The last weekend in June was certainly a busy one compared to most, we had two Nature walks this weekend, both of them spectacular! Saturday night was the first time that the Arboretum hosted a summer night time excursion. The walk was entitled Bats, Bibites, and BedSheets!?!?! The main focus of the walk being some of those hard to find nocturnal creatures, in particular, you guessed it! Bats and Insects. The “Bedsheet” idea came from on of my favorite forms of insect traps known as a light trap. To explain it simply; a bed sheet or other white cloth is stretched between two posts and is illuminated with the help of some large flood lamps. This brings in all sorts of nocturnal flying insects including moths, beetles, and sometimes even a praying mantis or two! Aside from all of the neat invetebrates at the end, the walks itself had some expected and some very unexpected surprises. Aside from seeing a little brown bat flying at pretty close range, we were also able to observe a Northern Flying Squirrel, a Blue Spotted Salamander, a Red-Backed Salamander and a beautiful light show put on by those tiny little beetles, the Fireflies!
Sunday’s walk was entitled “Butterflies that Flutter-by” and was a way for Arboretum visitors to experience the amazing world of butterflies. We collected and observed a total of 16 species, a very respectible number considering that that is nearly half of all the known species to occur here to date! Some of the highlights were Hackberry Emperor, Northern Pearly-eye, Great Spangled Fritillary and Banded Hairstreak. With nets in hand we explored all of the best spots known to attract these beautiful creatures and were certainly treated to some impressive and even rare species.
A Banded Hairstreak: A tiny butterfly that was certainly one of the highlights of the Butterfly walk
A special thank you to all who participated on the walks this passed weekend. If you are interested in seeing what’s coming up next at the Morgan Arboretum, please visit the Calendar Page!
Have fun out there!
CC