August 31, 2016

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was 70°F, overcast and calm at 10:30 AM on August 31, 2016.
• This week's trail report covers the Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.
• A gray, sprinkley day made for a quiet butterfly day - except for a Leonard's skipper.
• The wild bergamot was really winding down.

The Trails

• The New York iron weed off the far end of the Gifford House parking lot was looking good.
• A dead moth or two made me look up.
• Sure enough, a flower spider was lurking above.
• The goldenrods in the front Old Hayfield were starting to show their age.
• American goldfinch were hard to see in there, especially the females.
• Black swallowwort pods were starting to ripen - indeed, one had opened.
• The extensive roots and shoots in waiting mean pulling would be ineffective.
• And it'll be back if the whole rhizome isn't removed - it can break or sometimes there's a gap to fake you out.
• A few common wood-nymphs were out today.
• The wild bergamot was getting tired. The few blooming stands were covered with great spangled fritillaries.
• Dogbanes had stopped flowering a few weeks ago, but rather than looking tired they were forming pods.
• A Leonard's skipper was trying to catch some of the weak sun and wouldn't show its distinctive underside. I confess I was assuming it was just another Peck's until I double checked at home.
• Purple loosestrife was throughout the Sedge Meadow.
• Earlier, a large owl (maybe) had fled through the tree line from the front to the back Old Hayfield.
• High in a maple lurked a large fungus instead.
• Under foot were tiny moths that typically blend in with the grass stalks that they cling to.
• On the Wappinger Creek Trail, I backed up to check the fungus on the broken tree from weeks before.
• It was all but gone. I must have missed it.
• Perhaps I shall have another chance - it appeared a new one was growing.
• Next week: the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.