Goodness, it's just Red Efts all over the place around here. And I'm not complaining! When I went for a walk at Hammond Hill State Forest yesterday, I crossed paths with six of these juvenile newts, and among them was the tiniest eft I've ever seen (pictured here with a dime for scale):
I didn't know they came so small! Look at this wonderful animal:
I moved the tiny eft off the path to make way for incoming mountain bikes, and the leaf I used as a mini-eft-elevator then made a great stage for one last adorable portrait:
Here's a bigger and bulkier eft I met during the same walk; all efts are beautiful, and it's so cool to get to compare individuals of such different sizes:
It was also great to see Red Columbine blooming next to the path (although I only found the one plant):
A small patch of Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana) made a cool sight with those tiers of whorled leaves:
The small flowers dangling from the top tiers of these plants are lovely, and quite strangely shaped:
I'm so happy to live in a place where Chestnut-sided Warblers are fairly common; they're my favorite warbler species, mostly because of the male's eccentric costume. This male Chestnut-sided Warbler gave me a nice view of his bright yellow cap (one of his best and strangest features):
I also got to admire this female Chestnut-sided Warbler's more muted yellow hat, along with her beautiful striped back:
We really do have lots of cool animals and plants around here!
There were tons of
birds out and about on Thursday and Friday morning when I visited the meadows of Naugatuck State Forest, including some very colorful
newly-arrived migrants that stayed active the whole time I was there.
These sorts of wet, overcast days seem to be just about perfect, it turns out,
for seeing awesome creatures (a fact I will need to remember for the
future), and I found only one real downside: My camera has a very hard
time focusing on quick-moving birds in low-light conditions.
Nevertheless I managed to capture a few pictures of these flying gems as
they flitted among the bushes and trees around me.
A bunch of Yellow Warblers made a strong presence, announcing themselves with their loud cheerful songs:
Several Blue-winged Warblers were hanging around, too, singing their little songs that sound like a wheezy breath in and out (which, since I read that description in my Peterson field guide, is the only thing I can think of now when I hear these birds):
Sing it, little bird!
A single male Chestnut-sided Warbler graced me with his presence, and even came quite close:
I honestly think this is one of our prettiest birds. He has so many colors, and such an interesting costume! Even from the back, he's a striking little creature:
There were Ovenbirds singing all around, but I only saw one individual who popped up into view for a few seconds before flying off again:
Also hanging out (though not within camera-range) was a male Scarlet Tanager, some Black-throated Green Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo, and probably many other species that I didn't see or identify. I love the huge variety of cool birds that are showing up now!
The
weather also made for some lovely wildflower sights -- colorful
blooms were practically luminescent against the damp ground. Here's
another, better view of the Wood Betony that I found the other
day, with its gorgeous yellow and/or red whorls of blossoms:
I'm definitely impressed by the range of possible colors on these plants:
This lovely little Starflower (Trientalis borealis) shone out from under the trees:
Huh, a flower with seven petals (normal for the species).... How strange, and yet beautifully symmetrical!
I was very happy to see these Wild Red Columbines in bloom -- they're one of my favorites, and I don't find them very often:
And I can't believe how utterly gorgeous these Pink Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) blooms were, like something straight out of a fairy tale:
Finally, not
to be outdone by the flowers, the masses of cedar-apple rust galls on
the Red Cedar trees were pretty phenomenal -- and I thought the handful
of orange-tentacled galls on the trees outside our apartment windows were impressive!
After two days of exploring the woods in what I thought would be less than ideal conditions, I have definitely come to appreciate the benefits of soggy weather. Here's to active birds, reptiles, and amphibians, blooming plants, and lots of color on deceptively gray days!
