Country Life

Sphinx Moth II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I had two days off in Connecticut. At long last the pool was in swimmable condition, and it was hot enough to make a dip enjoyable. The pool skimmer had lots of frogs, both dead and alive, in it. Mostly leopard frogs--small ones with spots.

Nature was making itself obvious. Tree frogs were singing all night. It was loud, a regular nocturnal chorus. And some critter, probably a raccoon tried to get on the birdfeeders. I heard something that sounded like water dripping on the squirrel baffle. I turned on the light, but the critter had disappeared. The feeders and the baffle were swaying slightly. In the morning I found the birdbath on its side on the ground. I'm glad I finally got a metal bath!

This photo is of a sphinx moth. Notice that its tail looks like the tail of a lobster. Gotta conserve those genes and not redesign everything! (Isn't evolution much more fascinating than creation "science"?) When these moths fly by they are often mistaken for hummingbirds even though they are somewhat smaller. As a result they are often called hummingbird moths. They like to sip nectar from flowers just like the hummers. Of course, the spicebush swallowtail butterflies also seemed to be devoted to the phlox too.

Nicholas enjoyed our stay. He spent a lot of time looking out the door or in the screen porch where he enjoyed the birds, the squirrels and the chipmunks.