Our Natural Adventures

Tag: travel

  • August 2, 2025 Adventures

    August 2, 2025 Adventures

    We hit a couple places today because the weather was so perfect! High 70’s with a bit of a breeze and full sun. You can’t really beat that for a butterfly day.

    We started that day at the Westfield Conservation Area in Taunton, MA. It’s only the second time we have gone there, and really we were just checking for wooly alder aphids on the alder trees to see if there could be a population of Harvester butterflies. There were none, so we have to assume there is not a population there. There were a few species flying, but honestly not as much as I had thought there would be. Probably the best thing we saw was an Evergreen Bagworm moth caterpillar (photo above). We had seen the cocoons quite often, but never the caterpillar. That was pretty cool. Butterflies were few and far between, with a couple Monarchs, Wood Nymph, Peck’s Skipper, Least Skipper being the best sightings. The area is quite nice with very well maintained trails though.

    We continued on from there to Borden Colony in Raynham, MA. This is a place we have visited a handful of times over the years. It almost always has several flying species but they are usually hard to get at for a photo. This was not the case today because of the land management that has gone on there this year. I am guessing they were mowing down all invasive grape and other species of plants. This made all the overgrown areas grow back as beautiful fields which were full of flowering Common Milkweed and Joe Pye Weed, Clover, etc. Great butterfly conditions!

    Borden Colony field
    Milkweed at Borden Colony

    Although the butterflies were all basically common species, the numbers were nice and high. Sulphurs topped the chart at well over 50 (probably over 100) with a mix of mainly clouded sulphurs with some orange sulphurs in there too.

    Orange Sulphur
    Courting Clouded Sulphurs (yellow male and white form female)

    There were also over 20 Monarchs, 8 Common Buckeyes, several Eastern tailed blues, 2 Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (first of the year for us) a Red-banded Hairstreak, a Viceroy, etc. All common, but great to see!

    Tomorrow’s weather looks to be a bit of the same so we will see what adventures we can get into!

    Red-banded Hairstreak
    Snowberry Clearwing Moth
    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
    Common Buckeye
  • June 6, 2025 – Erwin Wilder WMA and MSSF

    June 6, 2025 – Erwin Wilder WMA and MSSF

    Spent part of the morning looking for big butterflies (Swallowtails, Monarchs, etc) and Wild Indigo Duskywings. The day was a hazy sun, with temps in the lower 80’s and not much wind.

    I started out at the Erwin S. Wilder Wildlife Management Area in Norton, MA. This is a pretty good place for big butterflies with all of the Swallowtails seen there at one point or another. But not today. In fact, there were less butterflies flying there than I had ever seen. The typical Sulfurs, a Peck’s Skipper or two, a Least Skipper, two Red-spotted Purples flyover, a couple Zabulon Skippers and about 30 European Skippers. That seems to be how the European Skippers work. One day there may be none and the next there are several dozen. Strange species.

    European Skipper

    After this disappointment, I decided to go to Myles Standish State Forest where Wild Indigo Duskywings always fly at this time of year. Except today. I went to all the usual locations, Torrey Pond Road, Kamesit Road, etc and I saw 2 Duskywings. One was so worn that there was no telling what it was and one flew off into the woods never to be seen again.

    I did manage to see a Fowler’s Toad (photo above), a few Red-spotted Purples, 2 of which were taking turns at a pile of scat, 2 Indian Skippers, one worn but still flying strong Frosted Elfin, and one Eastern Tiger Swallowtail flyover.

    Red-spotted Purple enjoying a scat lunch
    Frosted Elfin

    So it was a bust of a day as far as getting the species that I wanted and I now believe that the cold May we just got through had quite an effect on the species that should be flying right now. I haven’t even SEEN a Spicebush Swallowtail. I’m not at a level of concern for these species right now, but it does seem like it could head in that direction if this keeps up.

  • May 5, 2025 – Fairhaven and Marion, MA

    May 5, 2025 – Fairhaven and Marion, MA

    I went quickly to a couple places today, mainly to see if I could get a Least Skipper at one of them.

    In Fairhaven, the location I went to is called Carvalho Farm and run by the Buzzards Bay Coalition. It is a really nice area with a very large field at the beginning (photo above), and a path that winds through the woods down towards a saltwater marsh. The area I was interested in today was the back end of the field where I had seen Least Skippers last year, just before it turns into the marsh grasses.

    The area where it turns from field to a wet, marshy area.

    On the way down to that end of the field, I had expected to see a lot of grass skipper activity amongst the buttercups and clover flowers which are all over the place here. I saw two Peck’s Skippers and 5 Clouded Sulfurs. Pretty disappointing overall.

    It took me some time to find a Least Skipper, but I eventually flushed one out of hiding and followed it as it flew for probably 5 minutes straight. Eventually it landed and gave me a clean look at it for a few photos. My first of the year!

    Least Skipper

    I also saw one nice looking Viceroy while chasing the Least Skipper all over the field and was able to get a couple photos of it.

    Viceroy

    Since it was super hot today (upper 80’s and humid) I decided to pack it up after finding the Least Skipper and head over to a place that I check out every year despite having over 100 ticks on me the first year I went there. I haven’t had even one tick since so I figure I must have just stepped in a “nest” at some point on that first walk.

    The area I went to is called Grassi Bogs in Marion, MA. It is a very nice piece of property. Old Cranberry bogs with a nice pond and great trails around and through it all.

    Well, that is until Mower McKillsItAll comes by and mows the entire width of the path from tree line to tree line and leaves not one shred of nectar plant. I haven’t been to a place where there were no bees OR butterflies ever, until today. What a disaster. A true 0/10 rating for butterflies. I won’t be returning this year.

    A complete mow. Must be paid by the hour.
    The area does have some nice views though!

    All in all a bit of a bummer of a day, but I am quite happy with the little Least Skipper and Viceroy!

  • June 4, 2025 – Middleboro, MA

    June 4, 2025 – Middleboro, MA

    I went to a couple places in Middleboro, MA today to see what I could find. I don’t go there often, so I waited for a nice warm and sunny day. It was well into the 70’s and sunny, although hazy from the Canada wildfire smoke, I’m told.

    The first place I went to was the Peter Oliver House which has trails behind it that lead to the Picone Farm fields which the town just recently bought. I had hoped for Least Skippers in the fields, but no luck with that. It is a little bit early, but I have seen them at this time in years past. As soon as I got on the trail, I came across a female Zabulon Skipper. A good sign, I thought…

    Well, the rest of the trail, including the beginning portion where we see Red Admirals pretty regularly, had nothing. When I got to the field, I wasn’t overly impressed either. What usually has a lot of skippers at the very least, had only a few Tawny-edged Skippers and a couple Zabulon and Peck’s Skippers. I did have one Monarch flyover and found what iNat is telling me is an Argus Tortoise Beetle (photo above). Not much to speak of.

    Tawny-edged Skipper

    On the way back, I took a different side trail which is something that they have cut out since the last time I went.

    The two trails with the new one to the right.

    This trail led to a different part of the field. As I got to the end of it, I did have a Red-spotted Purple fly over and land near me which was great since it was the first of the year for me.

    Red-spotted Purple

    In that part of the field, there was much of the same as the other part. A couple skippers and not much else.

    From here, I went over to the Oliver Mill area to see what might be there. One Peck’s Skipper. I’m out.

    I remembered there was a spot that is relatively new to the public nearby. It is called the Nemasket River Village Archaeological Preserve.

    The area immediately looked cool with a lot of fields and nicely mowed paths.

    I started up the trail and immediately saw some skippers which were a lot brighter orange than others I had seen. I assumed correctly that these were Long Dash Skippers. I saw several of them along the sides of the trail. They are a nice looking skipper and probably using the Vetch that is throughout the fields as a host plant. Just a guess.

    Long Dash on vetch

    I didn’t come across a lot of other species here, but the area looks to be certainly worth a revisit in the near future. I did find Zabulons, Peck’s, Pearl Crescents and a Common Ringlet. I also found one Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillar. That was a nice surprise.

    We’ll see what tomorrow brings. The temperature is supposed to be well into the 80’s for the first time this year. Maybe it will pop out some nice new species!

  • June 1, 2025 – Breakneck Hill – Southborough, MA

    June 1, 2025 – Breakneck Hill – Southborough, MA

    Based on a report we saw on the Massachusetts Butterfly Club Google group page, we decided to go to Breakneck Hill today. We had never been and it is only an easy hour drive from home. Our target species were Silvery Blues and Northern Cloudywings.

    The weather was questionable. Although somewhat sunny, it was very windy and the temps were only in the mid 60’s. If nothing else, we would be able to check the place out and plan future trips.

    Breakneck Hill

    As soon as we got there, we found a Peck’s Skipper and another unknown Skipper laying low in the grass away from the wind. This was to become a common theme throughout the walk. The report we read said “more than 400 Little Wood Satyrs”. We know the people who reported that very well, so we had no reason to doubt it, but couldn’t imagine it. Within about a half hour of arriving, we knew it was an undercount of the amount flying there! They were everywhere. At times, we walked through clouds of them and did our best to not step on them. It was insane.

    Little Wood Satyr

    The location is, like it says, a hill. There are several trails going up and down the hill so it never gets boring.

    One of the views on the hill

    We were able to get a good lay of the land and ended up with several species seen in the end. We saw: Little Wood Satyrs, American Coppers, Silvery Blues, Hobomok Skippers (unexpected), Zabulon Skippers, Peck’s Skippers, one Tiger Swallowtail flyover, one Spring Azure, one Northern Cloudywing, one European Skipper, 2 Tawny-edged Skippers and a few dozen Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillars (photo above). A great day considering most of them weren’t flying much other than the Wood Satyrs.

    Silvery Blue

    Northern Cloudywing
    Female Zabulon Skipper and Male Hobomok Skipper
    European Skipper
  • May 30, 2025 – New and old locations

    May 30, 2025 – New and old locations

    We did something different today and decided to go to a place I found on Google Maps that looked good from the map but had no real previous reports of butterflies, most notably on iNaturalist.

    The location was Westville Conservation Area in Taunton, MA. Upon arrival, we were greeted with what could be the narrowest entry gate we have ever encountered. I wasn’t sure if the car would make it into the tiny parking lot (maybe 4 cars?). It did and luckily there was enough space to back into a spot for an easy exit later on.

    Westville Conservation Area parking lot

    Once we were settled in, we began to explore this wonderfully maintained property! The paths were wide and were all extremely low mowed grass. This was quite a treat compared to most of the places we visit. What we think was a Spicebush Swallowtail flew over the parking area when we started our walk which we thought was a good sign.

    Walking the trails is quite easy. They are lined with plants of various types. Vetch, Milkweed and other future flowering plants were abundant, but so were a lot of invasives, mainly bittersweet and roses. Although that is unfortunate, it seems like the place will still be nice throughout the butterfly season. There is a river that runs through the property and the bridges over the wet areas are brand new and perfectly stable. Did I mention it was a treat to walk around here?? 🙂

    One of the river areas on property

    We did see quite a few species of butterflies as well, although the numbers of individuals wasn’t overly impressive. Peck’s Skippers, Tawny-edged Skippers, Little Wood Satyrs (many), American Ladys, and a Cherry Gall Azure were all here. Dragonflies, Damselflies, and Ebony Jewelwings (photo above) are also abundant, especially in the wetter areas as would be expected.

    I think Tawny-edged Skipper for this. iNaturalist says Crossline. On vetch.

    There are many reasons for us to return to this property which will hopefully be revealed in a later post. Future butterflies should be abundant. We’ll see…

    From there, we went to an older area that we have walked before to see if the Silver bordered Fritillaries were flying yet. It is called the Great River Preserve in Bridgewater, MA. Although we didn’t see any Frits (it is a bit early still), we found a few common species such as Red Admirals, Peck’s Skippers, Pearl Crescents, Sulphurs and a mating pair of Viceorys which was the butterfly highlight of this location for sure.

    Mating Viceroy butterflies

    We also ran into quite a few Bobolinks. I had never seen such a bird since I generally pay no attention to the feathered friends out there. It is an interesting, almost goofy looking bird.

    Male Bobolink

    If you are in Bridgewater, you can’t end your day without a meal from Chatta Box. It is some of the greatest Thai food around! We are usually a hot mess by the end of the day and get it as take out. I am sure the staff appreciate that!

    The weekend looks like iffy weather all around with rain Saturday and possible sun, but colder temps Sunday, so we’ll see what we can find!

  • May 3, 2025 – Watuppa Reservation – Fall River, MA

    May 3, 2025 – Watuppa Reservation – Fall River, MA

    We took a trip out to the Watuppa Reservation area in Fall River today. It was a fantastic day to be out. Sunny, mid 70’s or more and just a bit of a breeze.

    Our main target species were Hessel’s Hairstreaks. Their host plant, the Eastern White Cedar is in the area so we had hoped they would be as well. Whenever looking for Hessel’s in MA, it isn’t a matter of “we’re going out to find Hessel’s”, but more of “we are going out to an area they should be, but probably won’t be”.

    But try, we did. And long story short, once again fail, we did.

    Not all was lost though. At first I took us to the wrong area, but there was a powerline cut and those are almost always interesting. This one had several flowering blueberry bushes which are generally butterfly magnets this early in the season. I did find a few nice ones nectaring on them, but nothing TOO special. 3 Eastern Pine Elfins and several Azures.

    Eastern Pine Elfin on high bush blueberry
    Spring Azure on high bush blueberry

    Everything seems to like the blueberry. Several bumblebees and wasps were also on them.

    A yellowjacket enjoying some blueberry

    I even ran into a mound of Allegheny Mound Ants which I hadn’t seen since my days of working on the military base on Cape Cod. These things are nasty little bastards, but super cool.

    A giant mound of Allegheny Mound Ants
    Allegheny Mound ants

    Well, I decided to turn around and walk the powerline down to where I knew we found some fun butterflies last year. Along the way, I found what was (I thought) a bit strange. Seemingly, two different forms of Spring Azure mating. It looks to me that one is form lucia and the other is possibly marginata?

    Mating Spring Azures

    At one point, the path ends and it turns into a swampy area. Since I could see where I needed to go about 100 yards or so ahead, I decided (one of my worst decisions in a while) to go through the swampy area to get there. Well… I won’t do that again. I would say that I made it about 3/4 of the way, but not before ending up to my knee of my left leg in some serious muck with every pull up of my leg making it sink further in. I did eventually free myself, but began wondering if I would run into the skeletons of those less fortunate than myself. I ended up turning around and getting out of there.

    From there, we ended up driving down to the area we were in last year. This year was a bit different from a butterfly species perspective. Last year, I had a White-M hairstreak. This year there weren’t any in this area but one was seen in the previously mentioned, incorrect area. There were several Azures here though, and a Henry’s Elfin which is always fun.

    Summer Azure
    Summer Azure (light blue with white veins)
    The only look I got at the Henry’s Elfin before it flew off.

    Anyways, at this spot, my wife also found a Red-spotted Purple caterpillar on black cherry which is always a fun find.

    Other than these few species and a couple of Juvenal’s Duskywings (pictured at top), not much else was found today. It was a great day to be out and about though!

  • May 1, 2025 – Nasketucket Bay Reservation

    May 1, 2025 – Nasketucket Bay Reservation

    Took a little time this afternoon to go to Nasketucket Bay Reservation in Mattapoisett, MA to see if I could find Henry’s Elfins since we saw one there last year and were rather surprised by it.

    Nasketucket is a nice place for a walk with wide trails, some nectar plants throughout the season and a variety of butterflies all summer long.

    The reservation has several different habitats with forest, fields, ocean (if you walk all the way to the end) and several wetter areas with vernal pools.

    Nice wide clean trails!
    Some of the wetter areas have these boardwalks

    I walked around for a while before finding anything interesting today. The weather was nice with lots of sun, but a bit chilly with temps only in the lower 60’s. The first butterfly I saw was an Azure. I am still unsure if this is a Summer Azure or a Spring Azure, form violacea. Since ALL of the Azures here (I saw about 12 or more) were the same, I suspect Summer Azure, but I can’t be sure.

    This one was just slightly darker.
    Summer? Spring?

    Eventually, I came across an Eastern Pine Elfin which wasn’t a surprise. Nasketucket is where I saw my first ever Pine Elfin so I sort of suspected I may see one.

    Eastern Pine Elfin

    I also spotted (so to speak) a spotted turtle crossing one of the paths! That was a bit of a surprise although I know they are all over this area of the state.

    Spotted Turtle

    I also saw two different Garter Snakes on the side of the path.

    Common Garter Snake

    Finally, on my way back, I found what I had come for. A Henry’s Elfin! I had seen something dark fly off on my way down the trail, but on the way back it seemed to be stopping which was awesome! This one seemed to be missing one of the clubs at the end of it’s left antenna. I have never seen that before.

    Henry’s Elfin

    A little further up the path, I found another one!

    Henry’s Elfin

    This, along with the one we saw there last year verifies that there is an active population there which is great to know.

    All in all, it was a great little walk with a questions remaining (about the Azures) but some answers as well.