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.
