July 03, 2019

It was 80°F and partly cloudy with light breezes at 12:30 PM on July 3, 2019.
Northern pearly-eye, common wood-nymph, banded hairstreak, and "the Witches" were back.
This week's trail report covers the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.

The common milkweed along the Gifford House parking was all in bloom.
There was little butterfly activity, but an immature bug - perhaps one of the leaf-legged bugs - was interesting.
Of course the red milkweed beetle was easy to find.
In the Fern Glen, spikenard was just starting to bloom.
The many tiny blossoms attract a variety of insects.
On the banks over the fen, purple-flowering raspberry was blooming. Interestingly, this raspberry is thornless.
Along the fen's boardwalk, royal fern could be studied with fertile and sterile frond sections both.
Limber honeysuckle berries were even taking on some color while a little spider egg case hid among them.
In a number of places, bittersweet nightshade was blooming.
Male winterberry flowers were small, but easy to spot. Look for female flowers on separate plants.
In front of the pond, some leaves of the river birch bore bright red velvet galls, produced by a mite.
At the back of the pond, Joe_Pye weed was budding up.
In the limestone cobble, lopseed was getting ready to bloom as well.
Back out on the trails, the first banded hairstreaks of the season had appeared.
Next week: the Wappinger Creek side of the trail system.

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