September 29th. Another midday walk at Cranberry Bog, East Hampton.  Olive-green Swamp Grasshoppers (Paroxya clavuliger) were abundant on Joe-Pye Weed.  (Thanks to UConn's Jane O'Donnell for the ID.)

 

Males were brightly colored...

 

...while females were nearly invisible aganst the dried flower heads.

 

A female Polistes wasp (Polistes sp.) on Goldenrod.

 

 

 

Jumping Spiders are remarkably aware.  We played hide and seek around a Goldenrod stem.  What great eyes!

 

 

 

A male Eastern Tailed Blue (Everes comyntas).  This specimen is showing its age with many scales rubbed away.

 

 

 

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) on Asters.

 

Yellow-orange Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria var. formosa) just emerging...

 

...and another fully expanded.  The cap was 6.5" across.

 

This species is poisonous, but not deadly like some other Amanita species.  This one causes sweating, deep sleep, and disorientation.  Forest mammals (probably squirrels and chipmunks) seem to feed on them without problems.

 

A male Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum sp.).

 

Males have red abdomens; females brown.

 

A background water droplet distorted by my lens...

 

...blown up from this so-so photo of Smartweed.

 

A better photo. One of 35 North American species of Smartweed, this is probably Lady's Thumb (Polygonum persicaria).

 

October 2nd.  Pre-dawn at Raymond Brook Marsh. (Roughly 6:30 A.M.)

 

Cool temps (high 40s) made for plenty of fog off the warmer water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grayville Falls.  Not much water despite yesterday's rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submerged fallen leaves.

 

October 3rd.  United Distillers on the Colchester Spur.

 

 

 

October 8th.  Foggy cool morning (mid-forties).

 

United Distillers.

 

October 9th.

 

 

 

October 10th.  Giant Reed Grass (Phragmites australis).  First frost of the season along the marsh edges.