This final nature update for 2023 and all photos are from my walking the trail the morning of Sep 29. A standard set of birds was present – goldfinch, song sparrow, catbird, robin, crow, jay, chickadee, dove, red-bellied wp, flicker – but also a Carolina wren and female/young indigo bunting. The pond always has activity, this morning including a heron, mallards, and wood ducks. Nice to see the two duck species together; wood ducks are clearly smaller.
Asters along with a late goldenrod – shown below – dominate the flowers along the trail, and they are wonderful at this time of year. Evening primrose, brown-eyed susan, and both jewelweeds continue to flower, and gaura is a late addition. The only colorful fruit I saw was that of multiflora rose, an invasive non-native.
The beginning of the trail has a nice assemblage of plants that, a result of a lot of work, is replacing the Japanese knotweed. The trail is a wonderful place for a fall walk.
