Phenology for 6/1/11

Sunday was expected to be the first 90-degree day. At the Cat Sanctuary it didn't quite make it, but yesterday (Tuesday) did.

I don't remember all the wildlife information for the week. The robins seem to have settled into the woods along the road; they no longer lead me away from the nest but I still see and hear them in the trees. Robins usually like grassy spots. Their territory includes a grassy area about the size of a large parking space. Apparently that's enough for them.

Yesterday afternoon, in the orchard, I saw a newly hatched luna moth, still clinging to a weed stalk, drying its wings. According to this site, it was male--the antennae looked like horns. The fluffy white body and thin bare legs reminded me of a cicada.

Butterflies in general: What seem to be the next generation of Tiger Swallowtails have hatched, and a few more Spring Azures. A Red Admiral has been attracted to the flowering privet hedge. (According to this site, it must have been hungry...I don't see this species often.)

Beside a busy highway, I also noticed one of the Anglewings (no, not "angel wings"). These are attractive mid-sized butterflies with jagged-edged (angled), spotted orange wings. A quick web search found several images of butterflies in the genus Polygonia but the large, clear pictures I found all seemed to be different species than mine; there probably are web sites that show good clear pictures of Comma and Question Mark butterflies, for free--I just didn't find one. Anyway, they're another group of butterflies that function as scavengers, show more interest in nasty rotten stuff than in flowers, and are often noticed as pretty "flying flowers."

Flowers: More vetch and clover, lots of celandine, honeysuckle. Wild red roses are starting to bloom. Between the privet and the honeysuckle, the air in the front yard is too sweet.