Most of the photos were taken on the west side of the River. The day was overcast, but the sun came though occasionally. In the scenic photos you can see how heavy the leaf canopy is now, making it harder for camera settings and focusing. A great deal of the post is devoted to butterflies and quite rare moths. The insects are all out in full force now as the forest floor, and the flowering trees are in bloom, while some such as the choke cherry or pin cherry will produce berries shortly. I saw my first bear sign on this hike also.
CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE, AND WATCH THE SLIDE SHOW. I'll use captions as the post is long as usual.
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| Chestnut-sided Warbler. |
This series of close ups clearly shows how ornate his plumage is.
I was really lucky to spot this female American Redstart as they're so small and flighty.
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| Male Redstart |
This is my first Great Blue Heron sighting of the year. In the second photo you can see his trailing plumes.
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| Great Blue Heron. |
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| Great Blue. |
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| In Flight Mallards. |
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| Female Red-winged Blackbird. |
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| Female Red-winged Blackbird. |
I hardly ever include photos taken at my feeders. But this series of Goldfinches was taken there.
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| Female Goldfinch. |
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| Male Goldfinch |
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| Female Purple Finch. |
This Robin was having difficulty balancing in a cedar tree in a high wind on the River bank.
This Raven followed me for a while and then settled to observe..
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| Raven |
The next series shows the hummingbird, or Clearwing Moth. They're about the size of the top of your thumb. It's very easy to mistake them for hummingbirds, however, as they hover, and have a long feeding tube to suck the nectar from the flower. They're peculiar to North America, although Europe apparently has a variation, which is an example of convergent evolution . They tend to swarm and are quite a sight. Google Wiki and you'll get more facts.
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| Close up of the Clear Winged Moth. |
This is one of the largest moths, the Luna Moth. They're about 4-5cm in length. They live about 7 days, producing one generation of offspring this far north. Further south it's more. The first photo is of the bottom of the moth, while the second two are of the top. I think this is a male. Again Google Wikipedia for more information
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| Top Side. |
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| Close Up Top Side showing feather like antennae . |
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| Canadian Tiger Swallowtail |
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| Juvenal's Dusky Wing. |
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| Mourning Cloak. |
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| Long Dash Skipper? |
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| Long Dash Skipper? |
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| Unknown. |
This is a summer azure. I did not enlarge him to give you some idea of the size of some of these Butterflies. Also I make no attempt to identify the Dragonflies. The butterflies and moths are bad enough to deal with.
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| American Lady |
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| Northern Crescent. |
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| Black & White Dragonfly. |
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| Same |
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| Brown Dragonfly. |
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| Same |
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| Coltsfoot. |
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| Devil's Paintbrush. |
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| Dogwood? |
These are wild Forget-Me-Nots growing on the bank of the River. They're about the size of your small finger nail.
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| Skipper On Wild Strawberries. |
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| Star Flowers. |
The first of the aquatics, a yellow lily. A Post to
SWF ,
Camera Critters and
Scenic Sunday. Just a note to Texwisgirl if she drops by: I'm trying to feed the butterflies as you do. I cut up some orange, lemon and lime, and put it in in hanging dish yesterday. Nothing so far but its been cold and windy. Any more tips for me.
