Before visiting the American Dream, we ate lunch at a small and little-used park. It is by Bashes Creek and the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey. Some information about the park is on this page Parks and Trails | New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
This little yellow warbler sang his heart out while we ate. In the last photograph the American Dream complex is in the background on the right.
A few photographs from May in Greenbrook Sanctuary. The last one with the fallen tree in the pond I colorized.
The purple Martins are in their little aprtments. The Oystercatcher looked like it was nesting right next to the road. I saw a small dark shape on the road. It was a box turtle. Some of its shell was scraped off on top, and its back leges were hanging out. We picked it up and it pulled in its legs. I think somone ran over it and it was still in shock. We put it in the grass. I hope it is OK.
NOn the way home the next day after the trip to find butterflies we stopped at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It was nice and empty becae34u of the weather. I liked the atmosphere.
We stopped by the rookery at Ocean City during our Pine Barrens trip to see the nesting birds. Marc made the photograph of the White Ibis with her eggs.
Rick Cech led the group. He is an expert lepidopterist. I use his book, Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer’s Guide: Cech, Rick, Tudor, Guy: Amazon.com, to identify butterflies.
I enjoy learning about the butterflies host plants. Bearberry is the host plant for the Hoary Elfin. And blueberry is the host plant for Spring Azures. Some more information here: New Jersey Butterfly Families.
A lot of the plants that we saw are native to the area. Pyxidanthera barbulata grows in wet sands and peaty sands. It thrives in pine barrens, pine savannas, and pine flatwoods. It is also found on pocosin margins and at the edges of sandhill seepage bogs. Pyxidanthera barbulata occurs on the coast from Long Island to New Jersey and Virginia to South Carolina.
The Pine Barrens in New Jersey is home to several species of trees, including:Â
New Jersey Pine Barrens history – Wikipedia
A few dragonflies that I found in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
