Bright blue Chicory wildflowers are blooming all over Fort Hill on Cape Cod. Their intense blue color makes them easy to spot on the sides of the trails or in the fields.
Chicory grows on a stiff stalk and has numerous 1 and 1/2″ stemless flower heads with fringed petals. These bloom for only one day from June to October.
The part of the Chicory that always catches my eye are the exquisite stamens and pistils in the center. They look like little blue rods with a lasso at the top. Just beautiful!
I saw this Little Wood Satyr butterfly at Fort Hill on Cape Cod. I had never seen one before. It was right off the trail leading out to Cutting Rock.
The Little Wood Satyr is light brown in color with two yellow-rimmed black eyespots on both sides of its forewings. The hindwing has two spots. The Little Wood Satyr prefers habitat that is open, contains deciduous trees along with marshy areas.
Yesterday was my favorite kind of day at the beach… windy and cloudy with big, roaring waves! It was a glorious day at Coast Guard Beach, part of the National Seashore, in Eastham.
So I went for a long walk on the beach. It was crowded with vacationers all with their hoodies on as they sat and enjoyed the beach and everything that it offers. A few people even ventured into the water which was a cool 62 degrees.
I guess people who are here on vacation love the beach in any weather and will spend the whole day there, even all bundled up!
We have a lot of Spotted Wintergreen wildflowers growing right near our home here on Cape Cod. They are such an interesting wildflower.
You can see in the second photograph the little bud on the left and the flower starting to bloom on the right. When it is fully bloomed, it flips over and you can see the delicate little flower as it faces the sun.
The Spotted Wintergreen is native and its flower is small, only about 1″ which grows in July and August. Native Americans used its leaf tea to treat rheumatism and stomach problems, and crushed leaves were applied as a poultice to sores and wounds. Spotted Wintergreen is considered rare in New England.
What a treat it was to see this Eastern Kingbird at our bird bath her on Cape Cod. We saw our first eastern Kingbird about a month ago at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. We had never seen one before.
So now to see one in our own backyard is really cool!
The Eastern Kingbird is often seen perched on a treetop waiting to catch an insect in mid-air. They also pick food items off the ground, especially in cooler weather when many insects don’t fly.
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
