Friday at the Beach

It was another pretty good morning for the beach.  While our hot weather is not over for the year, it's pretty clear the weather has turned, and from now on a cooling pattern will prevail.  It's been a remarkably mild summer in any event.

Today we were struck by the smell of flowers.  Two major ones seemed to dominate.  This Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) covers a few big chunks of the cliffs, climbing into the trees.  An escaped import from Asia, it is sometime considered an invasive species.

And, of course, the Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)  which is definitely an invasive, and covers most of the cliff.  Both are in bloom and very fragrant.

Nothing new in the the butterfly world, but a Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) stopped by at a Jewel Weed plant.

and a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) sipped at the clematis.

The tide was very high today, in some cases up into the Kudzu, which will knock it back some, as it doesn't tolerate the salt water.

A strange one from Patuxent River Naval Air Station (most likely; maybe Andrews Air Base).