The blog is back, with a new name, Wild Wingéd Ones, but with the same focus, nature in Hudson River Park.
It returns, not on the wings of eagles, but on the broad wings of geese, the tapered wings of terns, the scaly wings of butterflies, the membranous wings of wasps, the double pair of wings of dragonflies, and the single pair of wings of flies.
After a dismal spring of few bird migrants and a poor early summer of little variety and small numbers of butterflies and dragonflies observed, August began with a bang: the greatest variety of identified insect life I had ever seen in a two hour period in the morning at the park since I began observing in June 2005.
Nine butterfly species:
all-too-common Cabbage whites;
a few Red admirals, quite common this summer;
a Painted lady;
three Monarchs;
two Tiger swallowtails, a rarity, sharing the same butterfly bush inflorescense;
a Black swallowtail;
a Question mark, rare this summer;
an uncommon Summer azure;
and an unusual Spicebush swallowtail, seen once before.
Five dragonfly species;
a commonplace Blue dasher male;
an Amberwing male;
a White-faced meadowhawk male;
several Globe skimmers;
and a Black saddlebags.
Additionally, a Great black wasp, black body with blue wings, arrived and a Bee fly made a second appearance.
Tags:
bee fly, butterfly, dragonfly, fly, wasp
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