Patuxent River Park

We went canoeing on the Patuxent today. The banks were lined with swamp milkweed and joe pye weed and the butterflies were out in force.

Dog Days of August

Somehow we've managed to see two dog day cicadas molt in the last couple of weeks. They are strangely beautiful when they emerge -- bright green and shiny bronze, with an iredescent blue to their wings. By the next day, they're just brown.

Monarchs

We brought home four monarch caterpillars and successfully raised three to adulthood. The monarch chrysalis is the most beautiful we have ever seen. As our neighbor described it, it's like jade decorated with spots of gold.