WTD#10 - Here Comes The Sun! (please)

Whew - here it is July already, just like that  If the forecast is correct, we are finally in for some summer weather.  Yesterday I picked the first few ripe Saskatoons on the Dove Hill trail, where Dawg and I squeezed in a quick walk while the rain held off.  The huckleberries will be next, and then we will be in the hills with our buckets again.  Meanwhile we are enjoying our strolls in the valley, despite the burgeoning bug population that this wet spring has fostered.

These Killdeer were enjoying a temporary pond created by the high level of the Slocan River.  They always look so worried, and their eyes look totally fake, like they were ripped off from a teddy bear.

A Belted Kingfisher was perched on a mullein stem, overlooking the same pond.

A honeybee gathering nectar from a Showy Aster, along the Slocan Rail Trail.

The Slocan River is the backdrop for these Daisies along the rail trail.

This Western Tanager gave me a very brief moment to snap a photo before it flitted off again.  I don't get to see them that often, although they do nest in our area.

Mock Orange (aka Syringa) is in bloom everywhere right now.

The Lorquin's Admiral butterfly is also very common this time of year.  This one is perched on a Mock Orange blossom.

A Common Harebell, along the rail trail.

Side view of a Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, nectaring on Spreading Dogbane flowers.

Looking straight down on the flower head of a Birch-leaved Spirea, with some flowers open and some still in buds.  This was taken on the Elk Cutoff trail (Dove Hill).

Ocean Spray is abundant and in bloom in the Dove Hill area (and elswhere).

These two Elegant Day Moths were mating right on the Dove Hill trail.  I moved the piece of Knapweed they were attached to off to the side so they wouldn't get trampled. 

Another angle.  The wild colours remind me of  '60's tie-dye art.

This little beetle seemed to be gorging on nectar from the Spirea flowers.  No idea what it is, but it has cool markings on its back.

Low elevation Thimbleberry flowers have pretty much run their course and now the fruit is forming.

A Bald-faced Hornet is nectaring on Snowberry flowers

Tentative ID of this butterfly is an Arrowhead Blue, also nectaring on the Snowberry blossoms.  These flowers were just loaded with all kinds of wasps, bumblebees, butterflies and other insects.  Their nectar must be very nourishing, or accessible, or plentiful, to attract so many feeders.

The Tiger Lilies are fading fast now, so I thought it was worth one last look for the season.

A bee working on a Meadow Buttercup blossom.  The Meadow Buttercup is actually an invasive species, albeit long established, from Europe.

I haven't been able to identify this little butterfly resting on the wild rose flower.

There's just nothing like a day out in the natural world to soothe the soul, eh buddy?

"Amen to that!"