On the wet side was another: two northern pearly-eyes flying about in apparent argument. Some butterflies are territorial and investigate any passerby, courting females and driving off rivals. NPEs seem committed to that practice.
A more cooperative group was on the Wappinger Creek Trail: researchers dragging for ticks.
On the other side of the creek, a patch of Japanese knotweed was blooming.
This vigorous invasive has distinctive leaves that make ID easy even when not in flower. It spreads more by root than by seed.
A noise in the leaves at my feet drew my attention - a sneaky American green frog was getting closer to the creek... just to make sure.
A puff of gray off the side of the Cary Pines Trail was all that was left of a yellow jacket's nest that had been a meal for something else.
Near the front of the Fern Glen pond, bottle gentian was blooming. It's also called closed gentian...
Just behind it, turtlehead was about to bloom - I'm not sure I remember it being in this location.
Back in the fen, rough-leaved goldenrod was blooming. It's large basal leaves and wet habitat makes this goldenrod easy to ID.
The leaves always made me think it was witchhazel, but the little cones meant alder.
And the little orange butterfly I saw on the woolly aphids Monday had to be the harvester - our only carnivorous butterfly: it's caterpillar feeds on woolly aphids.
On the other side of the boardwalk, tiny water speedwell was blooming.
The roundish lower leaves and dry woods location are more obvious to me than the namesake kinky stem.
I paused in the Old Gravel Pit to see what might be traveling with a noisy pack of chickadees and titmice - the dragonfly was not what I had in mind, but it sat right in front of me - the prairy warbler did not...
Farther along, one of those real big dragonflies stopped and hung out just long enough.
I would have liked to sit and enjoy the view and warm, pine scented breezes along the Scotch Pine Alleé, but...
