Last Week
- Last week was cool and mostly cloudy - not a promising day for a guest from the Waterman Bird Club to find butterflies.
- When the clouds did occasionally part, stands of goldenrod in the Old Hayfields glowed in the sun.
- On one such occasion a monarch floated by and landed for us to observe. It turned out to be the less noble viceroy - a notorious mimic of the monarch.
- As we circled the field, a large dark butterfly flew between us and disappeared into the tree line. The flash of a pale border made mourning cloak an easy call... and explained what we had run 1/2 way across the field for earlier.
- At the entrance to the Sedge Meadow Trail, a moth darted around us and landed low on a goldenrod. It wasn't a good color to hide on.
- Although it didn't appear too worn, the markings were too obscure for me to ID it.
- Towards the end of the trail we could hear, far in the distance, a raven's call.
- In the back Old Hayfield, we admired dogbane seed pods which belied their membership to the milkweed family.
- Farther along, we were wondering if we would run into the large black and yellow argiope spiders, when we almost walked into the web of something different.
- Along the Wappinger Creek Trail, a dead log was coming alive with mushrooms.
- Close up, they were a pure waxy white.
- There was a fascinating view from every angle.
- On the back side of the log, a rogue was discovered in their midst.
- As we turned to move on, we found a different colony on the neighboring log.
- Down the trail as we approached the "Appendix" we paused to look into the sounds of chickadees crossing our path. We were happy to find yellow-throated, blue-headed and red-eyed vireos accompanying them. (That would make one interesting bird...) And a magnolia warbler, too.
- Not too shabby for a cloudy day.
This Week
- Another cloudy day. Oh well, it's mild.
- In the meadow above the Fern Glen, the zabulon skipper was still about seeking the occasional patch of sun.
- There was a stand of pearly everlasting that I don't think I'd noticed before.
- A closer inspection was called for.
- On the Cary Pines trail, the bright blue of a blue jay feather in the leaf litter caught my attention.
- I noticed that we were surrounded by partridge berry.
- In the flood plain of the Wappinger Creek Trail, I paused at the bird crossing to spy a ruby-crowned kinglet, then thought I'd photo the ripening spicebush berries.
- In the lower left corner, I noticed, was a little white dangle. Go ahead, look again; I'll wait.
- I always see a little ball suspended like that and don't know what it is. Could these be hatched eggs of some kind?
- The leaves were beginning to turn golden and I sat a while waiting for just a little sun to fall upon the creek.
- As I rose to leave, I turned and found myself face to face with quite a large pair of mushrooms.
- Continuing to leave, I noticed a favorite: spotted wintergreen.
- As the trail rises to the bluff, a big turkey feather was hard to miss.
- I was surprised to find a winterberry in the Old Pasture; I never knew it was there.
- The croak of a raven low overhead drew my attention away. There were two soaring in circles above me!
- After they were out of sight, I returned to the berries, then headed for the my lunch destination: the bench.
- This was the right time and place for Leonard's skipper; I'd seen it once before here and hoped to make it twice.
- A pearl crescent and an American copper quickened the heart, but that was the only "twice" I would enjoy today.
- On my way out, I noticed a cocoonish affair in the little bluestem.
- At my inspection a spider startled me by dropping out of the bottom and we both scattered.
- In the back Old Hayfield, a small dark moth took flight and actually landed where I could see it. Dead center - here, look closer.
- Very wary, it was off in a flash, but I followed it and got a better look. Finally. I've flushed a few of these lately, but never got a good look until now.
- A cedar waxwing in the front Old Hayfield allowed a fair photo.
- Butter and eggs were looking good below.
- And I went home to spend some time and relaxing trying, without success, to identify this report's moths.
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Birds
- 1 Turkey Vulture
- 1 Belted Kingfisher
- 6 Blue Jay
- 1 American Crow
- 2 Common Raven
- 9 Black-capped Chickadee
- 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- 1 American Robin
- 1 Gray Catbird
- 2 Cedar Waxwing
- 2 Eastern Towhee
- 3 Field Sparrow
- 4 American Goldfinch
Butterflies
- 1 Cabbage White
- 2 Clouded Sulphur
- 3 Orange Sulphur
- 1 American Copper
- 1 Great Spangled Fritillary
- 1 Pearl Crescent
- 1 Eastern Comma
- 1 Zabulon Skipper
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