Some Odes and Leps of August 15

 I went down to Rondeau again this morning for lack of any other idea.  Fewer birds today and there was not much action on the lake compared to yesterday.  Hundreds of gulls and terns on the east beach though.

Spot-winged Glider at Rondeau

I stopped by Keith McLean C. L. on the way out.  There is good shorebird habitat near the back along the creek.  You just have to walk back and along the dike.  Good number of birds, but nothing of note.  I expect something soon (probably on a weekday) since we are at the peak of shorebird migration!

The day was still young, so I thought I would check out the riverbank east of Thamesville.  The river is running high again, and lots of muck to watch out for, so habitat is limited.  However, I did see a single Smoky Rubyspot in short order!  This was the only one there, and it is early for them, so more to come.

This location is better than the bridge south of Thamesville since there is more area to cover and the bank is not as steep.  My photos are from a distance, highly cropped. I could not get close due to the muck!

Lots of Blue-fronted Dancers here plus Stream Bluet and Eastern Forktail.  Not a lot of odes today.

Eastern Forktail

Of course, there is the ever-abundant American Rubyspot.

It was another nice clear day, so I relaxed on the back deck this afternoon watching the garden.  I saw at least eight species of butterflies.  Highlight was my first-of-year Common Checkered Skippers.  The first one never really settled and I could not get a decent shot.

Later, I saw another, which nectared on the clover in the lawn.

Photos show this is a second individual.

Some other species included Red-spotted Purple and Peck's Skipper.  There were at least four Peck's today.

I do have a butterfly bush which is attractive to insects.  Lots of Purple Coneflower (which started from a single plant!), but that is long past its prime.  Not really a native plant to Ontario, but nice to have in the garden.

Scene from earlier in the summer

Looks like rain all week (better than on the weekend!), but perhaps the forecast will be wrong yet again.  Who knows!