![]() ![]() The flowers are deep sapphire! So very blue. Spurred Ceratina Carpenter Bee ( Ceratina calcarata ) visiting Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica ).Ī carpenter bee seems as enamored of it as I am. Such a delicate insect! Margined Calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus ), a type of hover fly, on Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum).Īlmost a dozen Great Blue Lobelia blooms are “blue-ming” around the water, and the insects approve. The chives, much like my pink garden Chives, have popped up all over the garden and close to the pond. Ī Margined Calligrapher-a type of hover fly-rests on Garlic Chive blooms. Possibly an Umbrella Paper Wasp (Polistes sp. You can see where the old-fashioned phrase “wasp waisted” comes from. Wasps are such a large group of insects! I believe it’s a paper wasp. For the millionth time, I wish I knew more about wasp ID. European Green Bottle Fly ( Lucilia sericata ) on Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.).Ī wasp nestles into the marsh marigold leaves. It’s a connection to the past that never fails to make me smile. But they started life in my grandparent’s garden, and now, they attend to mine. Froggie love ( possibly Lithobates catesbeianus ). When it flies away, I check the pond for visitors. Hummingbird Clearwing Moth ( Hemaris thysbe ) on Cut and Come Again Zinnia (Zinnia pumila). I watch this day-flying moth hover over flower after flower for a long time, marveling at its downy body and gorgeous wings. One of the reasons I include non-native zinnias in my backyard plant mix is as nectar sources for hummingbirds, moths, butterflies, and bees. Not a hummingbird-but a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth! Its wings are mostly a blur as it works the zinnias. ![]() The defeated hummingbird brushes by my head in a whir of wings on his way to the neighbor’s feeder. The winner! American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) and Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). The goldfinch seems to think the water moat is his personal watering hole. A water moat keeps ants from plundering the sugar water. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens).Ī noisy goldfinch and furious hummingbird battle over the hummingbird feeder. A downy woodpecker stops mid-peck to see what all the fuss is about. ![]() Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale ) with (possibly) Spurred Ceratina Carpenter Bees ( Ceratina calcarata ).Īs I walk, there’s a loud chatter at the feeders. The insect world is so big, and my ID skills are so limited. I try my phone app iNaturalist on them for identification, but none of my ID’s feel certain. My sneezeweed, now in its second year, is covered with winged creatures. Maybe it’s a reminder that “there’s no place like home.” Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens ) on Cut and Come Again Zinnia (Zinnia pumila). ![]() Would I have noticed this tiny, nondescript butterfly if I was busy with my normal prairie and dragonfly hikes in the bigger preserves? Probably not. Marine Blue Butterfly (Leptotes marina ) on Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera). I’m stunned to see this butterfly in my small suburban front yard. But that was on a 4,000 acre mosaic of prairies, woodlands, and wetlands, where you might expect to encounter an unusual insect. Earlier, I saw one of these “rare strays” to Illinois at Nachusa Grasslands, 90 miles west. A reminder to pay attention to what I can do, instead of what I can’t do right now.Īnd what’s this? A Marine Blue Butterfly sips nectar in the front yard prairie planting. I like its single-minded focus on what’s in front of it. Possibly a Spurred Ceratina Carpenter Bee ( Ceratina calcarata) headed for Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera). Look at the determination of this insect, making a beeline for the blazing star. Sunset.Īn unexpected health setback means no big hikes for a while. Tumultuous sunsets send me to the porch each evening to watch the show. Don’t worry.”-Mary OliverĪugust takes its last steamy, stormy breaths. ![]()
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