You never know what kinds of birds you will see on Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod. Today it was the Least Tern. They are such a beautiful bird. (Click on blog link to see other photo.)
I couldn’t figure out whether it was a parent feeding its young or just two Least Terns interacting on the beach. Whichever it was, it was pretty cool to watch.
I saw this blue dragonfly, which I thought was a Northern Bluet dragonfly, on a branch by the boardwalk at Fort Hill. It looked so pretty, I clicked away.
When I got home I noticed there as another dragonfly attached to it on the underside. Hmmm… Does anyone know why? Are they mating? I did some research but couldn’t find any answers.
Update: It is Blue Dasher Dragonfly and yes, they are mating. Thank You!!
I had never seen a Spotted Wintergreen wildflower until I moved to Cape Cod and found them in the woods in my yard. They are just beautiful. (Click on blog link to see more photographs.)
The Spotted Wintergreen is an erect 4-10″ plant with evergreen leaves and reddish stems. The 1″ flowers are waxy white with 5 petals and pronounced stamens and pistil which you can see in the photographs. They bloom in the woods in July and August.
The interesting thing is that when they are starting to bloom they look like they are drooping (2nd photo). As they get to full bloom they spread out and flip over to face the sun.
So pretty and delicate… have you ever seen a Spotted Wintergreen?
Each year there seems to be a “seal island” on one of the sandbars by Coast Guard Beach or Nauset Beach. The seals pack themselves together and enjoy that little bit of time until the tide comes in again. (Click blog link to see other photo.)
The 2nd photo is of “seal island” not zoomed in. It is pretty far away from shore.
The Milkweed plants, which the Monarchs love to feed on and lay their eggs on, are plentiful here on Cape Cod. Fort Hill is especially prolific this summer. (Click on blog link to see other photos.)
The first photograph is of the Milkweed flower. The 2nd one is of the fields of Milkweed plants at Fort Hill that attract the Monarchs.
The last photograph is of the Milkweed pod, when they have gone by in the fall. The pod will open up and disperse thousands of seeds in the wind and land where a new Milkweed plant will grow next summer.
