Cape May Point State Park

Lots of fun things to see on a walk around Cape May Point Sate Park today.  The birds weren't as good as the butterflies but it was nice to see a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on Marsh Mallow plants and another plant with stalks of purple flowers.  Among the butterflies were male and female Zabulon Skippers, Red Admirals and a Red-spotted Purple Butterfly.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

Male Zabulon Skipper

Female Zabulon Skipper

Red Admiral

Red-spotted Purple Butterfly

Beth's Patch ~ New Bird's ~ #97 & #98

Yesterday my yard had 2 new birds stop by for a visit ~ In the morning a Sandwich Tern was hanging out with the Royals Terns down on the beach. In the afternoon there was a first year American Redstart flying in and out of the cherry tree catching insects.  Later in the afternoon he decided to take a bath in the waterfall.

Fall migration...

Here's a young Yellow Warbler taking a bath in the waterfall in my backyard.

Shorebird Migration

Shorebird Migration is in full swing and along the Delaware Bay in front of the house

I see Royal Terns almost every day fishing, Semipalmated Sandpipers are feeding in the shallows along with Semipalmated Plovers and Sanderlings.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Plover

Sanderling

Quilt for baby James Martin

One of my dearest friends had her first grandson yesterday.  Here's the quilt I made to welcome him to our world.

More Butterflies

Some butterflies from today included the mating pairs

Mating Monarchs

Mating Sachems

Common Buckeye

Butterfly Numbers Increasing

First weekend of double digit species of butterflies.  Wonderful to see several species also mating including Sachems, Monarchs and Eastern Black Swallowtails.

Cabbage White

Common Sootywing

Gray Hairstreak

Horace's Dustywing

My Yard ~ Flowers in the garden

 I love how the long summer days and the heat are causing the flowers to grow.  The Mexican Sunflowers were volunteer plants coming from seed from past seasons.  It has grown tall up to the Thai Sunrise canna's about which we get so many compliments.  The Lantana looks great and pulls in butterflies all of the time.  The Rudbeckia does pull in as many butterflies but it does look good.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Spider Crab in the Gardens

Sunshine Quilters ~ Lake Tahoe Retreat

This weekend my online quilting guild, the Sunshine Quilters are having a retreat in Lake Tahoe, CA. Sadly, due to other vacation plans later in the year, I couldn't join them for a weekend of quilting, eating and having an overall good time.  Those of us at home have been invited to sew along. Here's my first top made of the simple block designed for the retreat.  More to come...

Sunshine Quilters Retreat ~ Lake Tahoe Blocks

6 of about 200 blocks made for the retreat

Wordless Wednesday ~ Eastern Black Swallowtail Kind of Day

Mating Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterflies

Eastern Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

Eastern Black Swallowtail Chrysalis 

Feeling Blessed

I am lucky to live in a place that has some wonderful cloud formations and sunsets.  Tonight we first had a double rainbow over the upstairs before the sunset.  God's miracles are evident in nature.

My Yard Butterflies ~ Variegated Fritillary, Silver Spotted Skipper and Pearl Crescent

Butterfly activity is picking up in the yard.  Happy to see some old favorites and hoping for even more to arrive.

Variegated Frtiillary

Silver-spotted Skipper

Pearl Crescent

New Yard Butterfly #35 ~ Broad-winged Skippers