A male and female Belted Kingfisher were seen in the Wetlands on the 16th of June. A lone female was seen on the 20th & 21st of June. A single male on 28 June. On June 17th, I witnessed a Song Sparrow with an apparent injured leg (it was hopping along on one leg as [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for June, 2009
Forgs, Turtles, and a Green Snake
June 30th, 2009Green Frogs seemed more vocal this period than in previous weeks. Northern Cricket Frogs can still be heard in the Wetlands, although with less frequency. Many Bullfrog tadpoles have morphed into adults during the past few weeks, evidenced by the dozens of miniature Bullfrogs poking their little heads above the water of the Wetlands. Yellow-bellied [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Summer Starts to Buzz
June 30th, 2009The First-of-the-Year Great Blue Skimmer appeared on the 27th of June, perhaps adding to the confusion of novice oders (oders = dragonfly watchers). There are now 3 species of dragonfly cruising the Wetlands in which the mature males are overall blue in coloration. They differ in size as well as in several less obvious characteristics, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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End of June Bloomers
June 30th, 2009Wild Bergamot is blooming along the main path to Catch the Wild as well as at several other locations around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop. Black-eyed Susan is still the most abundant flower on the loop, but is beginning to fade. Coming into bloom towards the end of this period, the big showy [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Who’s Nesting
June 15th, 2009A Cooper’s Hawk was seen carrying prey on the 7th of June. The hawk appeared to be a female and was flying in the direction of the pines which surround the Ellerbee Creek Railway tracks near the train tunnel. This is the area in which Cooper’s Hawks nested last year. The fact that this bird [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Snappers bask and Water Snake appears
June 15th, 2009Green and Gray Treefrogs continue to call from the Wetlands and other locations around the Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind loop. The brief, lamb-like calls of Narrowmouth Toads have been heard at both the Wetlands and the pond at Flap the Wings in Catch the Wind. Good luck finding one of these tiny [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Tumbling Beetles, Odes, and other June Insects
June 15th, 2009For the past few weeks Tumbling Flower Beetles (Mordellidae) have been rummaging through the flowers of Queen Anne’s Lace. Members of this family are small, humpbacked beetles with pointed abdomens that project out beyond the insect’s elytra. The tumblers that I’ve seen all appear uniformly black in color. Species identification can be a head-scratcher and [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Early June Color
June 15th, 2009Rudbeckia, or Black-eyed Susan, with its showy multi-rayed yellow-orange flowers, is currently the most abundant flower in Catch the Wind. Mixed in with the Rudbeckia, look for the flowers of Butterfly Weed (Asclepia tuberosa), a favorite of many butterflies and other insects. Elsewhere around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop Daisy Fleabane, Queen Anne’s [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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