Butterflies at BHCL

Memorial Day was pretty rainy until mid afternoon when the sun finally broke through the clouds. There were small patches of blue sky.  It seemed ideal for a quick walk at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land.  I was hoping butterflies would be on the wing due to the weather conditions.

I believe this is a Long Dash

Black Swallowtail

Hobomok Skipper ??

Indigo Bunting

  

Common Speedwell

Little Wood Satyr

Dusted Skipper

Wild Geraniums

Northern Cloudywing

I was hanging around the wild geraniums for a while, looking for pollinators, setting up my tripod, etc.  The wild turkey was in the meadow behind the geraniums, a bit up the hill.  A little later, a White-Tailed Deer walked through that same area.  You can tell the property was quieter than normal because of the rainy day, because normally, I would think these types of wildlife would be scared off by the dog walkers.

Wild Turkey

Two Pearl Crescents on wild geranium

(the one on the right was trying to gain the attention of the one on the left)

Tree Swallow

Common Vetch

Garden Bird''s Foot Trefoil

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

American Copper

(Note blue spots, which are not often found on this species)

Northern Flicker

American Painted Lady

(Thanks to Lucy M. for pointing out my erroneous ID)

I had just looked at this butterfly and taken this photo when I saw the above butterfly, and I assumed they were the same individual and stopped paying attention!  Oops!

American Lady

Spicebush Swallowtail

(way off in the distance, but identifiable)

It was flying around the Sassafrass!

Common Ringlet

There was a couple photographing something on the ground near the new pollinator garden, and the man was trying to move grass stems out of the way for the photo.  Surprise, surprise.  It was a Snapping Turtle.  Who knows from whence it came and which way it was heading, but it seemed a strange place to find one.

Snapping Turtle

Gray Catbird

Prairie Warbler

Boy, after yesterdays temps in the 90s, today's temps were only in the mid 60s.  What a difference.

Gerri and I walked at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus/Wakefield.  We walked a loop paved road for about 45 minutes and saw lots of Pink Ladyslippers (probably at least 20).   We also saw Yellow Star Grass, False Solomon's Seal, Starflowers, and Canada Mayflowers.

  

  

Later afternoon, Freddie and I walked the Sherborn Power Line trail, via Barber Reservation.  It was still cool with no sun, so butterflies were scarce.

White Faced Dot Tail

While I was concentrating on photographing the above moth, Freddie was busy checking out what she thought was a possible hive from last year.  A closer look with binoculars revealed a Prairie Warbler sitting in a very tiny, soft nest.

Prairie Warbler on nest

Blue-Eyed Grass

another Prairie Warbler, singing in the distance

 sheep American-laurel (native)

Pearl Crescent

I heard what I thought may be a Scarlet Tanager singing high in the treetops.  I mentioned it to Freddie as we neared the trees.  We checked with binoculars and found I was right!  A male Scarlet Tanager was singing from the tippy top of a pine tree.

Scarlet Tanager

Wild Geraniums

parking lot beauty