Pond Watch

After much debating we have decided to call
this dragonfly a Yellow-sided Skimmer.
It is the only yellow thorax and blue tail dragonfly
in my field guide.

We watched male Common Whitetails patrol

and female Common Whitetails laying eggs.

Many Bluets were perching 

and catching mosquitoes.

It is always delightful to see

 the damselflies mating.

Not as many butterflies this week.

This  Gray Hairstreak is fading.

The Snouts seem to like the wood mulch

that is on the trails.

We saw a few more turtles this week.

A large turtle was sunning

at the end of a the path near the water.

Yellow Flag is still in bloom.

I found an Orange Sulphur

 on the sidewalk while walking back home.

I picked her up by her shoulders and turned her upside down.

It is calming for a butterfly to turn upside down.

She seem stunned, as if she had just missed being hit by a car.

I found a sweet pincushion flower in the fig garden 

for her to recoup on.

She was fine in a few minutes.

It was 85 degrees with a northeasterly wind

 of 8-10 mph.

A gentle breeze for pond watch.