...On top of the world, with spots

A glorious Indian Summer day with temps near 70F. And a return of the ladybird bugs, both spotted and spotless. And for those who are interested, yesterday's spotless ladybird bug has been identified by my friends at WhatsThatBug.comas aMulticolored Asian Lady Beetle.

I went back to the park and hiked around a bit, hoping for a late dragon. No luck with dragons, but I saw two butterflies! Unfortunately, they were both at a distance that didn't lend itself to photos.

Back at home, the birds were busy eating everything in sight. Apparently, they were happy to see the bugs too, as I saw several ladybird bugs meet unfortunate and sudden ends in the jaws of the little red-breasted nuthatch who is still around. His Royal Redness was hanging out, trying to distance himself from the recently returned white-throated sparrows. The white-throats are nearly as splendid as the cardinal with their jaunty striped caps and flashy yellow accessories.

This weekend marks the start of the Project Feederwatch 2012/13 season and the beginning of my weekly bird counts. Lots of fun and something folks in the US and Canada can participate in as Citizen Scientists.

Well, I'm off to help the hubs put up the last of the deer fencing to protect out cherry trees from the roving gangs of deer this winter. I'll be back later to check in!

xx00
Debbi