On the Trails of IES

Views

• The grounds of the Gifford House are always good for birding.
• The garlic mustard is getting higher around the Old Oak and fungus.
• A great feather was in the middle of the path at the edge of the Old Pasture.
• Barberry was one of many shrubs leafing out now.
• A bright little wasp was sunning on the leaf litter.
• Violets and toothwort were abundant in places along the Wappingers Creek Trail.
• The Cary Pines Trail interrupted great colonies of wild lilly of the valley.
• A pink crab apple tree was a nice sight as you come out to the road to the Fern Glen.
• I stopped to get a better shot of the snow flake like flowers of miterwort.
• Jacob's Ladder were blooming at the pond's edge.
• Mayflies were hovering over the adjoining lawn.
• Before entering the woods again I paused to scan the dandelions and was rewarded with an Eastern pine elfin.
• This new butterfly for the Trails - and for me! - moved on to the abundant ground ivy and lingered long enough to delight several passers by.
• And the sun came out a little bit, too.

Butterflies

• 4 Cabbage White
• 1 Eastern Pine Elfin
• 3 Spring Azure

Insects

• Mayfly

Birds

• 1 Wild Turkey
• 1 Turkey Vulture
• 1 Belted Kingfisher
• 1 Downy Woodpecker
• 1 Northern Flicker
• 2 Eastern Phoebe
• 1 Yellow-throated Vireo
• 3 Blue Jay
• 2 American Crow
• 3 Black-capped Chickadee
• 2 Tufted Titmouse
• 1 Carolina Wren
• 2 House Wren
• 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• 1 Eastern Bluebird
• 7 American Robin
• 1 Louisiana Waterthrush
• 1 Eastern Towhee
• 4 Chipping Sparrow
• 2 Field Sparrow
• 1 White-throated Sparrow
• 1 Northern Cardinal
• 1 Red-winged Blackbird
• 3 Brown-headed Cowbird
• 1 House Finch
• 3 American Goldfinch
• 2 House Sparrow

Plants

• Toothwort
• Violet
• Wood anemone
• Miterwort
• Jacob's ladder