Whiting Road

So, another trip to Whiting Road.  I did a hodgepodge of things, this time.  First I went to the little swamp across the road, then I walked the part of the Red Trail that goes through the Great Meadow.

The swamp was a treasure trove of new flowers.  I was glad that there was no one around to see me teetering on the edges of the culverts, trying to get good shots of some of them.

Boneset

Narrow Leaved Willow Herb

 Blue Vervain

And, then, sitting on a log, having a nice little snooze, were these three Mallards.

 From the swamp, I went over to the Red Trail.  There weren't as many new flowers there, but I was very surprised to see an Aster blooming already.  Can Fall be far behind?

The Goldenrod are in full bloom.   Identifying them is hard, because there are so many different kinds.  But, the main thing that took my attention was how many honeybees there were on each of them.  A sight that I love to see.

There were a couple of obviously different Goldenrods there, too.  I don't know what kind this is.

 But, I think that this might be Showy Goldenrod.

There were some other things to see, also.  The Wild Cherries are ripe.  I was very surprised that these trees weren't mobbed with birds.

I was on the lookout for Butterfly Weed, because a couple of you mentioned that I was more likely to find Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars on them than on Milkweed.  Here's one that has developed seedpods.  The show their relationship with Milkweed.

And, success!  I'm sorry for the quality of this picture.  I was so disappointed when I got home to see that every single one of the pictures that I had was blurry.  But, I wanted to show you that I did find my caterpillar!

After I found my caterpillar, I hiked back to the car.  I'm sorry to say that those weeks when it was too hot and humid to hike took their toll.  I was pooped and my feet were killing me.  But, hopefully, the weather has broken, and I will get back to my regular routine, and get my strength and stamina back quickly.