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This is apparently one of those tedious technology-challenging days.
WP refusing to register my likes or comments, no matter how I go about it. And just to be really bloody-minded, some comments take and some do not…on the same blog-site, just to completely throw me off.
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Now it’s disappearing photographs.
Alright then…
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But, the day could have started off worse.
Topping up bird feeders is something I do first thing and without a lot of thought.
This morning for reasons unknown I hesitated, which was rather fortunate.
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Something had attracted a swarm.
Methinks yellow-jackets would not have taken kindly to having their feast disturbed.
Such creatures have caused me considerable pain and swelling in the past and that was a single individual.
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That would not have been a good start.
Which proves there’s always something to be grateful for.
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While I am ever glad to see the end of summer, it is always bittersweet with the departure of so many friends.
Hummingbirds are among the first to go and we’ve not seen one for at least two weeks, though I leave the feeder up just in case.
But there are some hangers-on.
We came home one day to find a great spangled fritillary resting on a wall and there have been numerous Monarchs.
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Hard to get both in focus.
I will never not get excited by butterflies.
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How wonderful that Nature held back those zinnias for the late appearance of these Monarchs!
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Most other flowers are finished.
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Though there have been a few lilies.
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So nice to see mallow bloom again.
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Gaillardia now free of overpowering, badly-placed sunflowers.
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My excuse is that sunflowers refused to grow four years in a row, so last spring I scattered a variety of seeds hither and thither.
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It would have been sensible to re-plant the seedlings perhaps, but I’m sure there was a good reason I didn’t!
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Many of our summer birds are gone, including sweet phoebe that we haven’t seen for about ten days.
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Surprisingly though, while I was watching the butterflies, a thrasher suddenly appeared.
The weather has been mostly warm, so I suppose it still finds enough insects.
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When suddenly in June of 2018, the notion took me to de-camp back to Upstate New York, I realised it would be wise to have it all accomplished by the end of September since after that date one could not be certain of the weather and I did not wish to add snowfall to my list of challenges.
Snow wasn’t likely in October but certainly possible.
Six years on, I’m wondering if it will snow before Christmas. Last winter our snowfall was minimal for the whole season.
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Predictions are that the coming winter will be more like those of old. Who knows?
We prepare for whatever comes.
As best we can.
For my part, I am hoping for no snow whatsoever. If I never see any snow again in Beetley that will make me happy. Are yellowjackets what we call wasps, or something different? You took some lovely butterfly photos, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
It seems that yellow-jackets are a particular type of wasp. I have only been stung when I inadvertently disturbed them.
Yes, driving in mist in the dark is not safe!
We have an acute shortage of wasps this year so it’s nice to see you have plenty to spare!
Great pics.
And I share your WP frustrations. They seem to have done some inexplicable improvement that led to the inevitable unnecessary complication to no apparent benefit.
Beautiful butterfly photos … and also the last flower photos of the season. I’m glad you were able to avoid the wasps – I’m allergic to any insect bite and it would have made my day pretty miserable if I had run into them!