Mariton: Last Butterfly Walk of the Season

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photos by Carole Mebus.

Butterfly populations were still suppressed on Tuesday, but we still had interesting finds.  The Delaware Skipper (above) is tiny, but its orange color is stunning through binoculars.  We saw a Meadow Fritillary zoom by us and disappear in the vegetation.  I have been seeing them over the last week.  There is still milkweed in blooming, but it is fading in some areas.  The Butterfly weed is spectacular right now.

When the butterfly watching was slow, we quizzed each other on bird songs.  There are still quite a few species singing.  This Indigo Bunting was cooperating and gave Carole some great shots.  (Like she doesn’t already have enough photos of Indigo Buntings.  But you never know when the perfect shot will be captured.)  We were treated to a Veery duet in the woods.  The two males seemed determined to outdo each other as they sang their absolutely beautiful song.

While this is the last Butterfly Walk scheduled at this time, we thought that we should do it again in August when the goldenrod is blooming.  I will be working on my fall events schedule soon, so keep watching.