This pix of a Monarch visiting a wildflower in the Paine Property was shot three years ago when the
Aspetuck Land Trust had the field cut in
LATE FALL, a practice
Huntington State Park has done for years to prevent tree seedlings taking root as they always tend to do. Paine did the late fall cut for years as well until last year and again in 2020 with the end result being: no butterflies, no wildflowers, no swifts, no dragonflies, no nothing, a now-dead space akin to a parking lot at a shopping mall near you save that it's tan, not black, an unintended act of habitat destruction at small scale.
Easy remedy, cut in the late fall as before if you want this kind of scene to return as nature bounces back if you let her. :)
Nature never disappoints. :)