A sampling of sights you may witness while strolling through Catch the Wind, Explore the Wild, Hideaway Woods and the Dinosaur Trail.
These folks are doing the right thing when encountering a copperhead, staying back and letting it pass.Look at the snake “smell” the air with its tongue (I used a long lens and was well back from snake when taking photo).American dagger moth caterpillar on Amur maple leaf.
Ranger Martha discovered the following fungi.
Tiny bird’s nest mushrooms (about 1/4″).Immature, fruiting body of mushroom.Closer look at open “nest and eggs.”A small northern brown snake makes way across path.Born this summer it still has the white markings of a juvenile on head and nape (about 4″).First year bullfrog floats in wetland surrounded by Gambusia, or mosquitofish.Male bullfrog waits for prey to come its way.Notice anything unusual on this black-eyed Susan?A camouflaged looper. It uses pieces of plant to conceal itself from predators. It’s a moth caterpillar.The yellowish mark on this carpenter bee’s face indicates it’s a male.A Carolina saddlebags perched over the wetlands.At least one of these snapping turtles is interested in mating, I think.Or are they having a territorial dispute?The disinterested party escapes to the shore. It was not pursued further.Funnel web on structure in Hideaway Woods.Spider retreats to narrow part of funnel (dark area near center of photo).I’m confident this funnel web spider is in the genus Agelenopsis.I’m fairly confident it’s Agelenopsis naevia. What do you think?A golden tortoise beetle. Its elytra is transparent.They can change from red to bright gold in color. This one’s obviously in red mode.A Cope’s gray treefrog.Great egret pays visit to wetlands.Gray hairstreak.
When perched, hairstreaks slowly rub their hind wings back and forth. This may be a way to attract attention to the rear of the butterfly to fool predators into thinking it’s the head of the insect. Note long, modified scales (false antennae) and red spot (head/eye). The butterfly pictured has damage to its wings, the ruse may have worked.
Same gray hairstreak with wings spread.Green heron.Green heron stretching wing.Ground skink.Green treefrog.Green treefrog on horsetail (Equisetum).Green treefrogs may also be brown in color.This green treefrog is in the process of changing color.Horsenettle, or Carolina horsenettle.Handsome katydid on horsetail.Orange stripped oakworms on oak tree (early instar).Late instar of same caterpillars.Off to pupate and overwinter underground.silver-spotted skipper nectaring on buttonbush.Termite swarm.Off to start new colonies.
