Assateague WildLife Loop Trail

The bright sunny day was so inviting, I hated to leave Assateague Island for home..but it was only a little after 12, and I figured I REALLY didn't NEED to be on the road until 3pm. So, I pulled into the parking lot for the Wildlife Loop trail and unloaded my bike out of the back and hit the 3&1/2 mile bike/hike path! Only bikers and hikers are allowed until late afternoon, then it is opened up for vehicles. It was a bit of a struggle, trying to ride being weighed down with my binoculars and camera around my neck, but I managed. I couldn't bear to leave either behind..who knows what I would spot!
Only a minute in, I braked for a Woolly Bear Caterpillar! His colors didn't show up to well on my extreme closeup, as he kept inching toward me. In an unexplained moment of calmness and curiosity, I decided to pet him! I'm not really sure that he liked it...he just sort of froze. He certainly wasn't soft...more like a bristly brush that you would scrub something with. Was an interesting moment.

Back onto the bike, I pedaled a few yards further and came to a nice patch of goldenrod (NOT...I'm horribly allergic), but I got as close as I dared and used my zoom to get close to this Buckeye Butterfly!





I stayed in the prison of pollen for a few more moments to see this unknown butterfly land and feed! AAAAAHHCCCHHHOOOOOO!
Time to move on away from the pollen!




In the Snow Goose Pool, were lots of
gulls and egrets cormorants and Canada Geese, as the snow geese were still a few weeks away from arriving.

A White Egret stood around watching the bikers and hikers stroll by.

A Great White Egret stalking something.....

View of the Snow Goose Pool with the Assateague Lighthouse in the background.

I was riding and I saw 3 folks stopped looking into this band of trees and asked what they saw....a Sika Elk!
Hard to see, its in the center of the photo to the left of the tree trunk. It looks like a tree trunk with a swollen trunk 1/2 way up! It was still hard to see until it raised it's head from grazing and then bounded off into the ticket! Native to China, Japan and Korea, they were released here in the 1920's.

Just after the elk sighting, I came across another large area of goldenrod that had dozens of Monarch Butterflies and some other insect. Once more I braved the pollen (and continued sneezes) to see them up close! I really would have loved to get closer....but the sneezing and my swelling eyes, kept me back!

Around the next bend, was a sand dune and a path to the ocean! Time was getting short and I decided to skip this and continue on.




As I continued riding, I saw something slither across the path! A snake! But I was too slow and it escaped into the tall grass, even though I had my hiking boots on, I was NOT going to go looking for it!

Fortunately, a few yards later, I
saw an identical one along the side of the road and was able to zoom in on it WITHOUT dismounting from the safety of my speedy bike! It turned out to be a Black Rat Snake according to an interpretive ranger.



I found it to be a rather enjoyable trail and in several spots there were these nice benches that you could sit down and rest or reflect...or wait for something spectacular! I'm glad that it is reserved mainly for bikes and hikers and that cars are only allowed for the last few hours of the day.