Baby Barn Swallows!

I visited Hopkinton State Park today, in spite of threatening skies and managed to squeak a walk in with only a light sprinkle of rain towards the end.  Many of the nests on the beach house had baby birds in them, and the parents were busy gathering food to bring back to their young.  I noticed several of the parents were having good luck with food gathering (flies and other insects) near the dumpster.  Smart birds.  Because the nests are tucked up under the eaves of the building, and because I did not want to stress the parent birds by getting too close, it was hard to get good photos on a cloudy day.  I'll try to go back when it's sunny.

Fuzzy Wuzzies

Proud parent

Barely big enough to show above the rim of the nest cup

(the feathers are included in the nest as lining, or decoration)

Proud parents

Largest brood of the day

Next, I walked along the edge of the lower swimming area at the base of the dam.

Killdeer on the beach wall

Hop Clover (non-native)

Viceroy

Rosa rugosa (non-native)

Common Ringlet

Common Yarrow (native)

Eastern Tailed-Blue
(very worn, but tails are present)

Blue-Eyed Grass (native)

Moth

I think the above moth is in the Snout family, but I can't figure out which one, or even be sure if that's right!

Common Ringlet

Peck's Skipper

I returned via a mowed path halfway up the slope of the dam.  There were tons of Common Ringlets and skippers along this path, one of the few areas left in its natural state (excluding the path itself).

There was a virtual explosion of pink bubble gum color at the entrance gatehouse, where the laurel is near full bloom.  I had to stop!