A break from all the excitement

The air was cool, and the clouds were pretty thick this morning, especially compared to the weather we’ve been enjoying most of this summer, so I waited a bit before visiting Estabrook Park in hopes that a little more warmth and light might arrive. Results were mixed.

It did warm up enough for this monarch butterfly to be tanking up on a swamp milkweed, which is always a delight to see.

I missed the breakfast rush at the pond, however, so the wood ducks were camped out for their naps by the time I arrived. At least they were stationary so I could slow the shutter way down.

I checked the river, but the critters were quiet there, too, and farther from shore. In fact, the only other interesting sight I saw was this sharp-looking young ring-billed gull searching for scraps in the parking lot. Oh well.

This afternoon I’m heading up to Kohler-Andrae State Park for camping with Anne’s family, so I hope to have something pretty to show you from there soon.