June 27, 2018

• It was 67°F, cloudy and calm at 2:00 PM on June 27, 2018.
• This week's trail report covers the Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.
• Gray and mist didn't make for a great butterfly day, but other interesting insects were out.
• Returning butterflies included Appalachian brown and little glassy-wing.

The Trails

• Just before the trail head at Gifford House, common milkweed had started blooming.
• On the other side of the path, invasive bird feeder escapee, Canada thistle, had started, too.
• Along the start of the trail, Deptford pink was dotting the edges.
• Closer to the ground, birdfoot trefoil was out.
• Click beetles were in the tall grasses.
• An ambush bug, lurking in a yarrow, had snagged a fly.
• At the corner of the field, pink yarrow was in its usual spot.
• A dark wedge darted by; it was the first little glassywing of this season.
• It looked like a lightning bug in the intermediate dogbane.
• There was little doubt when its abdomen was exposed.
• At least four ambush bugs were in the dogbane... along with the corpse of a bee that had been taken.
• A long-legged fly was safe on a neighboring leaf.
• On another leaf, a predacious ladybug larva was patrolling.
• Around the other edge of the field, white avens was blooming and forming seeds.
• Near the exit, moth mullein was rising out of the tall grasses.
• On the Sedge Meadow Trail, berries of invasive honeysuckle were ripening
• Native black black raspberry (or black caps) were still red - not ripe.
• A little wood-satyr posed for me.
• Fleeing from leaf to leaf was a grapeleaf skeletonizer moth.
• Deeper in the Sedge Meadow, an Appalachian brown was presenting a rare view of its upper side.
• Invasive prlvet had started in several places.
• Spreading dogbane was looking pretty along the edge of the back Old Hayfield.
• Black-eyed Susan was making a appearance, too.
• The eight-spotted forester is always a nice day-flying moth to find.
• It's usually the Fern Glen where one finds fringed loosestrife, but here it was too.
• On the Wappinger Creek Trail, shinleaf was in its usual spot by the watershed kiosk.
• The book says usually yellow for the Canada lily.
• But orange seems more familiar to me.
• Next week: the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.