July 04, 2012

Notes and changes since last report

• 85°F, partly cloudy and calm at 1:30 PM.
• It's been pretty warm and we haven't had any rain to speak of for a while.
• The Appalachian brown and dun skipper were back.
• In the Fern Glen, Turk's-cap lily was having a good year.

The Trails

• In the front Old Hayfield, the amazing dogbane beetle was on the Indian hemp - a dogbane.
• Also out there was the yellow-collared scape moth.
• On the Sedge Meadow Trail, a northern pearly-eye posed in the sun.
• And just a little farther along was the first Appalachian brown of the season.
• More of them could be seen from the little view point into the marsh where bittersweet nightshade hung overhead.
• In the back Old Hayfield, the northern broken-dash was ramping up in numbers.
• And there was the coral hairstreak that I missed last week!
• What is this on the Wappinger Creek Trail? One of the skullcaps? No, it's hemp nettle!
• Close to the road in the Fern Glen, tall bellflower was blooming. Most were blue, but a few were almost white.
• Something zoomed over my head and landed in the spicebush branch above me. From the shadow it was obviously a dragonfly - one might even hazzard a guess which one.
• Along the boardwalk in the fen, monkey flower was blooming early this season.
• Just a splash away, swamp milkweed was beginning to bloom; it's a redder pink than common milkweed.
• At the bend in the boardwalk, elderberry was forming berries.
• Farther along in the shrub swamp, horse-balm was beginning to form flower spikes.
• Across from the deck, green-headed coneflower - was also budding.
• On either side of the path up to the stone bridge, spotted wintergreen was opening. I never realized it had a scent.
• At the side of the pond, Culver's root was beginning to bloom and Turk's-cap lily was doing real well.
• The front of the pond had lizard's-tail and broad-leaved arrowhead.
• On my way out of the Glen, I stopped and backed up for a photo when I didn't spook a large lace-border.
• One last stop was in the Little Bluestem Meadow when I couldn't pass up a good view of a female northern broken-dash warming in the low afternoon sun.
• Then I was gone to cool off.