Nature walk

Saturday
The temperature was marginally cooler today, so we got out for a walk/hike after breakfast at the Nature Center’s Long Branch Farm site in Goshen. I wasn’t feeling very energetic, and in any case I was looking out for photographs all the time, so we didn’t keep a very fast pace, but I did come back with quite a few photos, so I decided to make another collage. Top left is Queen Anne’s Lace, next to that a Common Whitetail dragonfly. Next line down at left a Pearl Crescent Fritillary butterfly, and next to that wild bergamot. The purple flower below I must admit I’m not sure of, despite looking it up, and next to that is the Ebony Jewelwing - unfortunately I couldn’t get any closer, but when the sun caught his bright turquoise body, he was quite stunning. At the bottom left is the Milkweed plant, a sort of insect superfood, attracting a wide range of insects, but especially a favourite food of the Monarch butterfly, and next to that is the Butterfly Weed, another species of milkweed, so called because of the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar. I believe I’m right with my identifications, but I’m open to correction, and similarly I should be grateful if anyone can identify the purple flower for me! We also stopped by the herons nest to see if there were any left, and we did see two or three. In the afternoon, Roger was at work outside, and I did a few jobs inside, including some ironing. This evening we had a call from Laura who is now with her sister in Salt Lake City.