Along the Air Line... 2012 - Summer, Part 6
The Air Line Trail in Eastern Connecticut - Stan Malcolm Photos

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August 24th.  Another cool, foggy morning at Raymond Brook Marsh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a small patch of invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis) next to the trail, but much larger patches across the marsh on both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus).

 

 

A juvenile Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe).  (Thanks to Russ Smiley for the ID.)

 

 

This morning I headed down the Colchester spur because I'd noticed some activity at the distillery recently; e.g., brush cut back. I found a crew erecting chain link fence around the old factory building where ground had been leveled and packed, I think in prep for paving.

 

 

I was told that the building is to be re-roofed and turned into a Cadillac dealership.  (Really?)  Well, it certainly needs a new roof, among other things.  Looks like the tree growing from the middle of the floor is gone, as well as some of the trash.  I hope the old distillery chimney with Nat Semel's name on it will be preserved, though there are concerns about loose brick at the top.  More Photos

 

 

August 25th.  Common Reed (Phragmites australis) on yet another foggy morning.

 

 

Another female Marbled Orb-weaver (Araneus marmoreus), this time showing the venter.  An incredibly good year for orb-weaving spiders; they seem to be everywhere.

 

 

August 26th.  Great Blue Heron in silhouette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 27th. A Crab Spider dangling from Evening Primrose after I accidentally disturbed it.  Great match to the primrose flower color.

 

 

A female Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia).

 

 

 

 

 

The silken zig-zag above and below the spider is thought to alert birds to the web's presence so they do not fly through and destroy the spider's work.

 

 

Same spider in late afternoon.  She's caught a grasshopper.

 

 

Abdomen looks like a Rorschach Test.

 

 

Lots of spiders out.

 

 

Wild Sensitive-plant (Cassia nictitans).

 

 

Tiny flowers are quite nice close up.

 

 

Nifty Sawfly larva on Alder.  (Dimorphopteryx sp. Family Tenthredinidae).

 

 

I unrolled this leaf-roller's shelter (on Basswood, Tilia sp., I think).  My best guess is the caterpillar of the Basswood Leaf-roller (Pantographa limata, Family Crambidae).  The adult moth looks like this.  I'[ll try rearing it to confirm.

 

 

Meanwhile, have a look at it "live".  Note the synchronic pulse in the dorsal vessel.

 

 

August 28th.  Closed Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii).

 

 

A Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), a Monarch mimic distinguished by the bar across the hind wing, smaller size, and other subtle characters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Not distorted, just photographed at an angle.)

 

 

A Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius), distinguished by those amazing hind legs and tail longer than the body.  Capable of 3' hops.  (Sadly, this one has been injured.)

 

 

August 31st.  White-tailed Deer buck (Odocoileus virginianus) far across the marsh.

 

 

After this picture was taken, the buck spooked and two formerly unnoiticed does followed him quickly into the woods.