The Marsh Project Week #32

It's Labor Day weekend and it's cooling off! It was threatening rain in the morning with overcast skies, so it was slightly humid on my hike earlier this morning- but several times a cool breeze blew through, and when that happened I stood there, enjoying the cooler air and that ever so faint whiff of autumn.  The weather forecast for the next several days doesn't go near 100 degrees, and I'm happy about that.  

I had hoped to see some snakes on my hike; as I started down the trail, a couple coming the other direction said they had seen a diamondback water snake and had photos to prove it, but the only snake I saw was what I think was likely a cottonmouth, moving through the water at a distance on one of the ponds along the boardwalk.  I attempted a photo but got nothing but so-far-away- it-looks-like-a-snake-but-probably-impossible-to-commit-to-ID.  The green tree frogs were out, however, hiding in plain sight by blending in on green stems and leaves at the marsh wildlife blind. 

The number and variety of dragonflies is decreasing- the Eastern pondhawks are still out, as are the common whitetails and the common green darners.  The slaty skimmers and great blue skimmers are hanging on, but I'm definitely seeing fewer of them than I was a few weeks ago.  Several days ago the common green darners were out in force, not only flying around but settling and hanging from branches in one small area on the trail.  Today, however, almost none of them wanted to take a break long enough for a photograph.  

I sat at the large blind for awhile, enjoying the cool breeze that was coming through, and listening to the rustling amongst the lily pads.  Whatever was under there did not feel inclined to show itself.  The common green darners were flying around, and I could hear birds chirping in the vegetation, but no butterflies, birds, turtles, snakes, or mammals wanted to show themselves today.  A few days ago I sat and watched a red eared slider climb on top of one of the lily pads, but it did not stick around after I moved to attempt a photo and made too much noise.  

I didn't see much on this hike, but every time I go out I try to look for at least one thing that is new and different, and on this adventure a small orangish-red fungus growing on a dead tree trunk off the boardwalk caught my eye. I couldn't reach it to verify my thought that it probably had pores underneath instead of gills, or to get any other photos or identifying information.  My rosegill fungus from a few weeks ago has almost disintegrated away.  

I did hear (and briefly spot) a few woodpeckers.  Other trail sightings: Eastern tiger swallowtail, Dion skipper, monarch, Eastern giant swallowtail, red admiral, common green darner, common whitetail, blue dasher, Eastern pondhawk, variegated frittilary, wood duck, great blue heron, Summer tanager, nine-banded Armadillo, common wood nymph, sad underwing moth, green heron, little blue heron, sora, cottonmouth, little green tree frog, American bullfrog, great egret.