Part 1:
Day: July 1st, 2022
Time: 1:00 P.M.
Weather: 86 °F, partly cloudy and humid
Part 2:
While exploring the Waterbury Reservoir, I saw numerous species of weeds and wildflowers. Near the water’s edge I found copious amounts of orchard grass swaying in the wind. The orchard grass grew in large clumps, mostly on the right side of the boat launch. Over by the parking spots I found cow vetch, oxeye daisies, common milkweed, false baby’s breath, bird’s foot trefoil, and common crown vetch. The butterflies seem to prefer landing upon common milkweed over other types of flowers/weeds. What I noticed is that the dominant weed/ flower species were orchard grass and cow vetch. From what I know about orchard grass, it made sense that it would grow near the reservoir as it grows in woodland boarders as the boat launch is in the middle of the woods.
Part 3:
Sitting upon a common milkweed, I found a Great Spangled Fritillary, (scientific name: Speyeria cybele). To identify the butterfly, I used the website Inaturalist.org. Using the website, I searched for butterflies in Vermont and looked through the photos until I came upon the Great Spangled Fritillary, as its common features matched. The description on Inaturalist.org states: “…the forewing is yellowish orange with black marks similar to the upperside, with a few silver spots on the tip of the wing. The hindwing is reddish brown with silver spots on the base and middle of the wing. A broad yellow band and silver triangles are the most notable qualities on the wing, next to the brown margin” (Great Spangled Fritillary). A fascinating fact about this species is that in the summer females lay their eggs next to violets, (New Jersey Butterflies, 2017).
Part 4:
Conclusion:
When thinking about what to sketch, I was thinking about animals such as loons, which I see often at the reservoir, and I was also thinking about insects such as butterflies. For one of my four sketches I had wanted to attempt to draw a loon, but they wouldn’t come close enough to the shore for me to accurately draw. What challenged me was finding a species that I was not familiar with to draw as most wildlife was difficult to come close to and I knew the different types of trees and flower species. During my walk to find a species to draw, I came upon a butterfly perched on common milk weed that I had not seen before, and it allowed me to come close enough to take a photo of it and its intricate wings and study it. Another challenge for me was trying to accept that my drawings were not going to be perfect. This sketching exercise allowed me to get to know the reservoirs wildlife and vegetation better. During my next visit I would love to be able to find and identify more wildlife such as a heron.
Reference:
Great Spangled Fritillary (speyeria cybele). iNaturalist. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47980-Speyeria-cybele
New Jersey Butterflies. Great Spangled Fritillary. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2022, from https://www.naba.org/chapters/nabanj/butterflies/great_spangled_fritillary.html