07.01.2021 Yipes, that was fast!

I am always amazed at the acceleration, so it seems anyway, of time.  June passed so quickly. We just ended our second heat wave of 2021 (not nearly as awful and deadly as that which the Northwest recently experienced) and the way things are going there will likely be another few before summer winds down. And then winter will be upon us before we know it. But now, amidst summer’s heat and sunny days, the insects are starting to become more numerous in the yard and I’ll share two from the last couple of days.

This female Common Whitetail – Plathemis lydia appeared to like the slate in our front yard walkway.  I couldn’t get as close as I would have liked with the 100 macro but was still able to get a nice full frame. The flash brightened the normally medium gray slate to a brighter hue but I like the way it came out. Every time I tried to move around for a head on shot she took off but kept returning although never facing me.

Here’s your pronunciation challenge for the day…Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix-Blepharomastix ranalis. Actually not as daunting as it looks if you take it a syllable at a time.  As you can see, the wall of my garage where this moth rested needs some cleaning and a fresh coat of paint.  Someday.

Hello July!