My Yard ~ Variegated Fritillary

 2023 yard butterfly #18 Variegated Fritillary on host plant but not laying eggs and 2 weeks earlier than 2022!

My Yard ~ Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

 Lots of male & female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds around the yard. Most often they feed at the flowers and not the feeder.

My Yard ~ Butterflies

 American Lady yard species #34 & 2023 species #17. Today, was a good butterfly day!

American Lady

Monarch

Red Admiral

Sachem

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail & Monarch

Silver-spotted 

Cabbage White

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Dark Morph

 

My Yard ~ Eastern Box Turtle

 Eastern Box Turtle found yesterday while weeding the back. I stopped weeding and will leave the area be for now. Per Nature Serve via iNaturalist "the Eastern Box Turtle is vulnerable in PA". I will say I was surprised to see one while out back weeding.

Wolf's Hollow County Park

 Had a great visit to Wolf's Hollow County Park in Chester County yesterday. 11 species of butterflies, Snowberry Clearwing, Ruby-throated hummingbird, and along the creek some dragonflies. Sadly, the park service just recently mowed down the center field as you enter the park where I saw tons of butterflies last summer. The left side of the driveway is a sea of lavender bee balm.

Lavender Bee Balm

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Monarch Caterpillars

Pearl Crescent

Least

Sachem

Variable Dancer

Snowberry Clearwing

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Dark Morph

Wheelchair Quilt Tops

 Now that gardening is somewhat caught up, I changed focus to piecing quilt tops. In January, I was gifted quilting fabric by Lisa via a friend of hers, Barb, who sadly has since died from cancer. These are 40" wheelchair quilts that are being donated to a veteran's hospice group. 6 blocks were ones Ruth made and the rest of the blocks I made and then put them all together in tops.

Birds feeding in the Yard

 Seeing Brown Thrashers, American Robins, House Wrens, and other birds collecting insects and American Goldfinches eating seeds from the Tall Verbena. 

Nottingham County Park ~ Birds, Butterflies and Other Bugs

 Had a great afternoon visit to Nottingham County Park, Chester County, PA yesterday. There were 5 different Snowberry Clearwing Moths on the butterfly bush with lots of skippers.

Snowberry Clearwing

There were numerous butterflies in the park including a Zebra Swallowtail that didn't sit still for pictures and some type of another swallowtail that was black and blew by me on one of the trails.

Little Glassywing with nectar on proboscis.

Little Glassywing

Little Glassywing

Pearl Crescent

Peck's

Sachem

Sachem

Sachem

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Horace's Duskywing

Eastern-tailed Blue

Eastern-tailed Blue

Peck's with pollinators on Slender Mountain Mint

Eastern Amberwing

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher