This is the time of year when there are too many things to do, and too many pictures to take.   I collect loads of photos, and don’t write blog posts.  So this post is mostly photos.

All the spring and summer flowers seem to be blooming at once.

Wild Columbine

 

Cream Wild Indigo

 

Fringed Puccoon – growing on the slope of Indian Grass Point.  It’s an area I’ve been working on clearing of brush, and I hadn’t seen this species there before.

 

Golden Alexanders

 

Jacob’s Ladder

 

Lily-leaved Twayblade – a native orchid

 

Wild Lupine

 

Prairie Phlox

 

Hoary Puccoon on Hidden Oaks Point.  This is a slope I cleared a few years ago – a great success.

 

Rue Anemone

 

Wild Black Cherry

 

Wild Geranium

 

Wild Plum

 

Yellow Lady’s-slipper

 

Yellow Stargrass

 

Some great animals have been showing up – some on the wildlife cameras, some we’ve actually seen.

This was one of two baby badgers that I startled when I walked down Indian Grass Point one day.  Fortunately their mother wasn’t around.

 

Black Bear on the Dugway – wildlife camera

 

These two came wandering along just behind the house.

 

Fawn wading in the Frog Pond

 

A baby Snapping Turtle we found crawling on the driveway.

 

And a beautiful little Brown Snake – also on the driveway.

 

The butterflies are out too.

Dusted Skipper

 

Eastern Tailed-blue

 

Eastern Tailed-blue  –  the males have beautiful blue upper wings

 

Gorgone Checkerspot

 

Mourning Cloak

 

Northern Crescents

 

Hobomok Skipper

 

We built a new moth set-up for me, so I can have lights on and photographs moths even when it’s raining.  (Since it’s been raining for weeks, I’ve been using it a lot!)

 

Here are some of the moths that have visited recently.

Modest Sphinx – showing off its pink hindwings

 

Refracted Metarranthis

 

Black-dotted Maliattha

 

Dimorphic Bomolocha

 

Badwing – named because in the days when everyone killed and pinned moths, it was difficult to pin

 

Walnut Sphinx

 

And my Giant Silkworm Moths are finally hatching.

Luna

 

Cecropia

 

 

Io – female

 

Io – male

 

And some mushrooms – we’ve seen a lot of them after all the wet weather.

These are my favorites – tiny – the largest cap was less than 1/2 inch across.   Coral Spring Mycena

 

unknown

 

a bolete – has pores rather than gills

 

unknown

 

Ferns in the woods

 

Thunder clouds over Praag Valley

 

And Mike’s driveway – he’s very proud of it.  He’s been trying to level it, and re-find the gravel.  It’s looking pretty good – our place doesn’t look abandoned when you look in from the road anymore.