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 American Redstarts are long-distance migrants that breed in the U.S. and Canada and fly south for the winter to overwinter in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. During  migration, they often travel at night and move south in the fall, with  southern breeders overwintering farther south than northern breeders. 

The Southern Leopard Frog is found at the pond near the back of the Pollinator Berm. It is not poisonous; however, like all amphibians, it can carry harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, which can make humans sick. They  do not produce toxins, but touching them with dry hands can damage  their protective skin, so handling is generally discouraged  

This Norh American Racer, AKA Eastern Racer was found near the Pollinator Berm on Friday, September 19, 2025.   The eastern racers,  nonvenomous snakes, are fast-moving, highly active, diurnal snakes. Their diet consists primarily of small rodents, other mammals (as large as small cottontail rabbits), frogs, toads, small turtles, lizards and other snakes. Some subspecies are known to climb trees t

The Volunteers were hard at work at the Berm this Friday, September 19, 2025 when they noticed this Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar. Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found   in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. (Wikipedia

This Dusky-winged hover Fly is one of many at the Pollinator Berm these days.  As a hover fly, it is known for its ability to hover in flight and has a black body. In its larval stage, it is a predator of aphids, and the adult flies feed on nectar from flowers. (Wikipedia)

Gray Hairstreak butterflies are currently in good numbers at the Pollinator Berm.  The adult gray hairstreak has a wingspan of 0.79–1.26 in. The upper sides of the wings are gray with an orange  spot on the hind margin. These extensions twitch while at rest, and may imitate a separate head  to encourage predators  to go for the wings, potentially allowing the insect to survive. (Wikipedia)