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Nature Sightings

July 19, 2017
Goldenrod crab spider eating bumble bee – B. Rowan

The extreme rain we received last week has led to an explosion of mushrooms and Wildflowers around Reinstein Woods. Wild bergamot, purple coneflower, butterfly weed, and swamp milkweed are in full bloom. Wild bergamot has attracted pollinators such as bumble bees, silver-spotted skippers, and other skipper butterflies. Banded longhorn beetles, yellow-collared scape moths and other butterflies can be seen on purple coneflowers. Look for monarch caterpillars on the leaves of swamp milkweed and common milkweed along the sunny trails. Staff witnessed a goldenrod crab spider capture and kill a bumble bee that was visiting a wild bergamot flower! Goldenrod crab spiders are able to change color from white to yellow to pale green depending on the color flower they hide in to ambush prey. American goldfinch can be seen collecting seeds from Canada thistle. Newly emerged leopard frogs, American toads and spring peepers are common along the ponds. A doe with fawn twins and a turkey hen with baby poults have also been encountered on the trails. Soon we will hear the night sounds of crickets and katydids.

banded longhorn beetle
butterflyweed
bumble bee
Brittany - IMG_3968 - small
moth
silver spotted skipper
skipper
wildflowers

 

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