I had seen this little Checkerspot butterfly out of the corner of my eye for a few days at Fort Hill but was unable to photograph it. It never came close enough until… We were walking on the trail by the marsh when it alighted on a leaf by the side of the trail. We were able to take a few photographs of this pretty butterfly.
I did a little research and found that “Checkerspot (butterfly), any of a group of small to medium-size butterflies with distinctive orange, black, and brown checkered patterning on their wings.”
Have you ever seen a Checkerspot butterfly? Pretty little thing!
I always love to hike the White Cedar Swamp Trail, part of the National Seashore, in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. It is so diverse taking you through scruffy bushes to oak trees to a forest to the White Cedar Swamp where you hike over a boardwalk and then back. It is a loop trail.
One couple summed it up perfectly today when we chatted on the boardwalk. They said it was such a “magical place.” I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it.
Put it on your “To Do” list when you visit Cape Cod!
If you’re hiking in the woods, look for the waxy white Indian Pipe wildflowers that are blooming in clusters. They have a whitish, waxy, scaly stalk with nodding waxy bell-shaped flowers. Indian Pipe does not have any chlorophyll so its nutrients come from decaying matter, thus they thrive on the forest floor.
Indian Pipe grows to 4-10″ with 1” flowers from July to September. I have been looking for them for a while and only have seen them the past week.
Have you ever seen Indian Pipe wildflowers? So unique, don’t you think?
This little Catbird was singing away on the Red Maple Swamp Trail at Fort Hill on Cape Cod. We could see him through the bushes in the distance, perched on the branch.
He looks like a young one with his fluffy feathers, don’t you think? So cute!
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has so much to do for the entire family. Inside the visitors center is a small museum with lots of educational material. The kids will love the fish and turtles in the tanks. They might even see a Wild Turkey outside the huge windows.
Outside there are walks and hikes through the woods and out to the beach. There are lots of birds and wildflowers and butterflies. And, when you get to the beach, there is an awesome boardwalk that you can walk over to get to the beach.
On the boardwalk the kids can see all of the Fiddler Crabs which they just love as they scurry in and out of their little holes in the marsh.
Put the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on your list when you visit. So much fun and so much to see!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
