All posts by Mel

Gorgeous Pink Wildflower At Fort Hill On Cape Cod

I saw this gorgeous pink wildflower on the side of the trail at Fort Hill in Eastham on Cape Cod and I have no idea what kind of wildflower it is! I can’t find it in any of my wildflower books or on the internet. Hmmm.

I think it is so pretty. It is very small, only about 1/2″, but so distinctive. I love the center… so delicate. Can anyone identify this wildflower?  Isn’t it gorgeous?

Orange And Black Pearl Crescent Butterfly On Cape Cod

I’ve seen several of these Pearl Crescent butterflies along the trails here on Cape Cod. They are orange above with black borders and spots. The male is a brighter orange while the female is a paler brown with silvery areas. I think this one must be a female as it looks very silvery in areas.

I’ve seen them on wildflowers or just on the trail itself. Have you ever seen a Pearl Crescent?

Green Heron At The Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary On Cape Cod

We were so lucky to see this Green Heron at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Sometimes they are pretty elusive. This Green Heron was fishing at the salt marsh where we watched him for a bit. And then he fly away!

As we hiked out to the beach, one of the naturalists had a spotting scope set up looking up high in a tree next to the trail. Up there was a Green Heron’s nest. It was quite large. I wonder if it was the one we saw by the salt marsh?

 

Eastern Ribbon Snake At The Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

We were taking a hike along the Silver Spring Trail at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary when I saw this Eastern Ribbon snake on the side of the trail. I’m not sure who was more startled! But he stayed on the trail and just looked at me.

The Eastern Ribbon snake is a slender, blackish brown snake with 3 yellow stripes. It is found near water (Silver Spring) where it swims on the surface.