July 1st. At the Route 207 crossing, a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next a walk east from Cook Hil Road past the dairy farm.

 

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) on Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) way past its prime.

 

 

 

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).

 

 

 

Northern Bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera). Possibly the first time I've seen it on the trail.

 

It's not exactly showy.

 

A lousy picture of an Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma). Likely a male picking up minerals to pass to a female during mating. The behavior is called providing a "nuptial gift".

 

A Flower Fly (Family Syrphidae) on Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)...

 

...joined by a parsitic wasp, likely family Braconidae.

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Carolina or Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina).

 

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor).

 

Two Plant Bugs (Family Miridae, probably Neurocolpus nubilis group) on Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis).

 

UConn's Invertebrate Collections Manager and Miridae specialist, Dr. Katrina Menard, confirmed my tentative ID. She wrote, "Yep, they are correct. Well done! There really isn’t a whole lot species of that group up here besides the nubilis group. Their highest diversity is in the SW."

 

At Cranberry Bog, the Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) hang out in two separate groups, both away from the trail human traffic.

 

I was able to count 29 birds in total.One group of 14 (the two families with 5 goslings each), plus 15 unattached adults.

 

Adults and goslings all look the same now.

 

I also saw a female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) with one duckling.

 

Lots of Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) blooming.

 

 

 

July 2nd. A distant Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius).

 

Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) has just started blooming.

 

 

 

 

 

Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) has als just started blooming.

 

Looking up into a Canada Lily (Lilium canadense) blossom.

 

Carolina or Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina) with a male Flower Fly (Family Syrphidae).

 

First ripe Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

 

I hadn't seen a Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) in the Wood Duck house for several weeks. Refuge from last night's rain?

 

July 3rd. A young male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) - or an adult male in eclipse plumage.

 

 

 

Four more young Wood Ducks, female and male.

 

Berries of Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera morowii) are deep red now.

 

At the Route 207 parking area, Pokeweed or simply Poke (Phytolacca americana) is blooming now.

 

 

 

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and goslings at the fish and game club pond east of Route 207.

 

Lots of Fragrant Water-lilies (Nymphaea odorata) blooming.