Goose Pond Mountain Created Wetlands, 24 May 2007

Laurel and Kat hosted an outing for the Goshen Moms Club. Two families, each with a toddler and a newborn, joined us on this super hot day. The toddlers enojyed walking right up to the pond to try to cach tadpoles. Dragonflies buzzed by them as they fished. We spotted numerous Cabbage White and Sulphur butterflies; we also spotted (and tried to catch) a Tiger Swallowtail. The newborns kept our group moving; they were lulled by the gentle movement of our walk along the path. As we passed the Baltimore Oriole nest, the female flew off, but the male stood his ground, watching us from the top branch of his tree. Hoping to see more Praying Mantises emerge from their egg cases, we examined them closely. We did see more evidence of their departure but we did not see any insects emerging that day. The American Robin was not on her nest, but we saw her nearby. The families that join us today lived nearby but had never been to this park before, and they were excitedly planning to return on their own in the near future.