Bona Dea Alligator Update

Bona Dea was sunny and mild and no humidity today, Saturday. A great day to be at the park. I will get right to the best part first. I saw the infamous alligator today. It was the first time since around May that I have seen it and haven't seen anyone else who has. Have no idea where it has been. I could not get a photo as I was looking through underbrush and the gator was a long ways off. I have a recent photo of it here and this is close to what it looked like today and it was swimming away from me to the other end of a pool of water. Good to know it is still around or has come back home. Also took some photos of a couple of plants and the one showing the smaller pinkish blooms is another Trumpetweed or Joe-Pyed weed wildflower. It shows a lot of blooms as was just off of Prairie Creek trail. The other one showing a big trumpet like bloom is a Wild Trumpet Flower bush bloom. This one is fully opened up and a recent photo shows one folded up. They tend to open up in the bright sunshine and close up for the night. This one was right by the Big Prairie Creek Bridge on Serpendipity Trail. Also on this trail I took a photo of another Question Mark butterfly. It is the one by the leaf on the gravel and a Hackberry Emperor butterfly which is the one in the photo with the many small rounded leaves. By Bullfrog pond, I saw many many Little Yellow or Little Sulfur butterflies just all over the Partridge-pea plants that I have photoed in a recent post. Also a Pearl Crescent butterfly which is the striking one showing black and yellow markings and seems to be down in the grass. I have never seen one of these before. The butterflies are really all over the place now that the weather has improved. But the day was made by seeing Mr. or Mrs. Alligator.