Central Ohio NatureThe Rifle River and A Mystery Bird
Posted on July 14, 2019
It’s that time of year again when we travel 6.5 hours north from our home in central Ohio to the Rifle River Recreation Area. Usually we enjoy checking out different areas for new adventures but this park’s unique beauty keeps us coming back. Whether paddling on the park lakes or hiking the trails there is always something to discover. From one week to the next different wildflowers can be seen. Spring warbler activity is complimented by the evening call of a Whippoorwill or Barred Owl and there’s always the distant call of a loon on Devoe Lake.
(click on images for a closer look)
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This year’s late June visit meant that in addition to increased warbler activity we’d also see blooming lady slippers and pitcher plants. Of course there would also be more mosquitoes to deal with and they’re always particularly pesky when one crouches down to study a flower or take a photograph.
A shaft of sunlight highlights a fern along the trail.
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My wife was nice enough to contribute the bulk of the pictures for this post as much of my time was spent fishing. However, to start the post off on a curious note I did notice something interesting one afternoon while hiking.
These rolled up birch? leaves littered the forest floor.
A closer inspection revealed a small caterpillar within the shelter of the rolled up leaf. It was in the process of eating it’s way out. Another egg sac near by? Based on an educated guess it would appear that a moth deposited it’s eggs on the underside of the leaf which then caused it to roll up and fall to the ground. Inside the leaf the caterpillar is safe from the prying eyes of birds until it escapes into the leaf litter and pupates soon to emerge as a moth and continue the cycle.
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When my wife wasn’t hiking and I wasn’t trying to catch a fish we did a fair amount of exploring by canoe.
Yours truly with a Devoe Lake Large Mouth Bass.
Exploring Grebe Lake
Common Loon, Devoe Lake.
Take two, (Donna).
Yellow Pond Lily, Grebe Lake.
Painted Turtle, Loud Pond, Au Sable River, (Donna).
Paddling trough the lily pads, Grebe Lake.
Trumpeter Swans, Grebe Lake.
A Mink checks us out along the Au Sable River, (Donna).
Au Sable River Walleye.
While Water Lily, (Donna).
Kingbirds entertained us as we paddled the Devoe Lake shoreline, (Donna).
Morning on Devoe Lake.
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One day as we drove back to our campsite after a morning paddle we came upon an unusual discovery in the middle of the road.
Our first thought was to move it along before it became the victim of a less observant driver.
But a closer look revealed that it was a Blanding’s Turtle something we’d expect to see in a nearby lake but not in it’s present location. Since it’s not a turtle we often see we were pretty excited, (Donna).
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However, perhaps the most unusual thing seen during our week long stay was the bird spotted while hiking along Weir Road.
The best ID we could come up with was a partially leucistic White-breasted Nuthatch but it’s beak didn’t look right. The mystery remains.
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We’d be remiss if we didn’t give special mention to the Ovenbirds and Yellowbellied Sapsuckers that entertained us each day at our campsite.
Ovenbird, (Donna).
With a white moth.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, taken while hiking but representative of the activity around our campsite, (Donna).
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While on the subject of birds, while hiking a park trail my wife was excited to see a Black Billed Cuckoo. It was a life bird for her.
Black Billed Cuco, (Donna).
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Finally, below is a summary of other things seen as we explored the park trails.
A recently emerged mushroom translucent in the sunlight.
A family of very colorful but small mushrooms.
Wild Columbine along the trail.
Hawkweed and fern.
The Rifle River
Showy Lady’s Slippers along the park road. A real treat to see.
A closer look, (Donna).
Bunch Berry Flower
Spotted Thyris Moth on fleabane.
Deep into the woods.
Red-spotted Purple
Another view, (Donna).
Yellow Lady’s Slippers were also seen, (Donna).
The flower of the Pitcher Plant. The plant gets it name by the shape of the leaves at the base of the plant which trap insects in water the leaves collect.
Overlooking Pintail Pond
Hover fly on dogwood blossoms.
This fairly large moth has yet to be identified.
Fleabane
Eastern Wood Pewee, (Donna).
Elfin (not Slaty) Skimmer.
Yellow Goats Beard, (Donna).
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, (Donna).
Another view.
Sheep Laurel, (Donna).
American Redstarts were fairly common, (Donna).
Blue Flag Iris, (Donna).
Dot-tailed Whiteface, (Donna).
River Jewelwing (M), (Donna).
River Jewelwing (F), (Donna).
Cedar Waxwing, (Donna).
Four-spotted Skimmer, (Donna).
Wood Frog, (Donna).
Coral Fungus, (Donna).
Chaulk-fronted Corporal
Wild Geranium, (Donna).
Little Wood Satyr.
Indian Pipe (before), (Donna).
After? (Donna).
A Green Heron stalks prey along the Devoe Lake shore, (Donna).
Black-shouldered Spinyleg, (Donna)
Another interesting plant we have yet to ID, (Donna).
Dead Mans Fingers, (Donna).
Delaware Skipper, (Donna).
Baby Robin, (Donna).
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As each day passes nature evolves. A wishful thought would be to spend one week each month in a place such as Rifle River Rec Area. Then one would truly appreciate it’s wonder. Thanks for stopping by.
Misty Day, Devoe Lake.
It’s A Butterfly Time Of Year
Posted on August 16, 2018
Not that they aren’t seen earlier in the spring and summer but August does seem to be the time for butterflies. This year it’s been almost impossible to be out for any length of time without seeing a Monarch. In the late morning or afternoon small but beautiful Pearl Crescents make the shorter grass along the trail their playground. The beauty of some butterflies like the Giant Swallowtail is apparent to even a casual observer but others like the Buckeye reveal their beauty only after a closer look. Others like the hairstreaks are easy to miss altogether unless you know what to look for. The good news is that you don’t have to get up a the crack of dawn to see butterflies.
Sunlight filters through the woods along the Big Derby during a recent butterfly hike.
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So below is a celebration of butterflies that have been seen in the last few weeks. Much of the credit must go to my wife who tirelessly pursues these usually unpredictable creatures until she gets the shot she wants while I often content myself to photographing the more predictable wildflowers.
In late summer Bull Thistle is common in the prairie areas of Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park and seems to attract it’s share of Monarchs.
The Giant Swallowtail is Ohio’s largest butterfly and not one we see every day, Griggs Reservoir Park..
A Giant Swallowtail depositing eggs, (Donna).
Great Blue Lobelia enjoying the more shaded areas of Griggs Reservoir Park.
A very small female Eastern-tailed Blue rewards Donna by opening it’s wings.
Prairie sunflowers, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.
The beautiful but very small Gray Hairstreak, (Donna).
Hackberry Emperors are fairly common in Griggs reservoir Park and on a warm day enjoy hitching a ride on your arm to take advantage of your perspiration, (Donna).
Cardinal Flower
A small Summer Azure almost seems to blend in, (Donna).
Wingstem, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park prairie.
The not often seen Meadow Fritillary
The fairly common but lovely Orange Sulfur, (Donna).
New England Aster
Usually not seen in central Ohio until late summer or fall the medium size Buckeye is striking, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Fringed Loosestrife also enjoys the more shaded areas along the Scioto River.
A small Zabulon Skipper, (Donna).
A small but lovely Common Checkered Skipper, (Donna).
Lazard’s Tail along the Scioto River, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Silver Spotted Skipper, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Tall Blue Lettuce, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Red-spotted Purple, (Donna).
Another look, (Donna).
Gray-headed Coneflowers seem to take flight.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Another look.
A somewhat faded black form of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, (Donna)
Black Swallowtail, (Donna).
Black Swallowtail laying eggs, (Donna).
Ironweed, Griggs Reservoir Park.
The Peck’s Skipper is a very small moth like butterfly, (Donna).
Cup Plant
Monarch, (Donna).
Monarch
Trumpet Flowers, (Donna).
Mating Pearl Crescents
Pearl Cresent
Tall Bellflower
Eastern Comma
The tiny flowers of Virginia Knotweed.
Certainly not the most aesthetic setting, a Zebra Swallowtail lands in our canoe just as we finish a paddle on Paint Creek, (Donna).
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Where there are butterflies and moths there are caterpillars and no one is better at spotting them than my wife.
Brown-hooded Owlet, (Donna).
Monarch caterpillar, (Donna).
Orange Dog (Giant Swallowtail caterpillar), (Donna).
Another look.
Black Swallowtail caterpillar showing horns. Horns extend when head is touched lightly. Donna).
Without horns protruding, (Donna).
Sycamore Tussock Moth caterpillar, (Donna).
Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars, (Donna).
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We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge some of the birds that continue to charm us as we walk through the woods of central Ohio.
Male Goldfinch, (Donna).
This time of year False Dragonhead can be seen along the shore of Griggs Reservoir.
A Ruby throated Hummingbird checks out the Bull Thistle at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, (Donna).
Woodland Sunflowers offer a splash of color in the woods along the Scioto River.
A Tufted Titmouse checks Donna out as she attempts to take it’s picture.
Indigo Bunting, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.
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So what was I doing while my wife was taking so many excellent photographs in central Ohio? Fishing in Michigan of course.
This nice Largemouth Bas went swimming right after posing for this picture.
Fishing at sunset on Devoe Lake, Rifle River Recreation Area.
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If time spent in nature speaks to the essence of your being, your soul, you have riches greater than any material procession can offer. A wealth that grows in health, spirit, and the awareness of being part of the greater mystery. Thanks for stopping by.
