I believe this is a sharp-shinned hawk or possibly a cooper's hawk.

It was early morning and this monarch was not moving. Too cool to get going.

Spreading pollen on the aster.

They love the yellow this time of year.

The golden sulphurs enjoy the asters.

Sex on the Russian Sage. They were there for several hours. The looks they gave me about watching them...

I envy you your bees. I've got the flowers but no bees or butterflies.

Great photos. It is nice to see that you have a very busy neighborhood,
Thanks for posting.

Reminds me of a story I saw on TV. A city in Poland has a zoo, that has an area for a farm animals. There are a couple of donkeys ,male and female that has been together for about 10 years and they have been "doing it" in front of visitors for all that time.
A conservative politician got offended and somehow got the zoo to put up a fence separating the two.Thousands of Poles got on the social media protested and the fence came down.

Very nice pictures from Jim, the Eye! Nothing escapes you, does it?
Good story about the donkeys, WG

Why did the slug cross the road?

'Cause he doesn't have enough sense to know he's going to get squashed by a car tire? :Jim, your pictures are great; please keep sharing them with us--even the 'indelicate' ones! LOL

Because it wanted to get to the other side.