The Marsh Project Week #17

The greening of the trail continues.  While I'm still not seeing a large variety of dragonflies and butterflies, I'm seeing a few- red admiral butterflies, common whitetail dragonflies, common green darners.  In a few weeks I anticipate that the common whitetails will be everywhere, and I'll start walking by them without taking a photo,  but for now, they're still new.  Everything is fresh and green - even the bane of my existence, poison ivy.  Small wildflowers are emerging, and new plants are popping up amidst the dead vegetation from last year.  

Even more exciting for me, the little blue herons are definitely here.  In the past couple of weeks, since the trail emerged from flooding, I've seen several.  I'm thrilled about this.  I've seen as many as five perched together on a single tree.  

I love little blue herons. They are much smaller than the great blue herons, another favorite bird of mine, and unlike the great blues, they are not here year-round.  Great blue herons have a fascinating personality and they stand still, making them easy to photograph.  Little blues have a lovely blue/purple color that I find stunning.  Juvenile little blue herons are actually white, which threw me off at first; I had a few mis-identifications before I caught on.  The adults, however, are quite distinctive. They often perch on the tops of dead trees, making them easy to see.  Last year, I walked right up on one eating a crawfish.  It would have been a fantastic photo, except that the picture came out blurry and too dark.  Perhaps this year I'll have better luck. 

The red admiral butterflies are out in force, too.  I've seen a few other butterflies- pearl crescents, an Eastern tiger swallowtail, a black swallowtail, a few faded question marks, and two monarchs.  The turtles are out sunning; as I walk toward the blind it seems that almost every log has at least two turtles on it.  

A slightly tattered and faded question mark butterfly. 

The mosquitoes have also returned.  I'm not too excited about that.  Unfortunately for me, I hit the trail without the bug spray.  It's time to start thinking about bug spray and sunscreen; I'm also starting to acquire raccoon eyes from my sunglasses and a slight tan on my arms and neck.  

I know that in a few months, summer will arrive, along with the heat  (and hopefully, some painted buntings!).  School has about nine weeks to go, and the graduation excitement is about to pick up in a big way.  I've got to start thinking about sending out the graduation announcements and getting the Teenager to her college orientation.  For now, however, I am going to walk quietly along the trail, breathing in the mild spring air, while watching a pair of red admiral butterflies settle on a branch, fluttering their wings. 

Seen on the trail:  Red-eared sliders, belted kingfisher (female), red admiral butterflies, question mark, Eastern tiger swallowtail, pearl crescent butterfly, northern cardinals, ladder-back woodpecker, downy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, song sparrow, Carolina wren, scissor-tailed flycatcher, common whitetail dragonfly, common green darner, variegated meadowhawk, snowy egret, great egret, great blue heron, one American white pelican flying overhead, and a cottonmouth snake.