The shortening days of October are always a good time to get reacquainted with the woods and open fields on Cape Cod. The tenth month’s first week of bonus summer days are now history. Time to leave the beach and head inland. There is no better spot to wander at this time of year than Audubon’s Long Pasture Sanctuary in Cummaquid. The sanctuary trails lead through upland meadows, sections of forest, a freshwater pond and down to the sandy shoreline of Barnstable Harbor. The low angle sun and morning dew combine to bring artistry to still flowering asters and goldenrod. Even the dead stalk remains of summer blooms are photogenic in the right light.
Racing between two assignments last week, a proper 30-minute lunch break was a good compromise on a busy day. Time only allowed for a loop around the sanctuary’s meadow path. It was a bright sunny day, and hope was high for a last monarch butterfly sighting of the season. But the solar powered fliers were nowhere to be found. Their favorite plant, milkweed, was sending out feathery seeds, carried south by the prevailing winds.
This wasn’t a photo walk, but I always carry just in case. The sugar maple beside the stone wall had some color, but the dry summer had taken its toll on the foliage. The journey was almost over and not one click of the shutter. A small clump of asters caught the sun near the trail head. A bee was preoccupied with its work atop one of the blooms. Not wanting to leave with an empty memory card I went in for a look.
Closer inspection revealed not a bee but a hoverfly. They only have one set of wings, bees have two. They each have distinctly different eyes. The flies don’t sting but are pollinators. Their tail markings are similar.
Meeting the bee imposter turned out to be the most interesting part of the day and proved once again, things aren’t always what they appear to be, best to take a closer look before judging.