Wood Frog
Photo by Michael Myers
On a very, very warm Saturday morning, a group of 11 people gathered at Willowsford to see what butterflies and dragonflies were out. Three of the group left early because of the heat.
We observed about 17 butterfly species as well as some dragonflies and a damselfly though the most exciting find for most of the participants was an adult Wood Frog in with the Willowsford far stand of native wildflower plantings a decent distance from the wet meadow. There were numerous bees using the plants along with several butterfly species including a Gray Hairstreak and Fiery Skipper.
Silvery Checkerspot
Photo by Michael Myers
Many of the plants in the wet meadow were in bloom, attracting many butterflies and other pollinators. There were lots of Silvery Checkerspot butterflies (probably the most common butterfly today), Tiger Swallowtails and a few Monarchs among the several species there. The wet meadow, which was designed by Susan Abraham of Conservation Landscapes, also includes several nice display boards describing their value and importance. The meadow was full of butterflies and dragonflies Saturday and during our scouting trip two weeks ago. There were a few Sleepy Orange butterflies near the wet meadow in the vicinity of senna, its host plant.
Joe Coleman and Andy Rabin led the outing. Andy identified the following dragonflies and damselflies: Common Whitetail, Widow Skimmer, Eastern Amberwing, Black Saddlebags, and Blue-fronted/Powdered Dancer.
Joe Coleman