Blooms and birds

There are now sundrops (probably Oenothera fruiticosa) blooming in the savanna. Since it was blooming during the day, I assume it is not the related evening-primrose (O. biennis) though I note that there are several other members of this genus that also grow in this area, and Peterson's Field Guide notes that they commonly hybridize. This morning, while we were standing on our log pile picking out a log to make into benches for the barnyard, we admired a garter snake that was waiting for the sun to warm things up. Then I saw a common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) flit into the brush. The bandit mask on this warbler made identification easy, and we were in the woods above the cattail marsh—habitat where you'd expect to see one.