This month the weather has been mostly cool and beautiful. The summer procession of flowers is moving along, but slowly, and the blooms are lasting a long time. Tropical heat arrived a few days ago, so now things may change.
Prairie Phlox and Spiderwort in Buffalo Ridge Prairie
Morning mist over the wetland
My most recent project has been in the wetland – pulling wild Parsnip. So I’m seeing a lot of wetland flowers and butterflies.
Creek with Golden Alexanders
These are the most common butterflies in the wetland right now – Baltimore Checkerspots.
This shows the intricate patterning on the tops of their wings.
We made a new wetland path that follows the creek.
And we added a bench – now we can sit and watch water running over the rapids.
I was up on one of the prairie points a few weeks ago, with a group of biologists, when we heard a big tree fall down below. We often hear trees fall in the woods, and I seldom find them afterwards. But when we walked back down toward the house, we found this one – the big cottonwood along Cabin Road. It had fallen right across our path.
It was a huge old tree, and a big project getting it off the path – the pieces were so big that they were difficult to cut, and some were too heavy for the tractor.
But we finally got it and the path is open again.
Spiderwort is blooming – especially in the upper prairies. The flowers come out in the mornings and on cloudy days, and close on sunny afternoons.
Spiderworts in Western Prairie
We’ve found a few Wood Lilies. These were a surprise – blooming in one of the planted prairies.
Glade Mallows grow along creeks and streams and are uncommon in Wisconsin – they’re considered a plant of ‘special concern’. In 2020 I found some growing about 5 miles from us. I collected seeds and threw them out along our part of the creek. This year I’ve found at least 15 plants growing, and 4 of them are blooming. Males and females grow on separate plants – these are male flowers.
We only have a few Pale Purple Coneflowers. This species doesn’t normally grow this far north, but we must have gotten a few seeds mixed in with other seeds I bought.
Like other flowers in the Asteraceae – the Aster Family – its ‘flower’ is actually a cluster of long strap-like ray flowers, surrounding a circle of tiny disk flowers. This photo shows some of the open disk flowers near the edge of the disk.
We’re seeing lots of summer butterflies
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Hill’s Thistle
Great Spangled Fritillaries are flying everywhere at this time of year.
Great Spangled Fritillaries on Poke Milkweed flowers.
They sometimes have dramatic variations in the amount of black on their wings.
Edwards’ Hairstreak
Mated pair of Northern Cloudywings
Summer bees
Bumble bee on Green Milkweed
Golden Alexanders Mining Bee – a specialist bee on Golden Alexanders
Bee on White Camas – I’m hoping to get an ID on this one. White Camas is poisonous, so not many insects eat or nectar on it.
A bear
We’ve been seeing lots of snakes.
Eastern Milk Snake
A very small but fierce Red-bellied Snake. None of the snakes we have here are dangerous – they just try to look like they are.
The migrating birds have gone through, and the ones we’re seeing now are ones that nest here.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher – female
House Wren – one of the loudest singers
And an unusual one, for us, a Black-and-White Warbler. We’ve never seen one here so late, but according to the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas, they can breed this far south.
Here are a few more interesting creatures.
A Feather-legged Fly on Golden Alexanders
A Stable Fly – common, and not native (native to Eurasia and Africa), but the photo shows how amazing tiny creatures are if you look closely.
Woodland Giant Wolf Spider – carrying babies on her abdomen
Dogbane Beetle – the larvae eat roots and the adults eat leaves of Dogbane.
I found one Butterfly Milkweed plant with nearly yellow flowers.
Blue Flag Iris in the wetland
Indian Paintbrush and Raspberry
Sunset over the creek
