The rain ended at last and we had a warm humid day. The buttonbush kept cool in the pond:

It produces these cool spiky flower-bombs:

Also in the pond was a great blue heron, but I didn't get any good shots:

They're pretty great, all right. What a weird-looking bird.

The meadow-sweet is really taking off these days:

This is red baneberry:

Red baneberry leaves:

At first I assumed these were unripe red baneberries (growing in the same spot), but now I think it's white baneberry, with thicker stems:

(Although I've read that red baneberry can also have white berries. Where's the sense in that?)

This is a ... bird:

Yep, definitely a bird. A juvenile ... bird.

I've posted photos of goldenrod galls before, but look at this poor thing. It's gone condo!