Hairy Caterpillar

Another hot and sticky day so I went for my walk up the hill in the morning, thinking it would be cooler.  Keeping my eyes trained on the path in front of me in case of any further encounters with snakes, I spotted this extraordinary looking caterpillar trotting along at quite a pace.  Google reveals it as an American Dagger Moth.

Today has been a good day for wildlife.  I watched some chickadees and a woodpecker in the woods, and then back home, a beautiful bright red cardinal perched for a minute on the fence.  I was thrilled - although they are fairly common here I have never seen one before.  

Later, as I was sitting reading on the porch, a chipmunk appeared from below, just a couple of feet from my elbow.  It let out a piercing shriek of horror as it realised its mistake. 

Less cute is the infestation of stink bugs and the nest of black wasps in the gap between the windows of my bedroom.  The pest control man came to remove the latter.  He wore an impressive bee suit.  I thought about asking if I could take his photo but he looked a bit hot and bothered.