A lot of “activity” going on in the garden right now:
I chased/stalked this Hummingbird Moth for what felt like hours and here are the best of the photos I was able to take:
I believe this is a Silvery checkerspot on my Mountain Mint:
And after spotting me taking their photos without permission, they tried to hide on the Ninebark. I’m still on to you dudes:
And all the rest:
I spent a good part of my Sunday just chillin out with this Allium ‘Globemaster’:
And enjoyed watching this guy come and go over and over again:
I know it is cliche, but it is also dead on – Some of the coolest and most interesting things are in your own backyard.
When I read the following article this past weekend, it all hit home as I felt excited yet stupid all at the same time:
Horseshoe Bend Preserve is Home to Gray Comma Butterfly
First off, a little background. I literally live right down the street from this park/preserve and have never been there. How that is possible, I don’t know. I wish I had a bunch of valid excuses, but I don’t. I’m just unaware, dumb and lazy.
But even worse than that, is how clueless I was about the battle/negotiation that has been going on for years over the preservation of this land. You can read about all of the details here, but the short of it is that there was approval to build 70+ homes on this land before the Hunterdon Land Trust stepped in and aided in the preservation.
I vaguely remember seeing the battle in the newspapers/media over the years, but not once did I educate myself on the details of the negotiation. And that is a shame. I can pontificate all I want on land preservation but here was a chance to step in and get involved and I didn’t do that. Strike two against me.
So now is where I step in and avoid strike three. It is time to explore and enjoy this treasure and I did just that over the weekend immediately after I read the article above, specifically the phrase – “the big butterfly news of the year”. Are you kidding me? This is the only spot where the Gray Comma Butterfly has been spotted in New Jersey? I am on this and will locate one myself. It reminded me of a search I attempted as kid to find Bigfoot in the woods, except this is a little less terrifying and life altering (long story).
So off I went with camera in hand ready to spot me some rare butterflies. In addition to the Gray Comma, I was also looking for a White M Hairstreak and a Sleepy Orange.
Nothing was going to get in my way.
Upon entering the preserve, you immediately take in the vistas of the Delaware River Valley:
It was stunning and worth the trip just for the views.
I found a spot to park along the side of the road and realized I was the only one around within miles. My Bigfoot nightmares were creeping back in but I fought them off and ventured on.
There were a number of available paths to travel down and I had no idea where to begin:
I eventually settled on the main passageway figuring I was less likely to get lost and eaten by coyotes if I kept it simple. Upon entering into the “forest” I was immediately taken by how the sunlight filtered through the trees:
It was beautiful and a reminder of how this blog started simply as a diary of my own garden but now has given birth to my love of photography. I am light years away from grasping all of the intricacies of photography, but I can tell you “filtered light in the woods” was something that never crossed my mind even three or four years ago.
Just like with yesterday’s post, I was totally digging the early stages of the changes in foliage color as we enter into Autumn:
I may have only hung out in the preserve for 45 minutes or so, but in that time, a whole lot of lightbulbs went off. Besides the aforementioned photography love, I was reminded that plant life is a lot more interesting and diverse beyond the nice clean plants I’ve added to my own garden. I couldn’t tell you the names of any of the plants I cam across in my little sojourn, but I feel determined to change that:
But enough of my life altering discussions, we were here to find those butterflies and become famous better educated. I hunted high and low for any signs of critter activity and the first thing I spotted was this caterpillar that I’ve yet to identify:
Pretty cool but I need more details before I can determine if it was “special”.
But ladies and gentleman, the moment we’ve been waiting for. Did he or didn’t he find the mysterious butterfly?
I am happy to report, after running around like an idiot for minutes on end, I am 95% sure I found the elusive creature. I couldn’t get a perfect shot but I think I got enough to prove that I was a successful butterfly hunter:
What do you think? Let’s compare to a good photo I found online:
I think I nailed it right?
I’m liking this A LOT so watch out for more “hunting” in the near future. Not to mention, enjoying what my part of the world has to offer and getting frggin involved once and for all.
Good times.
John
Dude is damn good.
On yet another side note, my son also started a “sports and autograph” blog this week with his friend. Like father, like son eh? It needs some work and I’ll have to teach him about keywords and SEO, but it’s a start. Once they have it to a point where it is truly presentable (under my watchful eye), I’ll be sure to share it with you all.
One final bit of randomness for you.
For those of you who are NFL football fans, my son told me on Friday that the Arizona Cardinals would beat the New England Patriots today. I laughed at him as it was an impossibility. New England was favored by 13 points and at home. Guess what? He was dead on and he even discussed it on his blog for the world to see ahead of time.
I need to keep an eye on this kid and maybe take him to Vegas soon.
The kids rocked it this weekend.
John
I strategically planted this shrub right next to our deck so the scent could be enjoyed by the family. That plan worked out well as my daughter picked up on the smell this week and loved it. However, the plan back fired as the kids don’t like all of the bees and run for cover. One of these days those naive bastards youngsters will understand the beauty of bees.
We had an unexpected outbreak of syphilis in my neighborhood this week (long and scandalous story) but being the resourceful gardener and holistic professional that I am, I came to the rescue and harvested a bunch of Lobelia siphilitica for those affected:
So it was nice to help out my diseased neighbors and all, but honestly, I am more impressed by the color on the blooms of this perennial:
Yes, I know many think of the Althea (Rose of Sharon) as a weed or “old school”, but you cannot deny how great these blooms look when back lit:
Speaking of back lit, how can you not love the blooms on Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’ (Purple fountain grass) this time of year:
Yes, this may not be my best black swallowtail pic, but I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I chased this SOB for almost an hour trying to get the best possible photo. I eventually had to settle on this shot as she sat in the tree and laughed at my futility:
We will meet again and I will capture her in all her glory like never before.
Game friggin on.
John
