My deodorant failed me!

This afternoon I walked out on the observation deck at the Fox Island Nature Center and immediately was amazed by the number of dragonflies and butterflies that were performing their aerial acrobatics over the deck.  Within seconds a butterfly landed on my shirt and I began fumbling for my mobile phone's camera button.  Eventually I retrieved the phone from the bottom of my pocket under the 5 pounds of keys I carry in that pocket.  By that time the butterfly was gone but quickly returned and landed on my hand.  By this time I was in a panic to get some pictures of this once in a lifetime event.  The phone camera clicked away as I took pictures to share with friends far and near.  Needless to say I was feeling pretty special and the butterfly seemed very content to stay on my hand working it's proboscis across my skin.

After several minutes the butterfly flew on it's way and I went to get more information on this insect that I was unfamiliar with. It seems this is a Hackberry Emperor Butterfly (Asterocampa celtis). The good thing is that this butterfly is known to regularly land on humans and appear very friendly.  The bad thing is that while the caterpillar only feeds on Hackberry leaves, the adult does not feed on nectar but rather rotted fruit and animal dung. When I read this I immediately had a flashback to the deck and the 3 piles of raccoon scat that I saw when I first walked onto the deck.  Since this afternoon I have washed my hand numerous times and have vowed to change my deodorant.

Fire Pink

Most conspicuous of the wild flowers on the Fox Island Upper Dune Trail is this small bright red flower called the FIRE PINK.  The reference to "pink" has nothing to do with the color of the petals but rather to the small notch at the end of each petal as if they had been cut with "pinking" shears.  Another name for this family of plants is "CATCHFLY" due to the sticky liquid produced by the flowers that traps insects that land on the petals.

Baltimore and Orchard Orioles

Male, Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula,  05-06-2014

Two years ago we had a pair of Baltimore Orioles stay for the entire summer raising two broods of young.  The male nearly beat himself to death defending his territory against his image in our sun room window. The next year we had zero Orioles.  What a disappointment. This year we have at least four males visiting our feeders.  We also have numerous Baltimore Orioles at Fox Island Park drinking from our hummingbird feeders.  Removing the bee guards makes it possible for the Orioles to feed at will.
The Baltimore Oriole takes it's name from Lord Baltimore because it's colors match the colors of the lord's coat of arms.

Male, Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius,  05-06-2014
Photo: Pat Ormiston, Allen Co., Indiana

Orchard Orioles are a smaller relative of the Baltimore, flying north to breed and then returning to their central America wintering grounds by August.

"I Know I Left It Here, Somewhere!"

Have you ever walked out of the mall, looked at the parking lot and thought "I wonder where I parked the car!?".  20 minutes later and after numerous presses on the car remote you discover that it was right where you parked it.

Photo by Tim Ormiston,  Harmar Township, PA.    6-12-2013

If you have, you can appreciate the dilemma every time a mother Killdeer returns to the spot on the stones and gravel where she makes her nest and has laid her eggs.  There are 4 eggs in this picture, can you locate

them?

Photo by Steve Parsons, Harmer Township, PA   7-1-2013

This mother killdeer has found that if you  lay your eggs next to a brightly colored terra-cotta shard it can make life a whole lot simpler. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) are members of the plover family and thus technically shore birds.  They are unusual in this group because they build their nests ("scrapes") in the open, far from water and only

 re-arrange nearby rocks for their nest.

Because Killdeer live so closely to humans, occasionall,y the newly hatched chicks may need a little help in staying clear of people feet and rotating car tires.  Mother Killdeer was close by when this chick was moved out of harm's way and quickly re-grouped her brood.

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

When I made yesterday's post of over wintering butterflies I had not yet been able to capture a photograph of a Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa).  This afternoon, while walking the trails of Metea County Park, I saw a M. Cloak on the pathway.  Like the Red Admiral Butterfly, Question Mark Butterfly, and Eastern Comma Butterfly, the Mourning Cloak over winters as an adult by finding shelter under tree bark and tree openings and enter a state of frozen hibernation until the warm winds of spring.

This butterfly made four or five flights while I was taking pictures but always returned to the same area of the trail even with me standing within a few feet of it's resting spot.

As I continued my walk the butterfly flew ahead a few yards and was joined by another Mourning Cloak and together began an upward, spiraling flight typical of the aerial courtship prior to mating.  The last time I saw the butterflies they were about 50' above the trail flying together.

#FieldNotesFriday         Photograghs: Metea County Park, Allen Co., IN     4/18/2014

Worn But Not Worn Out

Notice the ragged edges of this Eastern Comma  (Polygonia comma) indicating this is an overwintered adult - 04/17/2014

We've waited patiently, in Indiana, for a reluctant spring to appear.  This week's snowfall put another damper on our expectations, but today spring returned with a bright sunny day and nature resumed her march toward renewal.  The wildflowers are emerging, in force, with the skunk cabbage leafing out and Blood Root blossoms bright against the dry leaves of winter. One week ago we had temperatures in the mid-70's and I saw my first butterflies of the season.  Today the butterflies were again flying and sunning themselves on the bark of several trees.  These two butterflies were within a few inches of each other on the same tree.

This Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) also shows the worn wing margins of an overwintered adult -  04/17/2014

Some butterflies overwinter as adults buy hibernating in the hollows and bark of trees.  The advantage of this is that their caterpillars are then able to take advantage of the abundance of vegetation in the spring time.
Some of these butterflies are the Mourning Cloak, Question Mark, Eastern Comma and Red Admiral.  All of these butterflies are now visible in the woodlands of Fox Island Park.

The Hermit Returns

The Hermit Thrush is the state bird of Vermont and a regular visitor to the woodlands of Indiana. This thrush winters in the southern United States and returns north as the temperatures warm in the spring. Thrushes are ground feeders feeding mainly on insects, berries and worms.  A group of thrushes is called a "hermitage".

Photograph: Fox Island east Tree Trail, 4-17-2014