On the Trails of IES

Trail Report for May 31, 2006

Notes and changes since last report:

The Trails

Views

  • Late last August a visitor brought in a Cecropia moth caterpillar which was found feeding on rhododendron.
  • Within a few days it had spun a cocoon.
  • We kept it outside through the winter but in a screen cage to protect it from preditors.
  • The cage should be checked every morning starting in May, and this last day of the month it emerged.
  • It is sad that the caterpillars of this and many other moths and butterflies are under attack by the fly, Compsilura concinatta, released in 1906 to control the gypsie moth. Studies of the cecropia have found as high as 85% parasitism rate.
  • Out on the trails beardtongue was blooming in the Old Gravel Pit.
  • The tiny eastern pine elfin flew by and landed in, well, a pine.
  • In the little meadow by the Fern Glen were unusual yellow day lilies.
  • One of the geometer moths was resting on a hemlock along Cary Pines Trail. It's further ID has eluded me.
  • By post #12 was a damselfly. They are frequently here and I wonder what the attraction is; it is not very near water...
  • Dame's rocket, pretty but invasive, was blooming along the Wappinger Creek Trail. It is often confused with phlox which has 5 petals.
  • Grass was parting off to the side as I passed through the Old Pasture; I paused to observe. A young racoon emerged onto the trail, took a look at me, and did a 180 back into the grass before I could snap a shot.
  • In the back Old Hayfield was blue-eyed grass, which is not actually a grass, but resides in the iris family.
  • The pearl crescent can be extremely abundant and the little wood-satyr can appear in number as well.
  • At this time, I made myself scarce.

Butterflies

  • 3 Spicebush Swallowtail
  • 2 Cabbage White
  • 2 American Copper
  • 1 Eastern Pine Elfin
  • 4 Spring Azure
  • 29 Pearl Crescent
  • 80 Little Wood-Satyr
  • 42 Common Ringlet
  • 6 Juvenal's Duskywing
  • 1 Cobweb Skipper
  • 2 Peck's Skipper
  • 7 Tawny-edged Skipper
  • 3 Hobomok Skipper

Birds

  • 2 Red-tailed Hawk
  • 1 Mourning Dove
  • 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • 1 Least Flycatcher
  • 1 Eastern Phoebe
  • 2 Eastern Kingbird
  • 1 Yellow-throated Vireo
  • 1 Warbling Vireo
  • 5 Red-eyed Vireo
  • 1 Blue Jay
  • 1 American Crow
  • 2 Tree Swallow
  • 1 Black-capped Chickadee
  • 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
  • 1 Brown Creeper
  • 1 House Wren
  • 1 Eastern Bluebird
  • 5 Veery
  • 2 Wood Thrush
  • 3 American Robin
  • 2 Gray Catbird
  • 3 Cedar Waxwing
  • 2 Blue-winged Warbler
  • 1 Black-throated Green Warbler
  • 4 Prairie Warbler
  • 1 Black-and-white Warbler
  • 3 American Redstart
  • 4 Ovenbird
  • 1 Louisiana Waterthrush
  • 1 Common Yellowthroat
  • 1 Hooded Warbler
  • 2 Eastern Towhee
  • 2 Chipping Sparrow
  • 2 Field Sparrow
  • 3 Song Sparrow
  • 1 Northern Cardinal
  • 1 Indigo Bunting
  • 1 Red-winged Blackbird
  • 2 Baltimore Oriole
  • 3 American Goldfinch

Plants

  • 1 Beardtongue
  • 1 Black-eyed Susan
  • 1 Daisy

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© 2006 Barry Haydasz