June, 2013 - Trail Report Archive
Notes and Changes since last report
- It was 70°F and blustery at 12:45 AM on June 30, 2013.
- Skies ranged from mostly cloudy to mostly sunny.
- The lilacs at Gifford parking lot attracted a number of "leps", but the wind made photos tough.
- Cedar waxwings were overhead everywhere; I assumed it was the same pack.
- There was a special guest in the Fern Glen.
The Trails
- Right along the edge of the parking lot, birdfoot trefoil was blooming.
- Well off the edge, lilacs were still going a bit.
- Constant motion from the wind may have made the butterflies easier to approach, but also wildly moving targets to photo.
- Among them were eastern tiger swallowtail, snowberry clearwing and silver-spotted skipper.
- In the front Old Hayfield, rough-fruited cinquefoil held still for a moment.
- Back by the old Pump House, a hickory was sporting galls on some of its leaves.
- A yarrow stood out in the sea of bedstraw.
- On the Sedge Meadow Trail, gray dogwood was blooming.
- I ducked in and sat a while on some logs with bittersweet nightshade blooming above.
- Dragonflies were all around - mostly common whitetail.
The male is more distinctive.
- In the back Old Hayfield, multiflora rose was blooming.
- With the wind and clouds, butterflies were concentrating on keeping warm as was this common ringlet engaged in "lateral basking".
- The Wappinger Creek was running high with the rains we had lately.
- This must be trumpet creeper on the Cary Pines Trail. Never noticed it before, but it does look young...
- Above the Fern Glen, Venus's looking-glass was blooming on the dry hillside.
- So too was black swallowwort - a difficult to eradicate invasive plant.
- Its relationship to milkweed can be seen in the shape of its little "black" flower .
- Near the bench by the cobble, one of our mystery plants was beginning to bloom.
- The old apple log across the cobble had a strange fungus growing out of it.
- The angelica by the back of the pond was doing well now.
- It was popular among the white-striped blacks. Great to know, for they seem to rarely perch.
- At the front of the pond, a painted turtle had adopted a peculiar posture to get some sun.
- Fragrent sweetflag was lurking amongst the cattails.
- Here was a surprise on the path by the kiosk: a wood turtle! It was here for the Sunday tour as well. I never expected to see it again.
- Darn, this looks familiar. White avens? Hmmm, not much left of the flower.
- Sheep laurel in the fen had indeed survived the winter and the deer.
- The flower has some tricks worth reading about.
- By the stone bridge, Indian cucumber root was blooming.
- A close examination is necessary to appreciate this tiny lily.
- Back at Gifford parking lot, a monster grass was thrusting in from the edge.
- What I was looking for was milkweed - my favorite butterfly nectar source may well be opening...
- ...by next week.
Notes and Changes since last report
- It was 70°F, and mostly clear with light winds at 11:30 AM on June 30, 2013.
- I had the pleasure of company on the trails today.
- Skippers were challenging in the Old Hayfields.
- Early bloomers were now beginning to produce their fruit.
- One 17 year cicada was calling in front of Gifford House.
The Trails
- I was surprised to see all the color on the Carriage House drive.
- Beauty bush, kolkwitzia, of course - I must have missed its budding last week.
- And just past it was sweet shrub. This has been flowering for several weeks.
- At the end of the line was rhododendron.
- Behind these shrubs was a sunny pocket with several zabulon skippers.
- At the end of the Scotch Pine Alleé was a spittle bug on a young Scotch pine.
- Just past the end was a small stand of arrow-wood in bloom.
- Leaf damage from the viburnum leaf beetle, that has been invading the area, reminded me that arrow-wood is a viburnum: Viburnum dentatum.
- Resting in the patch of hay-scented fern in the Old Gravel Pit was a red-headed inchworm moth.
- In the Norway Spruce Glade - the little meadow above the Fern Glen - a pair of damselflies was on an oak leaf. Possibly the aurora damsel?
- Beardtongue had been blooming and was wrapping up.
- Along the Roeller Bed, bishop's cap was forming interesting little cups of seeds.
- Blooming at the top of the bed, was a lone bunchberry - our smallest dogwood.
- By the bench facing the cobble, one of our mystery plants was forming its peculiar, rectangular flower heads.
- Finally, white and red baneberries were becoming distinct with thin and thick flower/seed stems.
- In the Limestone Cobble a little beetle seemed to be contemplating a leap from the tip of a fern.
- Ostrich fern often have a ball of leaflets pulled together.
- We found that a caterpillar was the responsible party.
- Another viburnum, maple-leaved viburnum was in bloom.
- Beetles, and wasps were some of the pollinators visiting.
- Pitcher plants are strange - I'm not sure I ever looked inside the flower.
- In the back of the 'Glen, wild sasparilla seemed to be having a good year for seed making .
- Just in from the kiosk, bowman's root took me by surprise.
- I hadn't noticed this one getting ready to flower either.
- One can't help but notice the angelica by the pond.
- That flower should open any day now.
- On the way out of the 'Glen I noticed those screaming red leaves on the river birch, produced by the velvet erineum gall mite, as I learned last year.
- Out on the Wappinger Creek Trail was a rather placid garter snake.
- I was surprized I could get so close.
- It was in the Old Pasture when unusual skippers started to show up. The only photo I could get was a great blue dragonfly.
- Hawkweed was blooming along the Sedge Meadow Trail as well as other sunny locations.
- The front Old Hayfield had a well placed blue-eyed grass - a tiny lily, actually.
- Several more odd skippers were in the two Old Hayfields. They may all have been the Indian skipper - males and females. Maybe this weekend I can look again.
