For those bug lovers, this is the station for you! If you stand still long enough and look hard enough, you will be able to spot a few flying critters here and there and they are definitely worth taking the time to see. The Mourning Cloak butterfly, or Nymphalis antiopa can be seen flying around, sometimes even with a friend or partner. I spent a lot of time watching these butterflies interacting with each other and humans as well. They seem to be fearless and love flying as close to your face as humanly possible before flying away. What a tease! Besides these butterflies, you can also spot lots of crazy looking spiders hidden in the grasses and sedges. In the spring time on warm days, there will also be swarms of gnats flying around everywhere. You cannot walk even two feet without having to duck your head down or sway your body aside to avoid these little flying insects. I am always scared one is going to fly straight into my nose or mouth. Also, if you keep an eye out, you may just spot little blue dragonflies. I have only seem them once because they are very small and fly extremely fast so be on the lookout!
These butterflies are native to North America and Eurasia and like to lay eggs in clusters around twigs of willow, poplar, elm and birch trees. The upper side of the butterfly is a dark red color with a bright, yellow-whitish border around the wings. There is also a darker band with bright blue spots between the dark red inner side and the border.
I apologize for the poor quality of this photo but you can see a small brown blur on the center right and that is a cool looking spider.
This here is probably my favourite invertebrate at this spot! Spittlebugs!!! One day there was a ton of froth scattered throughout all the plants and shrubs. At first, I actually thought it was spit and that someone probably had to release some saliva while on a jog but because there were so many, I knew it couldn't have been that. Instead, this is a froth created by spittlebugs to protect them and their egg sacs. The froth also provides insulation against heat and cold and moisture control because the insect would quickly dry up without it.
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