My yard ~ Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the pouring rain

 

Cape May Point ~ Lake Lilly

I visited Lake Lilly in Cape May Point on both Tuesday and Wednesday.  I was looking for all things nature.  I was surprised to find Pinkweed and Lilly pads taking over the east end of the lake.

Monarch on Pinkweed

Common Yellowthroat

Pearl Crescent

Great Egret

Eastern-tailed Blue

Monarch & Sachem on asters

Great Egret

Blue Dasher

Cape May Point ~ Harvard Avenue Garden

 Harvard Avenue Garden ~ 3 southern strays _ Fiery, Ocola & Long-tailed. I wished I could have gone into the yard as there was a Giant Swallowtail flyby but my pictuures were very blurry so the good documenetation wasn't there. And, even though I was hanging out, it never came out front to the sidewalk again. And, to think, I almost didn't go back here today since yesterday here only had 2 butterflies species.

Long-tailed

American Lady

Fiery

Ocola

Ocola

Monarch

Cape May County ~ The Meadows

I decided that this morning I would walk the Meadows looking for birds and butterflies.  I was hoping for good numbers of both and was disappointed not to find as many as I would have liked.

A more colorful Stinging Rose caterpillar

Prairie Warbler

There were probably about 10 Monarch flying around the Meadows.

Painted Lady

Prairie Warbler

Prairie Warbler

 

There was Common Yellowthroat's all around CM Point.

Cape May Point State Park ~ Bugs & Birds

Scorpion Fly

Black-throated Green

Rambur's Forktail

Bald Eagle

Little Blue

 

Yellow Garden Spider

Cape May Point State Park ~ Butterflies & Moths

On Tuesday, I met up with the North Jersey Butterfly Club along with 2 South Jersey butterfliers, Jack M & Teresa K.  It's so good to see everyone again.  Some of the NJ group had been to my yard one or more times prior to my selling the house and saw their lifer, Brazilian Skipper, in my yard.  I had to leave for an appt but came back for the afternoon which saw us taking a walk on the trails looking for butters and caterpillars alonh with other interesting bugs & birds we could fine.  It was a fun afternoon.  We split up at about 3PM and I went back  to walk the trails again.  My pictures are below with ID's underneath them.

White M Hairstreak

White M Hairstreak

Ocola

Fiery

Silver-spotted nest

Silver-spotted Caterpillar

Salt Marsh Moth (I think)

North American Luna Moth caterpillar

Stinging Rose caterpillar

North Cape May ~ My Former Butterfly Gardens

 It's so true - You can never go go back... I was invited to go back to my former home in NJ to view the butterflies. I saw 2 good southern strays, a Long-tailed and a Fiery skipper. Along with those butterflies I saw 4 Monarchs, 6 Common Buckeye, a Black Swallowtail and lots of Sachem. But I'd estimate between 30 and 40% of the gardens are gone in just 2 summers. They used black mulch and (I guess) mulched the self seeding plants under - Partridge Pea, Verbena bonariensis among others. There is no swamp milkweed left when there had been 7 large stands of it, Purple milkweed gone, all cone flowers gone, Spicebush tree dead and hackberry tree cut down. The back is just a disaster and it was sad. I saw many mulberry seedlings, several of which are already 3ft high. Sounds crazy but I'd rather see grass than piles of black mulch.

Long-tailed Skipper

Long-tailed Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Monarch

Sachem

National Jelly Roll Day

 So, I chose a Riley Blake fabric jelly roll for my National Jelly Roll day quilt on Saturday, 9/16. Then, I chose a pattern that looked good in the a quilt I found online. I must say, the top is not to my liking. It would been be better with all blocks separated by lattices but it is colorful. The next 2 quilts shown used 5" precut reproduction strips of fabric (which were not all cut at 5"). I like those tops the better. These 2 tops were made over the past week with one finished today. Now, into the UFO pile until I have time to get them quilted.

Around the Yard ~ Birds, Butterflies & Bugs

Pink Southern Moth that feeds on the calyx of Saliva's 

Painted Lady

Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary

Snowberry Clearwing Moth

Peck's

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Peck's

Silver-spotted

Peck's

Ruby-throated Hummingbird