July 18, 2012

Notes and changes since last report:

• 92°F, partly cloudy and breezy at 11:30 AM.
• It's still been pretty warm with virtually no rain... that would change today.
• The common ringlet's 2nd brood was coming out and the tawny-edged skipper was making an appearance.
• In the Fern Glen, things were slowing down, but there were some new blooms and others were getting ready.

The Trails

• Braving the noon day heat in the Gifford parking lot was not in vain and the chewed up milkweed leaves did not lie: at least three monarch caterpillars were on one plant.
• The trail in the front Old Hayfield was getting crisp from the heat and lack of rain.
• I was surprised to find several Delaware skippers out there today.
• Another surprise was the large Argiope, or orb-weaver spider, that I almost walked into.
• Though, heading for the shade, I had to examine some strange limpet-like objects on the dogbane.
• At first glance, they seemed uninhabited. But at second glance, the walls appeared to be made of eggs.
• The forecast was for thunder showers this afternoon; "was this a harbinger?" I wondered.
• On the high section of the Sedge Meadow Trail, butter-and-eggs were just hanging on - in fact it was loosing blossoms as I watched.
• An American copper was leading the way as I continued along.
• In the back Old Hayfield, meadow fritillary presented a rare opportunity for a photo.
• The sun was behind rumbling clouds as I back tracked onto the Sedge Meadow Trail. A silver-spotted skipper dove under a leaf for cover but was too skittish for a photo. Another sillouette did not flee before me; I stopped to examine it:
• It was a painted lichen moth. Charming. For a moment I forgot about the changing weather.
• The Old Pasture was active, but the sky above was increasingly so; I could no longer ignore it and had to leave with some uncertain IDs.
• It was now quite dark and windy on the Wappinger Creek Trail, but there was no doubt it was northern pearly-eyes flying at me like leaves in the wind.
• The eventual rain was pretty hard but it was the lightning overhead that sent me packing for the Carriage House.
• It didn't last long and I continued to the Fern Glen pausing in the Norway Spruce Glade along the road to watch the return to life-as-usual. One of the skippers seemed a little small - it was a tawny-edged! I wasn't sure I'd seen one yet this year.
• In the Glen proper, climbing hempweed was just barely beginning to bloom.
• Back in the shrub swamp, horse-balm was coming into bloom.
• At the front of the pond, boneset was getting ready to do the same.
• Eloquent in any situation, a clymene moth was perching along the trail through the Old Gravel Pit.
• Not much farther ahead was the more subtle, hemlock looper moth.
• Skys were now blue, but my feet were wet and the car was in sight; none the less I had to examine the dark spots in the thistle by the Carriage House.
• It was taking too long to get a good view of the painted lady caterpillars.
• I settled for a fair one and headed off for dry socks.