August 10th.  Heavy fog on the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 11th.  Green Frog (Rana clamitans).

 

August 12th.  New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis).

 

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) looks ready to give a speech, or pronounce sentence.

 

August 13th. Near the Blackledge River Bridge.  Square-stemmed Monkey-Flower (Mimulus ringens).

 

 

 

Indian-Pipes (Monotropa uniflora).

 

Witches Butter or Orange Tremella (Tremella mesenterica).

 

August 15th.  Overcast as showers move off to the east.

 

 

 

New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis).

 

Serviceberry or Shadbush berries (Amelanchier sp.) are ripening.

 

August 16th.  A young Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus).

 

A mid-morning visit to two trail destinations near River Road.  Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis).

 

Chicory (Cichorium intybus).

 

Virgin's-Bower or Wild Clematis (Clematis virginiana).

 

 

 

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in a wet meadow.

 

 

 

Jagged Ambush Bug (Phymata pennsylvatica). Note the "Popeye"shaped raptorial front legs.

 

Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina).  Only one twig amongst a field of it had turned red.

 

 

 

 

 

August 25th.  The abandoned garage across from the Route 85 trail head has been demolished and carted away.

 

One sign of wildlife on the remaining concrete slab, a Ring-necked Snake (Diadolphis punctatus edwardsii).

 

It was alive, but cold and reluctant to move.

 

 

 

August 26th.  Oblong-winged Katydid (Amblycorypha oblongifolia).  Listen to it here: http://songsofinsects.com/katydids/oblong-winged-katydid
Another species often heard at night here in Connectricut is the Common True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia), which sounds like this: http://songsofinsects.com/katydids/common-true-katydid

 

August 29th.  A brief walk west of Grayville Road to what was a small meadow just off the trail.  I went looking for the Pasture Thistles (Circium pumilum) I'd seen there several years ago.  Many had gone to seed but a few were still prime.

 

 

 

An ancient (in butterfly years) Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele).

 

 

 

Lots of small asters blooming, but I won't attempt a species ID.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pollen-laded Bumble Bee (Family Bombidae).

 

 

 

A Sweat or Halictid Bee (Agapostemon virescens) also collecting pollen.

 

Too many pictures (but Ihate to waste them) of a bee-mimic Transverse Flower Fly (Eristalis transversa).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bumble Bee on Goldenrod (Solidago sp.).  This one is on a fresh foraging run; its legs free of pollen.

 

Just beyond the meadow runs the merged Raymond Brook and Jeremy River.

 

 

 

 

 

What's that bird?  It was very still...

 

...because it was a leaf.

 

I'll leave mushroom ID to the experts.