I took a hike at Fort Hill on the National Seashore just to look for wildflowers and butterflies. And boy, was I lucky! There were Monarch butterflies everywhere! I must have taken 200 photographs!
The Monarch butterfly’s wingspan is 3.5-4″ and orange with prominent black veins and borders. I loved all the polka dots on its body. They feed on milkweeds which abound at Fort Hill.
The Monarch butterfly is so well known that there are attempts underway to designate it as the national insect of the United States. That would be so cool!
We were taking a hike along the Silver Spring Trail at the Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary the other day when I saw some movement among the Pond Lilies. A turtle could not cause that much movement. What could it be?
We watched this little Muskrat swim across the little inlet and then come up on shore about 3 feet from us. It was very dark in the shade and there were a lot of branches and leaves, but we got a couple of photographs of him.
He’s about the size of a rat. Look at those feet and that long tail. Have you ever seen a Muskrat?
It was a spectacular day for a hike at Fort Hill in Eastham on Cape Cod. I loved this photograph of the trees along the trail. There are so many places to walk or hike at Fort Hill, which is a part of the National Seashore.
When I saw this pretty blue Creeping Bellflower at Fort Hill on Cape Cod, it reminded me of a Parry’s Harebell wildflower out in Colorado. They look so similar, although this one is a bit larger.
The Creeping Bellflower has 5-petaled 1 to 1 1/2″ bell-shaped flowers that hang on one side of a tall stiff stalk. They spread by creeping or rooting. The plant grows from 1-3 feet tall from July to September on fields and roadsides, so you should be able to find one.
I had never really seen Queen Anne’s Lace wildflowers when they are finished blooming and getting ready to seed. I posted a photograph of them blooming a few days ago at Fort Hill on Cape Cod.
They fold up into what looks like a little ball with all of the seeds drying on top. You can see the seeds in the photograph. When they are dry they will disperse the seeds with the wind.
Mother Nature is amazing, don’t you think?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
