Nature Walk at BHCL

Thank you to every one of the sixteen people who came out for the nature walk from 12-1 at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land!  Although we didn't have bright sunshine, at least we didn't have rain, and we managed to see a fair number of butterflies:

1. Black Swallowtail
2. Cabbage White
3. Clouded Sulphur
4. Common Ringlet
5. Eastern Tailed-Blue
6. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
7. European Skipper
8. Northern Cloudywing
9. Pearl Crescent
10. Peck's Skipper
11. Question Mark
12. Little Wood Satyr

Bird sightings were few, but the favorite had to be an Indigo Bunting:

American Goldfinch
Double Crested Cormorant (fly-by)
Eastern Bluebird
Indigo Bunting
Mallard
Red Tailed Hawk (soaring overhead)
Song Sparrow

I didn't take too many photos during the walk, but I did take a couple insects from just before it started.

Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle on Curly Dock

Cylindrical Weevil

European Skipper

The rest are from our walk.  This butterfly was a nice surprise, and spotted by one of our participants!  I have trouble telling Eastern Commas from Question Marks in the field, but once home and on the computer, it is clearly a Question Mark.  Nice butterfly!

Question Mark

(The small white marking on the wing looks like a question mark and gives it its name.)

  European Skippers mating

Indigo Bunting

Whorled Yellow Loosestrife

mystery caterpillars
Sawfly larvae

first blooming Milkweed of the year!

I love this beautiful flower!