Another scorching day

Between the endless work and heat and mosquitoes I came to town without doing all that I wanted to do. At least the mosquitoes will soon abate. The work never will and the heat will eventually give way to bitter cold.

The Ornythion Swallowtail was still in the same spot this morning and I feared it was dead, but when the sun came out it disappeared. I thought maybe if I took a photo of it with my cell phone it would show the yellow better, but this particular individual just didn't seem to have yellow like they normally do.

Brian tells me that the females don't have as much yellow as the males.

Other things I photographed today include Eastern Amberwings. Dragonfly afficionados want a Mexican Amberwing for their Texas list so I'm trying to find them one at the oasis. Amberwings don't come out in the morning and by the heat of the day I'm hot and tired. They swarm out over the water and it's so hard for me to sort them out. Especially while mosquitoes are plaguing me. So far I don't have a confirmed Mexican Amberwing for this year but I'll keep trying until I do.

I can be sitting at the oasis enjoying the quiet and sounds of nature when all of a sudden a horrible shriek rends the air. I usually jump in alarm. That would be a Loggerhead Shrike.

I searched the Trifolate Orange today for W Giant Swallowtail eggs and I think I found one. 

When I get back to the oasis in a couple of days I'll look for caterpillars. The oasis is a lot of work, which, if I was younger wouldn't bother me at all. But even so, it's worth it all just to have, and share, so many wonders.

Oh, yes, the electrician came this morning and wired in my trash pump. That means it'll be somewhat easier and faster for me to water the oasis. It's not ideal because I still have to run both faucets at the same time, which wears me out running between the hoses to move them to the next tree. And I won't be able to have my drips anymore. But I have plenty of water and a lovely oasis. Can't have everything. Just think how terrible if I hadn't got that awesome rain two weeks ago. Most of the Big Bend hasn't had a rain yet this year.