A red-winged blackbird greeted us as we started down the boardwalk. He was checking out the new signs that NCC has installed (more about that later)

The beavers have been diligently maintaining their dam on the east end of the pond

The turtles and the hard-to-see Virginia rails had been making use of it (click on photo to get a better look and watch the video)


A few birds were active in the bog. Including several wood thrushes, and a kingbird


A song sparrow seemed to be playing hide and seek with me

A grackle was talking to its young

The morning sun was showing off the bog's landscape

A spruce tree with a "witch's broom"(?), a close-up of the needle arrangement on a tamarack tree


A new spruce tree and maple tree sapling growing in the bog.


The spiders had been busy making their dense concave webs. Obviously a specialty web, not sure though what for beyond catching the dew.


A large mushroom was providing breakfast to an upside down slug

The new cattails are in full growth mode, some are even doubles


At the east end of the boardwalk one of the beaver channels was quite red and a second channel was very muddied water


The NCC has replaced many of the fading years old signs. Four examples...




There were lots of dragonflies flitting about. A racket-tailed emerald and a frosted whiteface,


A very tiny (3/4"?) bog copper butterfly

Very small hoverflies were investigating a late blooming goatsbeard blossom and a tiny linseed flax bloom


A good number of other flowers were in bloom (as well as some berries) as well (scroll over for ID)

Meadowsweet

Steeplebush

Tawny cotton grass

bladderwort (very small)

European frog's bit

Schreber's Watershield

Healall / Selfheal

Field thistle

Purple loostrife

Dock

Blueberries

Blueberries
