Horn Pond Blooms and Butterflies

A few MBC members and I braved the heat (90s) and climbed Horn Pond Mountain today to see what butterflies may await us.  Not many, for the most part!  I only had a couple hours to give to the cause, and I was drenched with sweat by the time we were done.  For me, the wildflowers were the star of this walk!

 Common Yellow Wood Sorrel (native)

Eastern Tailed-Blue

False Solomon's Seal (native)

 Dusted Skipper (note white eye ring)

Red Columbine (native)

Fringe Tree (native)

Common Star-grass (native)

More work required.  Too tired to do it tonight!

Not sure about the ID of this one.  One of the guys on the walk suggested it was Sundrop, in the mallow family.  I can't find anything like that in Go Botany.  It looks closest to Yellow Horn-Poppy, but more research is required.

Pink Ladyslippers

Beantown

American Copper

curious Northern Mockingbird

Juvenal's Duskywing (I hope)

Red Sand-Spurry (non-native)

Today's Wings at BHCL

It was very hot today so  I stayed in the shade of the forest edge for most of my lunch walk.  I cut into the woods to try to get a look at an Eastern Wood-Peewee that I could hear calling.  Success!

Eastern Wood-Peewee

Common Whitetail, I think

 I think this is a Dreamy Duskywing

Little Wood Satyr

mystery skipper

Blue-Eyed Grass

The Wild Geranium is filling in nicely.

Wild Geranium closeup

Eastern Tailed-Blue

 Pearl Crescent

English Plantain

Tufted Titmouse is still going in and out of hole in apple tree

 White-Banded Toothed Carpet Moth

Red-Winged Blackbird

American Copper

Lupines and More

Yesterday afternoon's walk at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land yielded a few first-of-year butterfly species.

 Song Sparrow

gathering food 

Silvery Blue

Tawny-Edged Skipper

first-of-year

Dusted Skipper

(first-of-year)

 again

Indigo Bunting

Hobomok Skipper enjoying the pollinator garden

(first-of-year)

This morning Sharon and I walked at BHCL.  I didn't focus too much on nature sightings, but we did stop to check out the Indigo Bunting.

Indigo Bunting

In the afternoon, I walked at Westboro WMA, hoping for warblers.  Highlights were:

Spotted Sandpiper

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Baltimore Oriole

After work I headed over to Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary, figuring it was time to check on the Pileated Woodpeckers and the Ospreys nesting there.  

It was a beautiful night for a walk!

  

Pink Ladyslippers

Pearl Crescents, flirting

Fringed Milkwort

Oh, look, a distant sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker!

I started heading towards the tree, where the nest is, but of course it took off before I could approach. It did happen to fly towards me as it departed, so I attempted a flight shot.

 Pileated Woodpecker

Song Sparrow

OK, so its "just" a Song Sparrow, but would you look at the leaves that are framing it?  Love it! 

Christmas in May!

 Cedar Waxwing

Common Grackle

a triple Fringed Milkwort

Fu Man Chu

I had to stop at the drug store on the way home, and I happened to glance over at the spot where I found lupines last year.  Surprise!  They are out!  Unfortunately, the road that used to go right past the lupine field is no more.  It's much harder to get a look at them now.