October 18th. An afternoon walk west from Depot Hill Road. (I usually walk east.)

 

I crossed Middle Haddam Road in two places...

 

...and turned around at Breezy Corners Road. This was my first time on this pleasant section of the Air Line Trail. The section started in Cobalt and contuned into Portland.

 

I spotted this massive chimney but couldn't see the base...

 

until I was further west. It's part of the Gemma Power Systems Middletown Repowering Project...

 

The powerlines cross the Connecticut River...

 

...and then cross the Air Line Trail.

 

Some nice rock cuts and scenery along the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This large cell tower...

 

...was home to a Common Raven (Corvus corax).

 

Check out that beak.

 

 

 

A few Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) blossoms still around.

 

 

 

Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris).

 

 

 

 

 

A small head of Queen-Anne's Lace (Daucus carota). Second growth after mowing.

 

One of the little Asters.

 

 

 

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).

 

Bumble Bee (Family Bombidae).

 

A Thread-waisted Wasp (Family Sphecidae, Ammophila procera).

 

 

 

Bumble Bees and a Locust Borer (Magacyllene robiniae) on the last of the Goldenrod (Solidago sp.).

 

The Locust Borer up close.

 

 

 

 

 

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

 

Bumble Been (Family Bombidae).

 

 

 

One last Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare, which long ago I learned as Chrysanthemum leucanthemum).

 

White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima). Read about it here: https://dendroica.blogspot.com/2011/09/s-is-for-snakeroot.html

 

One olf the Smartweeds (Polygonum sp.).

 

 

 

Lots of Woolly Bears (Pyrrharctia isabella) wandering around...

 

...including this teeny one.

 

A Crowned Slug caterpillar (Isa textula). The spines contain poison and given their lateral placement may be a defense against attacking ants.

 

The head is held retracted under the first dorsal thoracic plate (orange in the photos).

 

They undulate along on medial suckers rather than the prolegs of other caterpillars.

 

Lots of Ailanthus Trees (or Tree of Heaven, Alianthis altissima). Thankfully, no invasive Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) on them. Read about this rpidly spreading invasive insect here: https://portal.ct.gov/caes/caps/caps/spotted-lanternfly---slf

 

Some of the trees had set seed.

 

 

 

I found this Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva aurea) caterpillar in, what else, its silken webs in an Ailanthus Tree.
Thanks to John and Jane Balaban for the identification at https://bugguide.net/node/view/2306041

 

There were several more caterpillars and pupae like this one in the same silk webbing.
Scroll down and read about their life history here: https://bugguide.net/node/view/430
You can also see pictures of the brightly colored moth.

 

Foxtail Grass (Setaria sp.).

 

October 19th. Back at Raymond Brook Marsh and the male Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) was on a usual perch.