Potpourri

Wednesday evening I wandered over to Great Meadows hoping for a spectacular sunset. Lately I haven't had much luck with sunsets and this evening was not about to break that streak. Of course, I wouldn't know that until later.

Here are a few of the sights that caught my eye as I waited for the sun to drop towards the horizon.


I love the banding of purple and white


The remains of a dead carp. I don't know what dragged the head onto the path. I liked how the sun was shining through the skull look like a death mask.


I loved the ways the berries gradually fade from the green of the leaves to darker blue.



Of course there were dragonflies. It appears that they prefer sun to shade. There weren't hanging out if their favorite morning spots. There were some new ones that I hadn't photgraphed before.


Twelve-spotted Skimmer


Female Common Pondhawk


Ruby / Cherry-faced Meadowhawk


As the sun started to set it was apparent that there wasn't going to be much color reflecting off of the clouds. A person walking on the cross dike trail started waving towards me to come. At the water control gate between the impoundments there was a beaver swimming back and forth eating some of the aquatic vegetation. As the sun continued to drop on the horizon, the warm light started to reflect off of the reeds causing these wonderful colors in the water.




It was the evening for hot tips. As I hung out on the observation deck with Will Martens watching the last of the light disappear a lady came up and told us about this interesting bird down by the canal. Wandering back I had to us my pop-up flash to photograph this juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron. (Thanks to Will for the identification.)

There Be Dragons ...

Since I have been away for almost a week, I couldn't wait to get to Great Meadows early Saturday morning to see what has changed since my last visit. One thing that has changed from all the rain we had in the last 2 weeks is the water level in both the upper impoundment and the Concord River.

Another is the transformation of the Tick Trefoil from pretty purple flower, to those velcro like seeds that stick to your clothing. Fall at GMNWR would be much more pleasant without them. In fact, I wonder if this moth is actually stuck to them.

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Today's title comes from all the dragon-flies that call Great Meadows home. Today, I tried to see how many different types I could photograph on natural surfaces (no paths allowed). It's amazing the diversity in size and coloration that you find.


Female Ruby Meadowhawk


Lake Darner


Blue Dasher


Whitefaced Meadowhawk


Blue Dasher


Unidentified


In addition to the dragonflies, there were most of the "usual suspects". Several other things caught my eye.


Great Golden Digger Wasp on Downy Swamp Milkweed


A Cedar Waxwing from a flock of about 10 feeding on bugs on the Concord River near the "holt"


Great Blue Heron headed to deep water to fish


Occasionally when you arrive in the morning you may find a splattered watermelon at the base of the tower. (Youths are rumored to be involved.) Well it appears that chipmunks appear to like watermelon. I wonder if they spit out the seeds?


As I was walking back towards my car on the Cross Dike Trail, I saw this photo. It is my favorite from the morning; the perfect end to an enjoyable day at Great Meadows.





As always these are my best identifications based upon my limited (but growing) naturalist knowledge. Feedback and corrections are always appreciated...but please be gentle.

A Drive By Shooting

Upon returning from New Hampshire, I had less than 48 hours before I left for Maine. Into that time I tried to cram celebrating Mom's birthday in Rhode Island, hosting a college friend for two nights, unpack / repack, and a quick visit to Great Meadows. The visit was successful, but this blog post was delayed until my return.


Morning dew or in this case the remnants of Sunday's rain storms often yield interesting views of fauna bedecked with diamonds.


There were plenty of lotus in bloom. The bees were busy with pollination. On one plant I actually counted four bees.

The Evening Primrose is very attractive to a number of animals. Often you find Goldfinches feeding on them. Today I found a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly attracted to them.






The morning quickly warmed and the dragonflies became active. My Field Guide to Dragonfiles and Damselflies of Massachusetts finally arrived. Who knew there are 166 species found in our state? Here are a pair of Great Blue Skimmers and a Common Whitetail.



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Along the backside of the Upper Impoundment I found this familiy that had set up house in a milkweed plant. The tree canopy nearby was full of small birds flitting to and fro. I liked the Tufted Titmouse that descended to my level and posed like a CEO for his portrait, staying only a few seconds before flying off to his next task.






Cardinal flowers have been blooming along the riverside. I have attempted (and failed) to get a photo I would be willing to share. This is my best effort to date which captures them in the morning sun.




Along my walk I encountered this Mom, walking with her child. As they walked and talked, Mom was pointing out the flora and fauna. It was obvious they were both enjoying their time outdoors. This photo makes me smile as I remember them.




Alas there was no to carry me back to the parking lot. So I gathered up my camera, tripod and lenses to race back to the car and pack for Maine. I wonder what I'll find when I return.