I arrive close to 9am and I'm the only one in the parking lot! Yea!! (This is what I used to experience up until last year. I like!)
The front part is still extremely green and lush - I have to use my feet to find the trail. And with the morning dew, my pants are pretty wet before I make it out the other end. :) Lots of birds singing and zipping around in there; I manage to catch sight of a Yellow Warbler.
As I walk, most of the flowers are fading but there are still some "prime" patches with Fleabane, Asters, Goldenrod, White Yarrow.
One of the first flyers I see is a late season one; the Woodland Skipper.
Also lots of Wood Nymphs
and Frits -- especially the large bright beautiful Great Spangled Frit.
Seeing lots of males of the species but do catch sight of the equally beautiful female (4 total) today but unfortunately, they just don't want to nectar or bask.
But I see Callipe and Zerene Frits too.
Lots of bird activity along the main trail today - especially at the start as I scare up a whole flock of robins (including fledglings). I also get scared by a very large hawk as it takes off above me -- such a wonderful bird - boy, is he big!! Wish I had been looking up before I scared him off.
As I cross the foot bridge before the pond/camp, several water bugs leaving a great shadows in the water.
At the start of the meadow, there are so many Frits flying!!! Awesome to see!
Seeing other flyers as well including West Coast Lady, the Swallowtail trio (Western, Two-tailed, and Pale), Mylitta Crescents, Weidenmeyer's Admirals, Cabbage White, Common Checkered Skipper,
Clouded Sulphers, Purplish Copper, Blue Copper, Northern Checkerspot, and Mustard White.
The pond is full of dragonfly life this morning.
I continue by the pond - my goal is my usual turn around point at around 3.25 miles. The typical muddy section are dry - as expected. There are some sections with good butterfly activity and others that are pretty dead.
At one point, I hear something moving quickly thru the trees to my left -- lots of branches breaking and leaf crunching. I turn and see something large and brown moving quickly. I stop dead in my tracks - I think it's a moose! The sound stops and I move around the trail (and a little off it) to try and get a view of the animal but find nothing. At least it was running away from me instead of at me! Not sure if it was a moose, deer, or elk but something was there.
One of my "really good" finds of the day, happens between the 2-3 mile mark. It's a small butterfly landed on a leaf. With a quick look, it's a Hairstreak (maybe a Western Tailed Blue, but unlikely because I hadn't seen any Blues today). On closer review when I get home, it's a Sylvan Hairstreak!
The Coneflowers have their golden crowns now!
I'm surprised when I arrive at an early season tiny creek crossing and still find it flowing - that's awesome! (May be an even better butterfly & flower year in 2018 -- keeping my fingers crossed!)
And the one afterwards has water as well.
I reach my turnaround point and head back. At the pond,
I find "really good" find #2 of the day: a Ruddy Copper.
And further along, I spot my final "really good" find of the day: the Coral Hairstreak (I see 2 of them)!!
All total, 22 butterflies today - I'll take that! Good day!
