A Day at Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve

The Nature Conservancy's Big Darby Headwaters preserve is a splendor of woodlots, wooded drainageways and recovering oldfields. The latter is our favorite for summer exploration because the profusion of blooming wildflowers attract so many interesting insects. Here's a scene that typifies the uplands of much of Darby Headwaters.


Chicory:


Ironweed:


Teasel (left) and Queen Anne's Lace:


Common Wood Nymph:

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail:

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar:

Gray Comma:

Gray Comma:

Hackberry Emperor:

Jagged Ambush Bug:

Monarch Caterpillar:


Flower (morning glory family):


Pipevine Swallowtail:

Red-Spotted Purple on Boneset:

Silver-Spotted Skipper on Teasel:

Viceroy Caterpillar:

Viceroy:

Monarch:


A couple of cool fungi we came across while in the woods:



Jennifer got this great shot with a beautiful sky and a Tiger Swallowtail in flight: