June 21st.  A walk east from Cook Hill Road in Lebanon to mark the first day of summer.

 

Some parts of the trail, especially near the dairy farm, could use a trim.

 

Lots of butterflies about.  This is a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

 

A Viceroy (Limenitis archippus).

 

An Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma).

 

Note the dead leaf camouflage on the underside of the wings.

 

A much older Eastern Comma, taking nutruients from a dried dog turd.

 

There were three Commas and a Red-spotted Purple (Lymenitis arthemis arthemis) on the turd.

 

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos).

 

Cabbage White or European Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae).

 

 

 

An Agreeable Tiger Moth (Spilosoma congrua) or a closely related species.

 

A Mason Wasp (Probably Ancistrocerus sp.).

 

 

 

Lots of small bees about, including several kinds of Sweat Bees (Family Halictidae).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A male Flower Fly (Family Syrphidae, probably Sphaerophoria sp.).

 

Another Fly.  I won't attempt an ID.

 

 

 

A Scarlet Plant Bug (Family Miridae, Lopidea sp.).

 

Scentless Plant Bugs (Harmostes reflexulus).

 

A Plant Bug (Family Miridae) at lower left; and a Soldier Beetle (Family Cantharidae) above and to the right.

 

 

 

Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia).

 

 

 

 

 

Venus's Looking-glass (Triodanis perfoliata).

 

Nice bronze "micro-lep" moth on it.

 

Blue Toadflax (Linaria canadensis).

 

Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara).

 

Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia).

 

 

 

 

 

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta).

 

 

 

Poor-man's Pepper or Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum).

 

 

 

Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum).

 

A fairly light infestation of Gypsy Moth caterpillars on this section of the trail. 

 

The caterpillars are mostly mature, though...

 

...some are dying of disease...

 

...and some are dead.

 

The survivors are molting into the pupal stage and will start emerging as moths in about two weeks.

 

June 22nd.  A pair of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum).disassembling the abandoned Baltimore Oriole nest.

 

I've seen this behavior before, years ago.

 

The nest is incredibly strong.  The birds were shaking it hard as they tugged at strands.