The Marsh Project Week #25

It's been a wild and crazy week with the Teenager- we were at college orientation, and she's now official, with student ID and schedule and residence hall assignment.  In about seven weeks she'll be moving onto campus, several hundred miles away from home, and launching into her adult life.  It was time for a much needed walk out to the marsh, for some peace, quiet and a few hours of solitude.

It was hot, hot, hot! And that was with cloud cover.  Summer just began, so there is a lot more heat to go.  The heat wasn't keeping the dragonflies down, however.  Dragonflies are beautiful, fascinating creatures and they are also vicious, cannibalistic little devils, but they come in an amazing variety and just when I think I might have found all the dragonflies in and around my marsh, I find something else.  This has been the weekend of  the cobra clubtail- for my area, this is not a dragonfly I see frequently, but both yesterday and today, they have been all over part of the trail.  Most of them were just flying, but this pair seemed to be locked in mortal combat.

As I was walking down the boardwalk yesterday, I also spied an Eastern mud turtle, sitting on a log, partially hidden by all the lily pads and other vegetation on the boardwalk.  I was able to get in a few good photos before I startled it and it slid off the log back into the marsh water. Pond sliders and red-eared sliders are far more common here, although it's hard to see any turtles right now with the lily pads essentially taking over the view.  When I happen to find these almost perfectly hidden critters, I always wonder what else I'm missing.

Some flowers are out, also, including this lovely hibiscus. I'm not a plant expert, but I think this is halberd-leaf rosemallow, and although it looks like it belongs on a tropical island somewhere, next to a sandy beach, palm trees and turquoise-colored water, if my ID is correct, it is native to the United States.

One of my favorite finds was this yellow-crowned night heron, partially hidden under a shrub in the middle of a pond. I almost didn't see it, because I was focused on a raccoon I'd seen skulking around the shoreline.  The raccoon didn't seem interested in sticking around for the likes of me, and right after I saw it take off, I caught sight of the yellow-crowned night heron.  Two species of night herons are found in the United States- the yellow crowned and the black crowned- and I have observed them both in this very pond.

Observed on the trails: Dragonflies- Eastern pondhawk, slaty skimmer, jade clubtail, cobra clubtail, great blue skimmer, flag-tailed spinyleg, Eastern ringtail, red saddlebags, black saddlebags.  Birds: yellow crowned night heron, northern cardinal, painted bunting, indigo bunting, Carolina chickadee, Eastern phoebe, osprey.  Butterflies and moths: sad underwing, variegated frittilary, viceroy.  Other stuff: Eastern mud turtle, garden spider, raccoon, armadillo.