I have been watering for the past few days, and done a bunch of other chores, with an eye to closing up, for the time being, when we go back to NJ next week. I may get back here in late September.
The barn work is progressing, and the barn cupola was inspected and will need some repairs.
We had dinner with Ken and Jane at Elixir a couple evenings ago, and we had lunch with Brooke and Jim at Simon Pearce a few days before that.
There was a visit from a hummingbird moth, who likes my beebalm. It’s a big bug that hovers, like its namesake, while taking nectar from the flowers. The wing beats are so fast that all the pix of the wings are blurred. It’s big, half the size of the bird, and can be confused with the bird. It hung around for an hour. I haven’t seen one for a few years.
The monarch caterpillars have gotten huge and four have formed chrysalises. There are still some small caterpillars too.
I saw an immature yellow-bellied sapsucker on an apple tree and took pix with my iPhone, but they are not very clear or sharp.
New blooms: soapwort, aster, Joe Pye weed.
Hummingbird taking a break, the only time you can see the wings without blur.
Monarch caterpillar, top center, and monarch chrysalis, lower center. The chrysalis has been there about a week, it's the same color as the plant leaves, which probably figures. There are still many caterpillars on this plant and three other chrysalises.
Surprise visitor to the bee balm, a hummingbird moth. It's about half the size of the bird and has wing beats so fast you can barely catch a blurred image. Here you can see legs, antenna, abdomen and wings.
Here's the tongue and head with an eye, wings a total blur.
Furry back of the thorax and furry antennae, wings visible.
Bumble bee for size comparison.
Joe Pye weed, tall and purple, some are 5-6 feet high.
Asters are suddenly popping open.
That's a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, immature, without the red head markings. Photo is from an iPhone, which explains the poor quality.
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