visit to a special Broome Co. property
Colleen Wolpert
Hey Lep Lovers,
I had the opportunity to visit a 40-acre property in the Town of Maine, twice this week (7/3 and 7/6), to see the transformation from several years ago. My friend, Paula, had seen an ad in the paper and applied for a grant, through The Upper Susquehanna Coalition, to add 4 vernal pools and 1000 trees and shrubs in her/their wet meadow, that has many sedges and grasses. Instead of running off the hill into the creek below, the water is trapped by an underground dam and pools. The design of the berms allow one to look down into the ponds and observe the beauty of so many dragonflies and damselflies, most of which I could not ID and/or forgot to write down. The colors are more beautiful when seen in the sunlight from above. Frogs called throughout the afternoon as butterflies swirled all around us. Indian Hemp was just coming into bloom and becoming a magnet for easy viewing. The 3 year wait for the project was so worth it. Build it and they will come (and we get to enjoy them). Regretting that I didn’t take more photos, even though I had only my old phone. It was an amazing experience.
Butterflies:
E. Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Bronze Copper - female fresh
Banded Hairstreak
Possibly a Coral Hairstreak – on the first day when I was without binoculars
E. Tailed Blue – including a fresh female
Great Spangled Fritillary – very numerous
Aphrodite Fritillary – several at least; rosy appearance was noticeable at a distance so walked up to and checked
Meadow Fritillary – very numerous (100s); more than I have EVER seen
Crescent sp.
Eyed Brown – two
Common Wood Nymph – very numerous and some landed on me repeatedly
Skippers:
N Broken-Dash
Little Glassywing
Dun
European
Silver-spotted skipper
Virginia Ctenucha and other moths
Lifer dragonflies – Slaty Skimmer that was the deepest purple in the sun; Spangled Skimmer that twirled those bright white marks spectacularly. Common Whitetails and others chased each other in the sedges/grasses, making a rattling noise that initially startled us. Tons of bluets and other damselflies laying eggs in the pond. Halloween Pennant in the field.
Colleen Wolpert
