly 