It's always good to get an overview from the tower before wandering out into the refuge. Looking down you can see the effects of draining the upper impoundment. The beavers would have a long walk before they could swim! The lotus in the upper impoundment is starting to bloom. As I started to descend the tower this Eastern Kingbird flew to the dead branches near the tower and posed.
As I ventured onto the Dike Trail, I noticed that some of the milk weed has turned to pods, but a lot is still blooming. The buzz of bees was quite audible as I walked. They were everywhere; on the milkweed, on the tick-trefoil, even on the cat tail reeds!
The dragon and damselflies were quite active as the temperature started to soar. Maybe it was all the sessions on macro photography that I attended, but I was quite happy to take their photo. The refuge has exploded with varieties of damsel and dragonflies. I will have to dedicate a whole visit to photographing them.
Eastern Forktail
Blue Dasher
Eastern Forktails Mating
(I apologize for any dragon / damselfly identifications I got wrong, my Field Guide Dragonflies and Damselflies on Massachusetts is on order.)
I've learned to expect the unexpected at Great Meadows. Sometimes, my camera even has the right settings to take advantage of the situation. Here are a few from today's visit.
Muskrat with a Large Garden Salad - To Go
One of four A-10 "Warthogs" that took off from Hanscom (Surprisingly - quieter than most of the executive jet takeoffs)
Catbird with Insects Returning to Nest
