A Stroll Around the Garden

Later this afternoon, I took the camera out to see what I could find in the garden.  I never did find that Rufous Sided Towhee, but I did catch a glimpse, and a photo of this Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum).  They often nest in our hedges.

Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) visit our relatively open front yard frequently, Georgia has been disappointed that they won't visit the feeders in the back, even when we put out freeze dried meal worms for them.  However, the squirrels are happy to add a protein rich food like that to their diet.

I've seen a lot of little blue butterflies flying around the top of our backyard apple tree, and into the hemlock, but they rarely alight long enough to take a picture.  This very worn one landed in the yard long enough for me to get a picture, and to...

 ...snatch it up.  It looks like it might be a Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), or some very closely related butterfly.  There are lots and lots of them, and the differences are not all that easy to see.  Close enough.  When I let it go it flitted off.

I also saw the first Zebra Swallowtail of the year (Eurytides marcellus).  This butterfly's host plant (what it's caterpillars feed on) is the Paw Paw, which we have great numbers of in our back lot, but this one was sipping nectar from our Periwinkle (Vinca minor).