Good morning everyone on this rainy Thursday! What a difference a day makes. Yesterday it was already quite hot by this time, but today it is quite chilly… and rainy. It is just 66F (19C) right now and likely will not get much warmer unless the sun comes out. Inside it has cooled down to just 80F (about 27C). And there are no fans working today making it so nice and quiet again.

Must admit, that one fan is rather noisy. We had more rain last night, and again this morning. (😻Big day tomorrow) I hope those forest fires are also getting this rain, it is supposed to be quite widespread. There was a lot of chattering on the deck just now so I had to go take a look. I knew Jasper was out there, so I figured that Mica must have shown up and a fight started.

Here is another pic of the Northern Paper Wasp. Those critters are just so big!

I was partly right. Jasper and Jasmine were out there, plus Mica and his mate, first time I had seen her. Mica was in the box with the peanuts and Jasmine did not like that, even though she had her own peanuts on the step. So she tried to attack Mica, but that did not work so good. (😻Big day tomorrow) There are 3 ways into the box, but the squirrel on the inside has the advantage.

Here is a Tarnished Plant Bug. There are different varieties, but all have an interesting design on their backs. On some it looks like a Y, on others it looks like a heart. This one is more like a Y.

It was amazing though how much fighting they did through those small “doors”. And Jasmine would get so mad that she would stop, stand on her hind legs and do a little dance, then she would attack again. Then Mica’s mate showed up to help and Jasmine chased her all over the deck. It was fun to watch and Muffin enjoyed it all, especially the fights.

But on this one it looks more like a heart.

Squirrels can be quite mean in their fighting which is why the chipmunks always run from the squirrels. (😻Big day tomorrow) Those squirrels can really hurt the chipmunks. Speaking of chipmunks, do not forget, tomorrow is International Chipmunk Appreciation Day! Feed a chipmunk some peanuts if you can, if not, wear something brown in honor of our little chipmunk friends!

I completely forgot about Squirrel Appreciation Day which is in January. I am not sure why it is in January, but there it is. I always figured that if squirrels can have a day, then chipmunks should have one too. So I came up with a day for them. Only makes sense that they should have a day of their own. (😻Big day tomorrow!)

And with a little imagination, the face on this Flower Fly looks like an upside down heart. Okay, maybe the heat is getting to me.

Muffin seems to be excited about tomorrow too. I hope you enjoy the insect pics today, I know not everyone likes them, but they can be quite interesting, and colorful too. All for now, have a wonderful day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin. (😻🎂Big day tomorrow!🥳)

©2023 Steve McLeod.