Golden

Knowing today was going to be another sweltering day, I got out early and slunk around the garden with macro lens in hand.  Lots of stuff blooming now so no lack of pollinators, including several species of sweat bees, like this Golden Sweat Bee.  Interesting to me how different bee species like different flowers.  Most of the bumbles like the echinacea and swamp milkweed while the lasoglossium and small halictids really go for the rudbeckia.  Everyone likes the anise hyssop and the mountain mint.  One more shot in extra of a different species of green sweat bee.

It is currently 86 F/31 C with humidity at 63% which makes it pretty unpleasant to be outside for long.  That said, I've made a half dozen trips through the garden, coming back in to cool off and hydrate.  Very happy to be in an air conditioned house at the moment.  And sadly aware that I should have been on the Amazon right now where it would have been even more humid.  Oh well.  

Keeping an eye on three occupied nest boxes right now.  The bluebirds have 4 eggs which should hatch this week; one house wren nest has 5 eggs that will also hatch this week; and another wren has 4 eggs and isn't done laying yet.  This will make 5 broods of house wrens this year, which ties the yard record.  

I took advantage of being inside to update the firmware on my Z6iii and next up is updating the Z8.  I will have to spend a little time on the Z8 because this firmware update includes quite a lot of new features that I need to learn.  Tomorrow will be another sweltering day so I guess I know what I'll be doing!  Not much else to report today.  

xoxo
Debbi