Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Colors of Spring

Check the colors on this lovely spring butterfly. But wait, Grape Epimenis is actually a day-flying moth! A spring flier, the adults can be seen nectaring on early flowers, such as the crab apple blossoms in this photo. His progeny will be debuting on grape leaves a little later on this season. Just one of the many non-birds we looked at on our GMAS walk at Byers Woods, we do it all: birds, butterflies, botany and anything else that moves.

And today's Fowler Woods walk set temperature records for April. About 40 of us basked in 80 degree weather while we studied Large-flowered and Nodding Trilliums, both Virginia and Canada Waterleaf and a stunning display of Marsh Marigolds. But the big excitement of the walk was a stunning Black-throated Green warbler, fresh in from the tropics, singing his Zoo-zoo-zoo-zoo zee song. We stopped on a dime to look up and pay homage to the first warbler many have seen this season- in fact- it was the first Warbler a few of them had ever seen. And that, is what it is really all about. Welcome spring!

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