Beautiful Weekend

A first for this year was this sighting of a band-winged meadowhawk.  This is a small dragonfly.

This photo shows you the bands in the wings.

Spotted this cicada killer near the herb gardens, but I haven't been aware of any cicadas yet.

This blue vervain has always been one of my favorite wildflowers.

Orange sulphur butterfly.  Also seen, but it did not pose for the camera was a Monarch.

Finally, a pearl crescent, usually a very common butterfly.

The pearl crescent above.

The silver-spotted skipper nectaring on the bee-balm.

This dragonfly was seen last week, but it is a new one for our wetland-meadow.  This is a slaty skimmer.

The yarrow, black-eyed Susans and the bee-balm make a beautiful show in the wetland, especially if you are sitting on the bench.