Long Hill and Appleton Farms

It was pouring rain when I woke up this  morning.  Ugh.  Not very hopeful for getting outdoors today.  When the clouds started breaking up around 11:30, though, I hopped in the car and headed back to the North Shore.  After visiting Appleton Farms yesterday, I read about another Trustees of the Reservations property near it that sounded very interesting.  Long Hill, located in Beverly, has beautiful garden rooms around an estate home, flanked by 100+ acres of woodland, as well as an apple orchard, meadow, children's garden, and agricultural fields.  I read five acres of flowers in the brochure, and that sounded like a good butterfly location.  Trees were still dripping from the morning rains when I arrived, and I can't say that I ever saw five acres of flowers, but it was a beautiful stop.

The first thing I noticed were some very vocal guinea fowl.  I heard them almost my entire visit, no matter where I was on the property.  I wouldn't want to have a neighbor who owned guinea fowl!

I then explored Sedgwick Gardens, the garden rooms around the estate house.  Beautiful!

Sapphire Berry Tree

At first I thought this was a garden decoration, but when I saw the wet tracks out of the pool, I knew he was real!

Autumn Crocus

From here I walked down the hill, through the orchard and to the CSA fields and flower fields.

Peck's Skipper

Cabbage White

Clouded Sulphur

Since the day was getting more beautiful by the minute, I plugged in the address for Appleton Farms and found it only 6 miles away, so I thought a return visit was in order.  Maybe I could get a ventral view of a Silver-Bordered Fritillary....

The first butterflies I spotted were Pearl Crescents, with the male in hot pursuit of the female.

Pearl Crescents, courting

Silver-Bordered Fritillary (dorsal view)

Bronze Copper

Clouded Sulphur

Here's my side shot of the Silver-Bordered Fritillary.  

The head is blurred by grass, but I love the wings!

Pearl Crescents

Eastern Tailed Blue

Bronze Copper posing beautifully on asters

Pearl Crescents

Here are some of the beautiful views from around the property.  Would love to come back when the leaves are in peak foliage.