Just in time for summer – and the height of butterfly season – the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is offering a brand-new free guide to the butterflies of DeKorte Park. 

The pamphlet is one of a series of nature guides that have been updated recently to help visitors better enjoy the Hackensack River, its tributaries and other attractions.  

The colorful brochure features color photos of 18 species of butterflies and two species of moths commonly seen in the Lyndhurst park and environs from late spring to early fall. Also featured are brief sections on butterfly basics, advice on watching butterflies, helpful Internet links and useful butterfly guidebooks for this region.  

The guide was produced in time for DeKorte Park’s second annual Butterfly Day on Sunday, July 25, as well as the 10th anniversary of the dedication of DeKorte Park’s Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz Butterfly Garden.

The garden was built to honor the memory of a 23-year-old Rutherford resident who was the youngest member of the flight crew on TWA Flight 800, which crashed into the ocean off Long Island in July 1996.  The garden was dedicated in September 2000.

In addition to the new butterfly guide, the Meadowlands Commission has new editions of five other popular guides – a birding checklist for the Meadowlands District and separate brochures with detailed maps for DeKorte Park, the Hackensack River, Mill Creek Marsh Canoe Trail and the Saw Mill Creek Canoe Trail.

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   Yesterday's teaser asked readers to identify this caterpillar, seen on Sunday's nature walk at DeKorte.

   Major Clue is below, answers and more info (including what it is eating on) follow on jump.

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   We had two great guided walks on the Marsh Discovery Trail today. The big discovery was actually seeing a Marsh Wren (about) after being serenaded secretively for so many weeks.
    The next free guided walk with Bergen County Audubon Society is Thursday at noon. You never know what you might see (or photograph). We are regularly seeing Ruddies and Black-crowned Night Herons, plus spectacular looks at Great Egrets.
   We meet at the entrance to Marsh Discovery Trail near the Guardhouse at 11:59 a.m.  Walks are canceled if weather stinks.

  What's unusual about this photo (taken on Sunday's nature walk)?

  See close-up below. 

  What is it?

   Answer tomorrow (we hope).

 
    We had so many people at our Sunday nature walk that we split into two groups, plus stragglers, and learned a heap about native plants, butterflies and why they go hand in hand.
   Edith Wallace, a college professor, botanist and all-around pip, led the way.
   A pleasant surprise was the number of butterflies we saw — including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Red Admiral, eastern-Tailed Blue, Broad-winged Skipper, Sliver-spotted Skipper, Orange Sulphur and Cabbage White. 

   We also had a neat surprise or two, including an amazing little spider and an unusual caterpillar that we'll talk about on another post.

  Several pix follow.

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  The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen Audubon are leading two free guided bird-watching walks tomorrow (Tuesday)  — a two-hour walk at 10 a.m. and a one-hour walk at noon.
   The one hour walk will be entirely on the Marsh Discovery Trail, usually closed to the public because of long-term storm damage. Meet at the entrance to MDT near the guard post at the entrance to DeKorte. Park in the first lot on your right after you enter the park.
  The two-hour walk will include the MDT and other spots. We will look for the Cliff Swallows on this walk. We will look for the Least Bittern, Ruddy Ducks, Black Skimmers and Black-crowned Night Herons on both walks. The night heron on right was photographed on a recent MDT walk. Meet in the parking lot just beyond the guardhouse at the park entrance.

 
  The Osprey couple nesting in Kearny across the Hackensack River from Laurel Hill County Park are parents for the second year in a row. 
   The nest, registered with the New Jersey Osprey Project as Osprey Nest #042-A-002, had two successful fledglings last year.
   In the photo of above, you can see one of the adults feeding one of the young.
   Ray Duffy reports seeing three hatchlings, and sent along a long-distance photo to show it.
   As he writes, hatchling on "left had head down but you see the body, middle [hatchling has] head up,  and right [hatchling] still low in the nest but you can see the head.
   Thanks, Ray.
   For posts on last year's Kearny nest, type "Kearny Ospreys" in the "Search" bar on the upper right of this blog.

    Sunday's free nature walk at DeKorte Park was a big hit, with nearly two dozen people on hand to learn about native plants, bugs of all sorts and botany in general a bird.
  The walk, sponsored by the Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society, was led by the inimitable Edith Wallace with an assist from Don Torino of BCAS. 
   (Thanks, Edith, and thanks to all who participated!)
   We will post more photos in the days ahead — including several butterfly species, an amazing spider and an equally amazing caterpillar.
   Oh, we also saw a Yellow Warbler bathing and a Baltimore Oriole just hangin' out.

  
  We had a nice cool noon walk on DeKorte Park's Marsh Discovery Trail Thursday. Fourteen of us had great looks at Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Egrets during the hour-long walk.
   Walk co-leader Denise Farrell of the Bergen County Audubon Society was generous with her birding knowledge and her spotting scope.
   Thanks to two very well-behaved youngsters who joined us, we also saw Muskrats and Blue Crabs and a slithery but harmless Garter Snake. 
   Alas, no Least Bittern or Black Skimmers, but we did have a Saddlebags Dragonfly and a butterfly or time.
   Nice group, nice time.
   Our next guided walks on the Marsh Discovery Trail will be at 10 a.m. and noon on Tuesday.

  
  Don't forget: we have a Special DeKorte Plant Walk with BCAS and botanist Edith Wallace.
   We will be looking for the plants that attract birds and butterflies, and which ones would work in your home gardens. We’ll keep an eye out for birds and butterflies, too.
   We’ll meet in the visitors’ parking lot at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. The walk is run by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.
   Check meadowblog.net for last-minute updates and weather advisories.
   To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022.