The temps have been hitting the mid eighties and higher every day now but the mornings are a bit nicer. This morning was less humid so that was a plus itself. After deciding not to cut through the first wood chip trail, I noticed this fuzzy/spiny caterpillar on the paved path. He made for an interesting closeup but I have yet to learn the exact species.
A jogger came by on the north side and scared up a male Pheasant but I was unable to get a picture. Shortly after I saw a Hawk and another Fledgling Cardinal which also eluded my camera lens. Finally on the south side I managed to capture a few items of interest -all of which fit into the same category even. I was convinced at first that this Monarch-looking butterfly was actually a Viceroy. It had just a hint of that dividing line on the lower wings that Monarchs don't have. But upon closer inspection of the pic, I guess it must be a Monarch.
His wings were in rough shape but didn't hinder him any. There's always tons of these pure white butterfly's around and I usually don't even try for a photo as they just don't sit still. For whatever reason, this one actually stopped for a split second as I snapped a pic. Shortly after this I was coming up to the lake overlook and noticed the biggest butterfly I'd ever seen! At first I really thought it was one of those huge moths that you might only see at night. This one would actually stop periodically here and there so I followed him, trying to keep a distance and not scare him up again.
He finally landed right out in the open off the trail in a sunny patch of leaves. When he opened his wings fully flat I recognized it as a Black Swallowtail. It was indeed a big butterfly, easily one and a half times larger than your average Monarch. I'm not sure if this their normal size or not but it made for a great photo.
The temps have been hitting the mid eighties and higher every day now but the mornings are a bit nicer. This morning was less humid so that was a plus itself. After deciding not to cut through the first wood chip trail, I noticed this fuzzy/spiny caterpillar on the paved path. He made for an interesting closeup but I have yet to learn the exact species. 
A jogger came by on the north side and scared up a male Pheasant but I was unable to get a picture. Shortly after I saw a Hawk and another Fledgling Cardinal which also eluded my camera lens. Finally on the south side I managed to capture a few items of interest -all of which fit into the same category even. I was convinced at first that this Monarch-looking butterfly was actually a Viceroy. It had just a hint of that dividing line on the lower wings that Monarchs don't have. But upon closer inspection of the pic, I guess it must be a Monarch. 
His wings were in rough shape but didn't hinder him any. There's always tons of these pure white butterfly's around and I usually don't even try for a photo as they just don't sit still. For whatever reason, this one actually stopped for a split second as I snapped a pic. Shortly after this I was coming up to the lake overlook and noticed the biggest butterfly I'd ever seen! At first I really thought it was one of those huge moths that you might only see at night. This one would actually stop periodically here and there so I followed him, trying to keep a distance and not scare him up again. 
He finally landed right out in the open off the trail in a sunny patch of leaves. When he opened his wings fully flat I recognized it as a Black Swallowtail. It was indeed a big butterfly, easily one and a half times larger than your average Monarch. I'm not sure if this their normal size or not but it made for a great photo.
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