Critter Report

I've noticed quite a few critters in the garden in the past few days. The resident deer hang out on the hillside above the garden. Until a couple of weeks ago, there were a couple of bucks hanging around, chasing the ladies because it was that time of the year (silly season as one of the local radio hosts called it).

The Munch Bunch

The Anna's hummingbirds are here year round. There are about a dozen that call my garden home. Below are four of them having lunch. If you look closely you can see the tail of the fourth one sticking out below the feeder. I keep three feeders going. Two of the feeders are dominated by single birds, the third one is communal and I've seen as many as five birds perched at the ports while four others hover around, darting in and out to displace others at the ports.

Hummer Lunch

There's a type of marigold growing in the garden that I've been ripping out because it stinks and it self sows like a weed. As I was passing by a clump of plants that are in full bloom right now, I muttered to it As soon as you're done blooming you are compost! And then I stopped to look closer because it was abuzz with activity. Honey bees galore, and then... hover flies.... the first ones I've seen in the garden in months. And then, butterflies! Oh dang, how am I going to get rid of you now.

Hover Fly

Common Buckeye

Not very many lady bugs around right now, but I sure wish she and her friends would get to work on that yucky mess below.

Aphid Infested Eggplant Leaf

Katydid

The vegetable garden's resident Katydid doesn't do much harm so I just leave it alone. And a couple of other critters that I couldn't photograph were a Red Velvet Ant and a Tarantula Hawk, both of which are very striking looking wasps.