Roadside daylily in all its glory

It was supposed to be a butterfly hunt, led by SNC Director Jim D’Angelo, but despite all good intentions it was upstaged by The Bullfrog Chorus, which put on quite a show.

I’m surprised I arrived on time, given the distractions presented to me along the Rt 104 drive. . .distractions that were just too beautiful and intriguing to ignore.  But I didn’t dally too long because I didn’t want to miss the butterflies!

It was a lovely day.  Some butterfly views were captured, but only briefly.  A monarch or two were sighted along with a pearl crescent and a lovely tiger swallowtail.

The star of the butterfly show was certainly the cabbage whites.  However, they didn’t stick around long enough for a good photo. . .but I took some anyway :-)

Still, the hike was fun, and Jim proved to be a knowledgeable and excellent guide, pointing out the flora and fauna we encountered, including the poison ivy and the poison ivy look-alikes.

Bypassing the rookery (which is very difficult to do!), we were led to the banks of the beaver outlet stream, and we weren’t disappointed.  The bullfrogs were calling, and their songs were delightful.  And some of them were willing to pose for photos!

Thanks, Jim!  Can’t wait til Dragonfly Days arrive!

A few more takes from the butterfly hike:

Horse nettle

Peek-a-boo froggie

Milkweed beetle (ewwww)

Something pretty growing in the woods

“Come to papa!”

The only monarch capture I could get. Content over quality.

Another roadside view on the way to Sterling — looks like the resident eaglets have fledged!