Easter at the River Bend Park

At the American River Bend Park it was far less crowded than the stores in the morning. (Thank goodness.) The Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars are now out in force; they’re almost everywhere you look. I also found a Tussock Moth caterpillar on the side of an oak tree, and several Red Admiral caterpillars getting fat on stinging nettles. We came across a young male Mule Deer who was just starting to get his antler buds, and a handsome male Egret in his mating feathers (although his doo kind of got mussed by the wind). We also saw a female Merganser duck and a Red-Cheeked Slider Turtle sharing a rock in the river. The water level is pretty low right now, which makes it easier for the turtles to go out deeper into the river to sun bathe. And we saw lizards, a fat cricket, and other bugs… The buckeye chestnut trees are starting to get their blooms and the cow vetch is all pretty in purple… A lovely walk…