Afternoon Walk at Ft. Fisher -- Some Surprises

One of my surprises on my walk today was a flock of Semipalmated Plovers sitting on the rocks while the waves crashed in at high tide.  They were small and there were quite a few of them and I wasn't sure whether I was seeing right.  Don't know whether it is the beginning of a migration or not as I haven't seen these birds down here before (although I have seen them in Florida).  They were small so I thought they were the Semipalmated and not the Wilson's Plover.

You can see how many there were all facing into the wind coming out of the west today.  It was just another beautiful North Carolina day!

This is an Orange Sulfur which is smaller than the more common Cloudy Sulfurs I usually see.  

It took me awhile to identify this one as I wasn't totally sure what kind of bug it was! I thought butterfly but it didn't look like any of my butterflies or my dragonflies. I finally found it in with the moths -- it is a Bella Moth and certainly one of the prettiest moths I have ever seen! 

No day at Ft. Fisher would be complete without the hundreds of Gulf Frittilaries that are crowding the wildflowers.

I just liked the wildflower (goldenrod?) posed against the backdrop of the rocks lining the beach.

I have to put a plug in here for Crocs!!  I have had a bad ankle (arthritis, tendonitis or some kind of other "itis") for a couple of years now which has made walking a gimpy business.  I had lifts for the plantar fasciitis which I got from my barefoot habit but diligent wearing of footwear and those lifts fixed that.  I seriously think the lifts caused the ankle problems.  I switched back to my old Crocs with no lifts and in a day, my ankle felt better.  It still has moments of gimpiness but I don't look like a cripple when walking now and even beach walking is not a struggle anymore.  I don't know what there is about Crocs but they certainly have been my life saver this trip!!