Radar Overnight August 20, 2015
This is a radar image from overnight on August 20-21, 2015. As you can see there were a lot of birds in the air moving south from the Mid-Atlantic as far west as this image goes. The cold front and associated heavy rain and thunderstorms that brought the helpful northerly winds was advancing from the eastern Mid-Atlantic slowly into New England. They are really coming now! As we near September the volume and diversity of species heading south will build for us. Get out there this weekend and go find some “fall” migrants.
Read MoreWorn Black Swallowtail
You can see the wear and tear on this Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) even as it was being battered by the wind and difficult to capture with my camera. It is so gratifying to see individuals like this surviving for so long. Fight on, butterfly! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreAugust Common Buckeye
This Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) posed nicely for me yesterday. It looked a little tattered around the edges, and had lost some of the uniformity of its shades, but still held most of the vibrant colors of its species here in mid-August. They are such beautiful creatures, oh my… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGray Hairstreak
This looks like a worn Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), a butterfly I found recently laying low in the grass. As we enter August we see more and more tattered and torn insects, those strong survivors who have persevered through a tough flight season to feed and reproduce successfully. Between difficult weather, dangerous predators, competition from similar species and human interference it is always special to see the senior citizens of the bug world living on. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBlack-eyed Susan
It is a beautiful time of the year with July’s grasses and flowers filling every field with treasures like Rudbeckia hirta, or Black-eyed Susan, delighting our insects and sustaining our world. As we embark into August make sure you schedule time to be outdoors this weekend!
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