Regina Geoghan reports: "Yay - finally saw an American Lady at the butterfly garden Monday. Thought it was Painted Lady until I downloaded photo and checked my book." (Thanks, Regina!)
In Memoriam: Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz
Today is the 16th anniversary of the
last flight of TWA Flight 800, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island on July 17, 1996.
One of the crew members on that flight was a young Rutherford resident named Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz, for whom DeKorte Park’s beautiful butterfly garden is named.
The South Bergenite ran a column about the butterfly garden two years. The link is here.
Since then, the butterfly garden has been redone, and we’d like to think it is more beautiful than ever.
Tuesday Teaser 071712
In honor of Butterfly Day this Sunday, we thought we'd offer this beauty, taken late last week at Jill's Garden at DeKorte. What is it?
Aggressive Blackbird on the MDT Continues
We did a quick walk on the Marsh Discovery Trail n this a.m. to see if Dennis the Menace, the aggressive Red-winged Blackbird, was still defending his nesting area.
He is. If you hear a male Red-winge Blackbird calling at you — typically a single note, repeated — don't dawdle. He is only doing his job.
(He is less aggressive if more than one person is there.)
(Thanks to Dennis Cheeseman for the photo; no relation.)
Now You See Him…
Ron Shields writes:
Now you see him (the fly on the branch).
Now you don't! A young spotted sandpiper learns how to hunt for supper.
Don Torino Column on Butterfly Day
Don Torino's latest column for wildnewjersey.tv is on Butterfly Day — this Sunday, July 22, at DeKorte Park.
Writes Don:
"Butterflies have come to signify many things in different cultures; from a time of transition in one’s life to a symbol of the soul.
"But butterflies are also a sign of a healthy environment, one free of pesticides and rich in biodiversity.
"A prime example of a vigorous healthy butterfly habitat is DeKorte Park in the Meadowlands. DeKorte, the flagship of all the parks within the meadowlands district, is a wonderful model of many diverse healthy habitats and countless native plants that benefit the butterflies.
"Since the Meadowlands have become cleaner with restoration by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, DeKorte Park, is becoming a hot spot for avid butterfly watchers from all over the state."
The link is here.
Sand Wasps!
Rick Wright pointed out these amazing bugs late last week as they dug holes in the beach by Teal Pool in DeKorte Park.
They are Sand Wasps. More on Sand Wasps here.
They don't sting unless you are overstepping your luck, and they eat mosquitoes!
(Thanks, Rick!)
Praying Mantis at DeKorte
Dave Leibgold of the Meadowlands Commission saw this guy at the employee entrance to the admin building in DeKorte Park.
Apparently he lacked proper ID.
He was just polishing off a small bug when we saw him — which makes him … a preying Mantis.
More on Praying Mantises here.
Forster’s Terns Are Back!
It was a real quiet spring for terns at DeKorte, so it is great to see a few back. Dennis Cheeseman took these shots on Thursday. (Thanks, Dennis!) 
More on the Alpha-male Red-winged Blackbird
Dennis Cheeseman used a borrowed camera to get this shot of the male Red-winged Blackbird in attack mode yesterday on the Marsh Discovery Trail at DeKorte Park. (Thanks, Dennis!)
We have placed a temporary sign at the beginning of the boardwalk warning folks that the bird is aggressively guarding his turf (and nests), and to keep walking when they see a male Red-winged perched nearby — no need to stress out the bird any more than he is already.
This is the second summer in a row that we have seen this behavior at this point on trail.
Julie McCall suggests calling the bird "the Defender." How about "Dennis the Menace" instead?