The last one especially with the butterfly, just stunning!

It's a fritillary among the lavender. I've noticed a yellow swallowtail on my lilacs a couple of days recently, but I was too lazy to grab the camera and try to get a shot. They move a lot. And it was windy. Plus it was the middle of the day, with bright sun, when I noticed the swallowtail(s), so, not the best light.

but they do, indeed, get their share!

it was supposed to be too hot for squirrels to eat, but just fine for birds. 3 guesses how that worked out? The squirrels loved it.

One place we lived, we had a pair of squirrels that teamed up. One would hang by its toes from above the feeder to scoop seeds out, while the other one stayed on the ground below to catch all the seeds the first one droppped. It was the damnedest thing!

What a nice way to start the day!

It little later this year in the Sierra of Calif..

and one of three I've seen in the last few days between my front porch and courtyard. It's lizard like behavior to puff himself up to look more threatening to predators. I guess he saw me as a threat with my camera-- following him--as he ran along the retaining wall. There was a second one on one of my porch pillars at the same time. Maybe they had been courting?

The anole is a small to medium-sized lizard, with a slender body. The head is long and pointed with ridges between the eyes and nostrils, and smaller ones on the top of the head. The toes have adhesive pads to facilitate climbing. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, the males being fifteen percent larger.[4] Adult males within a population can be classified within a heavyweight and a lightweight morph.[5] The male dewlap (throat fan) is three times the size of the female's and bright orange to red, whereas that of the female is lighter in color. The dewlap is usually pink for Anolis carolinensis (more orange-red in A. sagrei) and is very rarely present in females. The color of the dewlap is variable and different from the lizard eye to the human eye. Green anoles are thought to be capable of seeing a larger range of the UV spectrum, and that the dewlap reflects ultraviolet light to attract mates.[6] Female anoles do, however, often have a dorsal line down their back. Extension of the dewlap from the throat is used for communication. Males can form a pronounced dorsal ridge behind the head when displaying or when under stress. Females and juveniles have a prominent white stripe running along their spine, a feature most males lack.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anolis_carolinensis

Garden critters!

and.....he is