Critters in the Garden Salad Bar

We have been keeping a low profile recently while waiting out a prolonged spell of awfully hot and humid weather. With not much going on perhaps an update on critters and other things in the garden might tide us over until something more exciting comes along.

 Here is one of the twin Bambi's after a rainstorm.

 The self-seeded dill was very prolific this year but it does make for a pretty contrast with the salvia and ageratum.

 Nine days later and the Bambi ears seem to have grown rapidly!

 Every year I am resigned to finding these on my tomato plants. Up to now I thought they were the tomato hookworm but I happened to be looking in my garden book and discover that they are actually the tobacco hookworm. Tomato hookworm have only white stripes and a black hook while this one has black outlining the white stripes and a red hook. Both are found on tomato plants which they defoliate at a rapid pace. Although I did pick off seven of these critters on this day I might just as well have left them there as my plants are not doing well at all this year. Very little fruit has gown and that which has is barely ripening.

 This was the only almost-red regular sized tomato I had seen until one day I looked out the window and did not see it. Closer inspection revealed that some critter thought it was theirs to devour and was rude enough to leave the remains laying there for me to find.

 One critter that is very welcome in the garden is the swallowtail butterfly and this has been a banner year for them with dozens and dozens of them each day lately. Sadly I have yet to see a monarch butterfly this year.

 In this instance there were three fawns all here together - one is unseen behind the bush, one thinks it is unseen under the bush and the most bold is perhaps the ringleader.

 I am not sure what this critter is but it is taking lessons from the swallowtail and hanging out on the coneflowers.

 On the deck I have a purple and green scheme going on this year.

 More from the deck plant-pots. Ordinarily there would by now be hummingbirds investigating the flowers but we are only seeing one lonely hummer this season to date.

 Another swallowtail.

 Bees also like the coneflowers.

 Coneflowers at sundown.

Wait, which way should I run?