Máistir Nádúraí: Prairie Visit

5.20.2011

Prairie Visit

Friends of Little Blue: wildflower enthusiasts!

Just 12 miles from Middleton, Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie is a great place to see a rich diversity of native wildflowers throughout spring, summer, and fall. Yesterday I joined Friends of Little Blue for a leisurely evening stroll consisting of birds and flowers.

Singing Grasshopper Sparrow

There were Savannah Sparrows, at least one singing Grasshopper Sparrow, plus Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Bluebird, and a Black-billed Cuckoo we heard calling from the treeline to the west. The hillsides are covered with Birdsfoot Violets, Blue-eyed Grass, Wood Betony, and Shooting Stars. I brought along my Nikon Coolpix 4500 for its great macro capability:

Hoary Puccoon and Birdsfoot Violet.

Wood Betony.

Shooting Star.

Yellow Star Grass.

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.