Afternoon Walk at Beals Preserve

I was released from work at 3:30PM today for the holiday (like a school child), so I immediately escaped into the great, hot, humid outdoors.  I decided to walk at Beals Preserve and see what might be around there.  Black flies and mosquitoes were very determined to keep me company.

I stopped by Ice Pond to see what frogs might be about and happened upon a dragonfly exoskeleton.  Pretty cool.  It's the first one I've ever found.

Dragonfly exoskeleton

Here are the frogs that were near the edge of the pond.  A special thank you to Alan B, one of the SOLF volunteers who pointed out the smaller ones to me on his way to the snake area.

 Why does a frog this size still have a tail?  It seems wrong.

 And another one with a tail.  Weird.

Blue Dasher

As I hiked through the woods, I saw 5-6 Mourning Cloaks, 2 Eastern Commas and 2 Little Wood Satyrs.  Near the channel there were 2 Eastern Tailed-Blues.  

Eastern Tailed-Blue

 Eastern Comma

Indigo Bunting

(singing over the WHIP area)

On the way home I made a brief stop at Rural Cemetery on Middle Road, where there were several juvenile American Robins finding their own worms in the grass.

 American Robin