It's still been pretty warm with virtually no rain... that would change today.
The common ringlet's 2nd brood was coming out and the tawny-edged skipper was making an appearance.
In the Fern Glen, things were slowing down, but there were some new blooms and others were getting ready.
The Trails
Braving the noon day heat in the Gifford parking lot was not in vain and the chewed up milkweed leaves did not lie: at least three monarch caterpillars were on one plant.
The trail in the front Old Hayfield was getting crisp from the heat and lack of rain.
Another surprise was the large Argiope, or orb-weaver spider, that I almost walked into.
Though, heading for the shade, I had to examine some strange limpet-like objects on the dogbane.
At first glance, they seemed uninhabited. But at second glance, the walls appeared to be made of eggs.
The forecast was for thunder showers this afternoon; "was this a harbinger?" I wondered.
On the high section of the Sedge Meadow Trail, butter-and-eggs were just hanging on - in fact it was loosing blossoms as I watched.
An American copper was leading the way as I continued along.
In the back Old Hayfield, meadow fritillary presented a rare opportunity for a photo.
The sun was behind rumbling clouds as I back tracked onto the Sedge Meadow Trail. A silver-spotted skipper dove under a leaf for cover but was too skittish for a photo. Another sillouette did not flee before me; I stopped to examine it:
It was a painted lichen moth. Charming. For a moment I forgot about the changing weather.
The Old Pasture was active, but the sky above was increasingly so; I could no longer ignore it and had to leave with some uncertain IDs.
It was now quite dark and windy on the Wappinger Creek Trail, but there was no doubt it was northern pearly-eyes flying at me like leaves in the wind.
The eventual rain was pretty hard but it was the lightning overhead that sent me packing for the Carriage House.
It didn't last long and I continued to the Fern Glen pausing in the Norway Spruce Glade along the road to watch the return to life-as-usual. One of the skippers seemed a little small - it was a tawny-edged! I wasn't sure I'd seen one yet this year.
In the Glen proper, climbing hempweed was just barely beginning to bloom.
Back in the shrub swamp, horse-balm was coming into bloom.
At the front of the pond, boneset was getting ready to do the same.
Eloquent in any situation, a clymene moth was perching along the trail through the Old Gravel Pit.
