The Migratory Song Birds Are Gone Or Leaving And It’s The Season Of The Insects At The Susquehanna Wetlands

Insects  have always fascinated me.  My first memory of an insect encounter was when I was 3 years old. I know this because it was the first Summer in  our new home in Green Ridge.  There were many orb weaving spiders ( my  parents called them garden spiders) in the abandoned flower gardens in the lot next to our house. One of them spun a web in the window in our living room and bite my dad. It’s something  a 3 year old doesn’t forget. I also vividly remember spending countless Summer hours, before I was in elementary school watching the red and black ants on the ant hills in my back yard.  This is a monarch butterfly I sawin the wetlands  this past weekend.

It was sunny and hot on Friday afternoon and I decided to hike in the Susquehanna Wetlands again. I knew there would not be a lot of wildlife or bird activity in the middle of the afternoon heat , but I thought I may see some more of the bees, wasps, butterflies, moth  and dragonflies I had seen on my hike  the pervious week.  And there is always chance to see something in this small private nature preserve located along the ancient Susquehanna River in Luzerne County.  There was brilliant sunshine in mostly clear skies with temperatures in the mid 80’s when I arrived. As  usual I first visited the two ponds near the  entrance road. The ponds were deep green, covered in duck weed and alge. There were no herons, geese or wood ducks on the ponds. I usually see these birds here in the Spring and early Summer, especially the wood ducks and their young ducklings. And the warblers, vireos, restarts and gnat catchers I usual hear, and sometimes see,  in the surrounding woods were silent too. The only sounds were the buzzing of the cicadas.

I drove to the parking lot and took my usual walk to the Susqueahanna River. It was still low and many rocks in the river were exposed.  It ws quiet here too. I usually would here eastern phoebes, red -eyed vireos or Carolina wrens singing near the river. Only the cicadas disturbed the quiet of the wetlands and river.

I walked into the wetlands and on the Beaver Trail that took me along the  ponds and remains of the old canal active over 150 years ago. It was still lush and green,  most of the canals and ponds covered in algae and duckweed.

I knew there wouldn’t be a lot of bird activity  in mid afternoon but I was surprised by how quiet it was,.There were no birds or bird song as I walked to the Water Fowl Pond. At the pond,  I did scare a pair of wood ducks from the reeds , but they were too quick for me to get photo.

The only life I saw were some insects. Common eastern bumble bees were visiting the many goldenrod flowers blooming along the pond and trail.

I also saw this unusual insect, which looks like a wasp but is actually a thick headed fly.

And, I  saw this Appalachian brown butterfly on a leaf.

I began my walk toward the river lands and Lake Took-A-While, about a mile from the  Water Fowl Pond.

noticing in the lush green woodlands signs of the end of Summer.  Wild fox grapes were ripening along the trail,

as were the spicebush berries.

The once green bracken, sensitive , and hay-scented ferns along the trail were begging to turn brown and decay. The skunk cabbages and May apples or mandrakes have already withered and began to decay. There are not as many flowers blooming in the late Summer, but there was plenty of species of native  goldenrod now blooming, this is, I believe tall goldenrod,

and some bright purple loosestrife flowers bloomed along the canals. It is pretty, and attracts insects, but it is invasive.

Bull thistle,

giant chickweed, both invasive in  Pennsylvania , and

great blue lobelia,

and white wood asters both native also bloomed along the trails. The white wood asters would be the first of a few native species of aster to bloom and another sure sign of the end of Summer.

I saw a few painted turtles enjoying the afternoon sun on logs in the canal,

and the first bird I saw was this female northern  cardinal.

I walked toward the river lands but decided to hike on the new trail that was recently cut into old fields and meadows. I am going to enjoy this trail. 

 Goldenrod and cutleaf teasel flowers bloomed in the meadow, and, in late Summer,  where there are flowers there are insects.

Here I saw many of the familiar silver spotted skipper butterflies,

a few  aphrodite fritillary butterflies

and five of me favortite, and now endangered monarch butterflies.

I also saw these unfamiliar crocus geometer moth

isodontia philadelphica wasp,  a thread-waisted wasp and

clover looper moth.

I walked  on the new trails and also saw a few American goldfinches,

and a red -eyed vireo int the trees along the trail .

This whitetail deer fawn,

and young garter or brown  snake also were out in the afternoon late August sun.

I left the trails in the meadow and continued on toward the river lands,

seeing a few more insect insects on the way,  inclduing this carpenter bee on an American  groundnut flower,

I continued my walk to the wetlands and, at the marsh along another access road, I saw these wood ducks sitting on a log.

It was getting late in the afternoon when I got to the river lands and walked along scenic Lake-Took-A-While.

There were no herons of Canada geese on the lake, no eagles or hawks flying  overhead, and not even any birds singing along the trail. Only the insects were active as the cicadas continued to serenade  in the tree top along the trail.

Dragonflies darted along the shore of the lake, occasionaly resting on a leaf or plant stem, inclusing eastern pondhawk,

blue dasher,

and this mating pair of eastern amber wing dragonflies. I love seeing these insects and imagining them flying over the swamps. millions of years before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

I walked back into the wetlands, seeing no more birds or other wildlife , but enjoying the late afternoon sunshine and the sounds of the cicadas.  I finished my 4 mile hike and planned to return to the wetlands on Sunday to look for more insects to photogrpah.

I  took a peaceful   7 mile hike in Ricketts Glen State Park on Saturday and  returned to the wetlands  early Sunday morning . Unfortunately, it was overcast and cool when I arrived around 8 a.m.  not the best weather to observe insects.I hoped to see some of the other wildlife that loves in the wetlands.   The ponds near the entrance to the access roads looked different under the cloudy skies.  I did see a great blue heron and some wood ducks right in front of me but wsn’t ready with my camera and I missed a few great photos.

I drove to the wetlands and, as I was walking down to the Susquehanna River, three whitetail doe and  fawn ran in front of me and I again missed getting a photo. The river looked somber and so differnt under the  cloudy sky.

I walked into th wetlands again, following the same route as on Friday afternoon. It was very quiet, not even the ciadas were singing. There was no bird activity.

I walked to the Water Pond, seeing two wild flowers I didn’t notice on Friday, broadleaf arrowhead flowers,

and New York ironweed flower, both native and both signs of the end of Summer approaches .

I also saw more American groundnut flowers.

At the Water Fowl Pond more wood ducks flew off before I could photogrpah them. I didn’t see any other birds near the ponds,

I walked toward the river lands in the quiet wetlands. There was no birds singing  and even the cicadas were quiet.

I walked back to the new trail in the meadows,  there were not butterfies visiting the flowers here but I did see some  bumble  bee on a cutleaf coneflower

and  a Virgin’s  bower flower. None of the many butterflies I saw on Friday where seen on this cloudy and cool morning.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some  more photos of the insects and flowers  I saw on my hikes in the wetlands and river lands.  Susquehanna Wetlands insects and flowers August 22-24 2025.

In the meadows   I did see afew birds, some  more Americian goldfinches, 

a couple of Carolina wrens,

a gray catbird. 

a female common yellowthroat,

and a tufted  titmouse.

I walked into the river lands and along Lake-Took-A-While which also looked differnt under the cloudy skies. Here I heard thunder in the distance,

and watched  a severe thunderstorm pass just to the  northeast of the river lands.

I missed more photos ops, as a belted kingfisher and a green heron flew off as I walked along the lake. I walked to the end of the lake and began my hike back to the wetlands. The only other critter I saw was the gray squirrel feeding on a black walnut along the lake.

I walked into the wetlands, noticing two more signs of the end of Summer. hickory nuts,

and acorns on the ground. It seems only yesterday this trees were just beginning to bud. Summer flies by too fast anymore for me.

I did see a few wood  ducks who allowed  me to get some photos.

I also saw this eastern phoebe. They are one of the first migratory birds to arrive in Spring and the last to fly south in the Fall. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some  more photos of the birds I saw on my hikes in the wetlands and river lands.  Susquehanna Wetlands birds August 22-24 2025. 

I finished my 5 mile hike in the wetlands. I had hoped to see more wildlife especially the butterflies and dragonflies but it rained over night  and they were probably drying their wings. It was still a nice hike, one of the few remaining this Summer.   Sadly the song birds have left and soon the insects will be gone too.  I hope to get in as many hikes as I can before they do.  I love the Summer and not looking forward to the Fall and Winter. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some  more photos from my hikes in the wetlands and river lands.  Susquehanna Wetlands August 22-24 2025.

Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing…
~Christina Georgina Rossetti 

Insects are attractive things and very human, or perhaps we men and women are like bugs. I have known dragon flies, swift-motioned, gleaming; and hornets, unbeautiful but effective; some people are like honeybees, engaged in sweet unselfish labors, while others are crickets that only chirp; some are butterflies, flashing in the pure light, while others are noisome, creeping things that lurk in dank shadows. Some persons are fireflies, lighting up dark places for others, while there are those who are house flies, inquisitive, annoying, noxious… Yet there isn’t anybody who isn’t interesting, and so there is no bug that doesn’t repay you for studying it. I wonder what insect I am like?— my family would doubtless say a mosquito. ~Dorothy Scarborough