September 20, 2017

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was 73°F, cloudy and windy at 1:15 PM on September 20, 2017.
• This week's trail report covers the Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.
• There were a lot of small but interesting things today.
• Caterpillars were among them.

The Trails

• The front Old Hayfiled looked bleak today.
• But in the back, black walnuts were dropping from the trees.
• A handsome cranefly was hanging out by that one nut.
• It was the big hickory tussock moth caterpillar that I noticed first. It had eaten most of its leaf.
• On another leaf, a stonefly was patrolling.
• A few branches away were the shriveled remains of another caterpillar.
• Orange tumbled to the ground and disappeared: an eastern comma.
• It would open to try to catch some of the feeble sun.
• Dogbane leaves were turning bright yellow.
• One of those psychedelic candy-striped leafhoppers was not hiding well.
• On the Sedge Meadow Trail, a large fall webworm was on the edge of the recently trimmed path.
• A dogwood sawfly larva was just past it.
• I expected more leaves down on the boardwalk.
• Little asters were going strong in the Sedge Meadow proper.
• In the back Old Hayfield, one of the net-winged beetles was having a rough time negotiating a plant stalk.
• Indeed, it took several attempts to just fly away.
• In the back of the field, invasive burning bush had ramped up from single leaves to branches of color.
• It was not a good place for a leaf-footed bug to try to hide.
• Spicebush leaves were turning bright yellow.
• It was no problem for silver-spotted skippers to hide in the little remaining wild bergamot.
• Likewise, an orange sulphur had but to remain still to be nearly invisible.
• Forage looper moths could blend in with dead leaves, too.
• On the Wappinger Creek Trail, the exuvia of a cicada still clung to a hemlock along the bluff over the creek.
• At the bottom of the hill, leaves on the path were more as I had expected.
• On the bank above the creek was a nice example of wreath goldenrod.
• Just that little splash of color from the burning bush made the view down the creek special.
• Along the banks, Japanese stilt grass could be found in large patches.
• This invasive is easily identified by the shiny mid rib of the leaf.
• As a late bloomer, its tall flower stalks make it easy to spot among other grasses that have already finished.
• Following a stalk down to the stilt like roots lets one pull up the whole plant vs. one stalk.
• It's a satisfying pull and an area can be cleared much more quickly that would be thought.
• At this stage, with seeds, plants should not be left lying but destroyed.
• Next week: the Cary Pines Trail side of the trail system.