Summer is an excellent time to explore the Cary Institute's
trail system. Our forests, fields, and meadows are filled with
plant and animal life. While walking along the Cary Pines Trail,
experience the melodic "da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer" song of
the veery, a tawny thrush. This neotropical songbird spends its
summers breeding in our forests; its complex song is part of its
mating ritual. Keep your eye on the trail's edge—you may spot a
red eft looking for food. As adults, these salamanders are
aquatic. During their terrestrial juvenile phase, they are
easiest to spot after a rainstorm. The Sedge Meadow Trail is
best taken in slowly, the better to observe butterflies, moths,
and wildflowers. Try spotting an Appalachian brown or an eyed
brown in the Wet Meadow. These brush-footed butterflies are
vulnerable to wetland development. As you pass the Old Hay
Field, look for the lilac blooms of wild bergamot. These
aromatic flowers attract a variety of pollinators, such as the
snowberry clearwing, a moth that loo