This Week's Critters

I am late to the party, but didn't want to miss this week, because I've seen some cool critters I wanted to post for Misty Dawn's Camera Critters.  The link to see more posts is in my sidebar.

Last Saturday, we met our grandson and daughter-in-law at the cemetery pond to feed the waterfowl.  I know I've posted about the place before, so I just included a few photos of that this time.

It was a beautiful morning, and the view from the bridge was so peaceful.

Here's an action shot of KJ throwing cut up corn tortillas to the birds.

When I looked to the other side of the bridge, I saw a huge frog.

Later in the day, I was amazed to see lots of doves on the wires, because the most I'd ever seen were 3.  I counted 14 at one point.  One or two would fly off, and a few more would land.  It was pretty cool.

Some of them were paying attention to what I was doing, others either didn't notice, or ignored me.

I took photos for GBBD on the 13th.  I also took some CC photos.  I'm not sure it this wasp is the same as the other black ones, because it has light colored bands on it.

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail appears to be a female.  When they look like this, I'm not sure if it means they've been nipped at by a bird, if the weather has caused it, or if they are just getting old.

I don't see dragonflies or damselflies often, so I am excited when they are in the yard.  I thought I knew the difference between them, but I'm not sure on this one.  It's eyes are not touching each other, like my book says dragonfly eyes do.  Yet, the way it's holding its wings look like a dragonfly.  I have noticed there are spread wing damselflies, so I'm not sure.  Do you know?

I see the skipper has discovered the new blooms on this liatris.

This skipper discovered the newly blooming alium.

I'm not sure what this silver spotted skipper was doing on the morning glory leaves.

The next photos were taken the 15th, while I was taking foliage photos.

The abdomen on this swallowtail looks like those of Black Swallowtails in my book, but the wings look a little different.  I was glad to get a few photos, even though they were not focused well, because these don't stay still for long, and fly off after they notice me.

I love the details of the legs and antennae.

There were lots of birds in the street, and eating insects or worms out of the yards.

The squirrels were active, too.

I love the variety of insects sharing the goldenrod.

Here's a Silver Spotted Skiper on a butterfly bush.

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail wanted to keep an eye on me, so everytime I moved, trying to get a photo of its back, it moved, too, so I'd see its underside.

It sure was a show off!

Finally, I got a photo of the spread wings from the back.

I've been seeing the White Lined Sphinx Moths a lot.

It's another mover that's hard to get photos of.

Look at how long the proboscis is!

And now, it's time for the caterpillars.  These are swallowtails of some kind.

How many do you see here?  (I see three.)

I see two in this one.

This is a different rue plant, and I see three on this one.  The one on the right is a younger one.

What a beauty!

The asters in the back yard started opening after the 15th, and this sulfur of some kind has discovered them.

The rough goldenrod is continuing to attract a number of insects.

Oh, and this skipper has also found the aster blooms.

I just spent over 2 hours doing this post.  I am so far behind in my blog reading, but need to go to sleep now.  Thanks to all those who leave comments on my posts.  I know there are some questions I haven't answered.  I still plan to.

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Some Old, Some New Critters from this Week, and ID Help Requested

I'm still seeing lots of skippers and bees.  I also have a few different critters I haven't posted before for Camera Critters, hosted by Misty Dawn.  I see she has welcomed fall.  I am not ready to do that yet, but am reluctantly acknowledging its presence.

Last Friday, the kids and grandson were over.  When our son is over, he likes to look under stones and things to see if he can see any snakes or insects.  Now, he can share this interest with his son.

I'm not sure what this is.  They also found a grub, or whatever they're called.  The photo was not focused, so I didn't include it.

I'm not sure what this is, either.

I'm continuing to see more doves than usual on the wires.  There was a day I counted 15.

On Monday, the 20th, I stayed home from work because I had had a headache for a few days, and it was worse in the night.  I was able to get an appointment with my chiropractor for 10:30 a.m.  Heidi and I took a yard walk before I left.  I got a photo of the monarch on the butterfly bush, then noticed a hummingbird on the nearby butterfly bush.  When I got back out from getting my camera, it was gone.

(Don't read the next lines if you don't like gross things.) In that short yard walk, I unknowingly stepped on a dog's pile.  When I got in the car, which was in the garage, I wondered what that smell was.  I didn't know if it was something in the garage, or what.  When I was driving, I didn't notice it until I was almost to the chiropractor.  As I was pulling into the parking place, I looked at my shoes, and had to take them off and walk into the office in my stocking feet.  It was embarrassing, but no one was in there besides the doctor and his secretary, and they are nice people, who laughed when I told them what happened.)

Larry mowed the yard after supper, and didn't remember to latch the back yard gate.  Heidi checks to see if we forgot, and lifts the latch up with her nose to get out of the yard.  I noticed the movement of a neighbor lady outside the window around 6:30, and went to the door, where she stood with Heidi.  She had seen her out, and called her.  She said Heidi came up to her, and when they were at the door, Heidi looked at her, and rubbed her head against her.

The neighbor and I started visiting, then another lady came over, and we enjoyed some rare neighbor time on our benches out front.  All of a sudden, I saw a hummingbird on the agastache, and told them I'd be right back.  I sat and took a bunch of photos from the bench so as not to scare it away.  It moved so fast, and it was starting to get dark, so none of the photos turned out so clear.  Still, I was excited to see it, and wanted to include a few anyway.

On September 21 I don't remember what I was doing, but I got a skipper on the butterfly bush and two photos of a monarch and bee feeding next to each other on the blue mist spirea.

 Friday was a beautiful day after having a few rainy days.  I went out and took lots of critter photos before enjoying some time in the veggie garden, where I was pleased to get my garlic planted from some nice sized bulbs I harvested earlier in the season.  I also transplanted some self sown seedlings that had come up in clumps.  I also dug around in the compost pile.  The next door neighbor boy informed me that they've seen mice in my compost pile, and they are starting to get into the houses in the neighborhood.  Another neighbor and I have seen a few mice out and about, too, but I didn't see any around the compost pile yesterday.

I started my picture taking from the back yard for a change.  I just looked up the sulphur I posted most recently to see if I'd put what kind I thought it was, and I hadn't, but when I compared it to this one, it had different markings.  From looking at my butterfly book, I think this is either a Clouded or Orange Sulphur on one of the asters by the shed.  In another book, I saw an alfalfa butterfly that looks like this, too.

There were lots of insects sharing the aster blooms.  A skipper, Gray Hairstreak, and a bee or hover fly are in this photo.

I was tickled to get a photo of the open wings of the gray hairstreak, even though it was washed out by the sun.  There is a honey bee next to it.

I'm not sure what kind of bee this is.  It may be a honey bee, but the coloring looks different than the previous one.

Out in the veggie garden, the verbena bonariensis plants were loaded with skippers, a few other kinds of butterflies, bees, and flies.

The Painted Lady was shy, but I got a couple photos of it.

There were a number of silver spotted skippers.  There must have been both male and females, because they didn't all look exactly the same as each other.

The top side of the wings on this one are more colorful than the on the one I was able to get a picture of last week.

Skippers are difficult to identify.  Randy has let me know what kind some are before, but I can't remember which one, and what he said it was.  I wonder how many kinds of skippers are in my area. 

I think this is a different kind than the one above.

Here's another silver spotted skipper enjoying the boltonia, which I love, but the bloom time is shorter than a lot of perennials.   There were lots of other small insects in there, too.

Does anyone know what kind of moth this is?  I wonder what its caterpillars eat.  It is a moth, isn't it?  It's new to me.

I like the details on the Eupatorium, 'Prairie Jewel', a relative of Joe Pye weed with the fly on it.

I think this is a hover fly also enjoying the eupatorium  There is a white blooming cypress vine weaving around and through in the tall plants in this bed.  It is visible on the left side of this photo.

I went a little wild taking photos of what insects were on what blooms.  Here's another silver spotted skipper on an annual salvia.

I'm thinking this aster was one of the volunteers in the side bed near the back yard.  I've mentioned there are a lot of skippers this year...

and bees, living in harmony with all the other insects in the yard, as far as I can tell.

These asters are in the area on the east side of the house.  I guess they know it's September, because they have decided to open those precious buds they like to hold onto until the right time.

Just as I was about to go in, I noticed a moth I don't recall seeing before.  It reminded me of a humming bird moth the way the wings were moving, and it was hard to get a photo of because of that.  It was about the size of the blooms.

I included this photo, because the upper wing is a little better focused.  Do you know what it is?

Randy, was I supposed to put the watermelon rind for the butterflies up high somewhere?  I put this on a stone in the side bed where we could see it out the garden window.  I haven't seen any butterflies on it yet, but look what did find it!  I've never seen this kind of ant inside, have any of you?  (I just went and looked at Randy's post, and it looked like the rind was on some mulch on the ground.)

I love the colors of the hover flies and the asters.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

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