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Monarch Dun Skipper What a wonderful butterfly walk we had this morning at the Audrey Carroll Sanctuary!  The weather was perfect, and the butterflies were plentiful.  A dozen people showed up, most of whom are Facebook friends or camera club members (many are both), and we had a great time spotting the various kinds.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Female common yellowthroat We began along the trail on the left side of the sanctuary.  If you go, walk left at the parking area, and follow the path until you come to the first path on your left.  Follow it past the house and the fenced in garden, and walk straight ahead to to the nesting boxes you can see in the distance.  Around 10 am, all of that area is in bright sunshine, which is when the butterflies are most active.

Some of the group in the distance. Summer Azure Today we saw variegated fritillary, great spangled fritillary, eastern tiger swallowtail, black swallowtail, orange sulphur, checkered white, summer azure, painted lady, monarch, and numerous little skippers.  I was thrilled to see the painted lady, but it stayed well in the distance or behind flowers.

In addition to the butterflies, we saw goldfinches, flycatchers, common yellowthroats, and hummingbird moths.  We walked some areas twice over, and then went to the higher ground, where we found a welcome breeze.

Variegated Fritillary Great Spangled Fritillary If you have been reading my blog entries all along, you will note that I have expanded my project to include both Fred Archibald and the Audrey Carroll sanctuaries.  Each has different terrain, and each is a great place to walk, see birds, and enjoy nature.  The sanctuaries are always in need of volunteers to help maintain them, so please check out the links below to see how you can help.  

To raise funds for Hurricane Harvey relief, please consider purchasing a butterfly print from my Wings of Hope collection.

Happy Labor Day, everyone.  Keep an eye out for school children and buses, and obey those speed limits in school zones.  School starts tomorrow!

<Thanks for reading my blog entry, which is part of a personal photography project to bring attention to and to benefit the Audubon Sanctuaries of Central Maryland, which include Fred Archibald and Audrey Carroll.  To learn about volunteering, click here.  Copyright 2017 Cam Miller.  All photographs are for sale upon request.>