Gaura

I saw this beautiful plant at Nahant Marsh in mid-August.

It was growing in colonies, head and shoulders above the other prairie plants there.

It had the most intricate little flowers, and I could not help photographing it.

This is a native species, so we can rejoice in its beauty and feel no guilt!

It took some time, but thanks to our Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers field guide, I was at last able to identify this plant.  This book has been a trusted companion of ours for more than fifteen years, and I would recommend it to anyone.  It was written by Doug Ladd, and the photos were taken mostly by Frank Oberle.  They are rock stars in their fields.  Excellent book!

Mudflat Friends

Ok, this wasn't really a mudflat, since those are formed by tides on coastal wetlands, but that is the word that came to mind when I saw these shorebirds out at Nahant Marsh.

Notice the difference in beak length between these two birds.

The bird in the foreground is a killdeer, and the one in back is a sandpiper.  They were out in the mud exposed by the low water level in the marsh, searching for food.

I have found both of these birds to be extremely difficult to photograph.  They are leery of people, and fly away before I can usually get within a good shooting range.  It was fun to catch the two of them together like this in one photo, and have each one show up pretty clearly.

Turkey Vultures

Turkey vultures are hawk-like birds who ride thermal waves in the sky, often in small groups.  They have darker underbellies than hawks, and have a more wobbly flight.

Turkey vultures have a bald head that is dark pink or red in appearance, with a white-tipped beak.  The appearance of their head, being similar to that of a wild turkey, gives them their common name.

While sometimes called buzzards or carrion crows, these are misnomers.  Their scientific name is quite grand:  Cathartes aura.  Loosely translated, this means "purifying bird".  This is related to the fact that they eat carrion, which otherwise would stink up the world in a big way.

This one was spotted above Nahant Marsh, soaring around in a circle.  Evidently something already dead had caught its eye - or rather its nose, for that is how turkey vultures most often identify their next meal.

A Marsh Mallow

You might know the halberd-leaved rose mallow as a hibiscus, because that is what it is - Hibiscus laevis.

I photographed these at Nahant Marsh, which is the perfect place for them since they like sunny conditions and wet soil.

I first learned of their proper name from Nahant Marsh's Facebook page.  Check out there photo of this plant here:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151552422863344&set=a.10151015943813344.408969.135482933343&type=1&theater

These wildflowers are native perennials, and vary in color.  Those shown here are faintly pink, with a deep pink center.  The blossoms are five inches across or more.

The leaf shape is reminiscent of a handled broad-axe - hence the name "halberd".

Note the large, halberd-shaped leaf to the right of the blossom.

And I just have to throw this in - we get the word "mauve" from French, where it refers to the particular tints of the mallow plant.

Among all the creatures that benefit from it (there is even a particular rose mallow bee), I was pleased to read that the rare and elusive bobwhite eats the seeds of this plant.  (Shout out to my bobwhite wood badge friends!)

Pollen Baskets

I came across a field of pea partridge the other day, out at Nahant Marsh.  It is such a pretty plant that I couldn't help but stand there and admire the beautiful yellow flowers and the perfect, feathery leaves with their alternately compound pairs of leaflets.  I've blogged about it before, here:

http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2012/09/pretty-pea-partridge.html

As I took in the beautiful field full of flowers, I noticed a bumblebee by the plants nearest me, quickly buzzing into blossom after blossom.  That guy was fast!  He would no more than stick his fuzzy head into one flower when he would be off to the next, lifting himself as if on an elevator made of air.

I realized there were a few more bees nearby.  And then, as I lifted my eyes across the tops of the plants, I realized that the whole field was percolating with thousands of bees.  That did my heart good!

I decided to see if I could photograph one of the bees.  They were so fast that it was hard to get a fix on them before they moved on.  They were often obscured by portions of the pea partridge plants.  Finally I got a few decent pictures.

Even with my naked eye I was able to distinguish a yellow glob on the hind legs of the bees.  "That  must be pollen," I thought  Sure enough.  What I was seeing, and what you can see in these pictures, is thousands and thousands of grains of pollen packed into the pollen baskets that these amazing creatures are equipped with.

According to my research, bumblebees basicly lick their front legs and then use their front legs to brush all the pollen from their head and body down to their back legs, where it is pressed into the pollen basket.

Based on the size of the pollen globule on this fellow, he's been hard at work!

You can see the yellow, dusty pollen coating this bee's head, legs and body.

Lucky Shot

I was photographing egrets and herons at Nahant Marsh the other day, and as usual, when I got home and examined my photos up close, I found I had captured some unexpected wildlife.  It was a lucky shot, really.  Take a look:

Yep!  My very first raccoons caught on camera, and I didn't even know they were there!  Cast your net upon the waters and you never know what you will find.

These carnivorous mammals look cute from a distance but trust me - they are vicious, destructive animals.  Campers beware!  Do not sleep with food in your tent.  If you do, you are just asking for trouble, and raccoons will bring it without a doubt.  Thankfully these two were eating natural foods, and not garbage from a dumpster.

A Whole Lotta Egrets!

Nahant Marsh is a local treasure-box of wildlife.  They recently posted on Facebook that they had had an "abundance" of egrets and heron lately.  I was able to get out there last Friday morning, and was delighted when I pulled up in the parking lot and saw this view:

How cool was that?  Five white egrets all right there.  I couldn't wait to get out on the dock and get some closer photos.  I hurried down the mowed path through the tall grass prairie and out onto the dock, intent on getting some awesome photos.  Click, click, click went my camera.  Such great shots!  And then I paused and looked off to the northeast end of the marsh.  Lo and behold!

Wow!  I was stunned by the sheer number of birds out there.  There were so many that I laughed out loud!  There were at least fifty egrets and herons, all mixed together at that end of the marsh.  I only had my zoom lens and so couldn't get a wide angle shot but here are some close-ups:

I think it is funny that I was so focused on the first five egrets I saw that I almost missed seeing ten times that number.  I wonder how often we are like that in life - just focusing in on what we think is the prize, when there's lots more in store for us if we just open our eyes and look around.

Nahant Marsh is a cool place. It used to be a private shooting club, and all that lead shot (tons and tons of it) began poisoning the animals in the marsh. Eventually it was dredged and restored.  Now it is an absolute gem, with a hugely diverse population of plants and animals.

Here's a link to the amazing cleanup story of the Nahant Marsh:
 http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/documents/nahant_web.pdf

Pretty Pea Partridge

Pea partridge is one of my favorite native plants of all time.  I was first introduced to it at Nahant Marsh three years ago, and we have been friends ever since.

It has small yellow flowers on reddish stalks, with reddish-brown centers.  Its long leaves are made up many compound leaflets.  Once we met, I began seeing it everywhere.

Pea partridge can grow in thick clusters, providing superior cover for birds and other wildlife, which can move easily through these stands.  Such ease of movement is not possible through stands of similar but invasive plant species.

Pea partridge is a plant we can be really happy about.  It is pleasing to the eye, and good for the soil.  It is important in honey production, and as a food source and egg depository for butterflies such as the common sulphur.  It is also eminently useful to larger wildlife.

The pea pods ripen by late fall.  They eventually burst, and there small black seeds are dispersed.  The cool thing about these seeds is that they are highly waterproof, helping them to last well through the winter months.  Not only do they winter well, but they are high in protein and low in fiber, making them easily digestible - perfect for bobwhites and other game birds.

A Real Creeper

Can you see the creeper?

Not that kind of a creeper!  This is a friendly little guy who creeps up (but not down) trees and eats the insects hiding in the bark.  When he gets to the top, he flies to the base of another tree and starts working his way up again.

Here's a close up of him.  He's a brown creeper - Certhia americana.

Brown creepers are notorious for blending in well with tree bark they spiral up trees looking for their three squares a day.  Their bills have a slight curve to them, and they use their tails to lean on when working the bark.

Marshy Artwork

Besides the beautiful plants and animals at Nahant Marsh, they also have some of the still life variety, painted on the observation blind.  I don't know who the artist was, but I really like the art.  Here are a couple of closeups.

And here's the big panorama.  How many of these creatures can you name?

(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)