Finally, on the Wappinger Creek trail, two weeks late - unless I just missed them - were banded hairstreaks.
Unlike most butterflies, that open their wings to the sun, hairstreaks usually take it broadside in "lateral basking".
I was pretty sure I'd seen the Appalachian brown behind the Sedge Meadow already. Indeed I had; it's just that there's been few of them this year.
One black-eyed Susan in the back Old Hayfield seemed to have a bump on it. It was an American copper, and looking very fresh too.
As it got dark and started to sprinkle, things slowed down... including the camera's shutter: a snowberry clearwing's wings were just about invisible. The tail was invisible because it was gone.
The front view, if a little blurry, shows what I like to call suspenders: the dark two stripes that the hummingbird clearwing does not have.
A surprise appearance of a coral hairstreak was nice.
While unsuccessfully trying to find it again for a photo, I did find and photo a Delaware skipper .
The thunder overhead conviced me not to press my luck further, but to press on instead.
It was raining lightly and kind of pleasantly right up until I reached the car, then it really opened up.
