― Sara Baume
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
Summer is moving right along, but it looks magnificent right now. I biked Pheasant Branch Saturday morning, mostly birding by ear. I had a pair of compact binoculars with me just in case I needed magnification. The woods and prairies are quieter now that there's only a month of summer remaining, so some species likely avoided detection. My pace was quick. There were numerous swallows, cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, pewees, orioles, and woodpeckers. In the woods north of Century Avenue I enjoyed the ethereal songs of Wood Thrushes. Further east came the loud call of a Pileated Woodpecker. I found no sign of the prairie's Henslow's Sparrows, but some might still be around―it isn't yet their time to leave. Apart from resident warblers like American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat, the only southbound migrant I encountered was a Northern Waterthrush along the creek. I suspect the next cold front will bring the first wave of neotropical migrants to southern Wisconsin.
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana
I returned late afternoon to one of my favorite spots for macro photography. The combination of the creek, a small pond, and dense vegetation simplifies the process of discovery, but one still has to keep a sharp eye for little bits of magic rendered from the Earth. Deptford Pink is non-native, but I still find it to be a fun little flower to photograph.
Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria
Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
The aggressive Wild Cucumber is having a banner summer. You'll find it covering vegetation along just about any road in southern Wisconsin right now. It is a native species, but doesn't do as much damage to other plants as much as its reputation otherwise indicates. I do know that tree frogs seem to like sleeping on its leaves, but I didn't come across any during my outing.
Wild Cucumber Echinocystis lobata
There were some interesting spiders ...
Running Crab Spider Philodromus sp.
Shamrock Orbweaver Araneus trifolium
Shamrock Orbweaver Araneus trifolium
And lots of insects! Especially hoppers, of course ...
Buffalo Treehopper Ceresa taurina
Buffalo Treehopper Ceresa taurina
Red-banded Leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea
Two-striped Planthopper Acanalonia bivittata
Aphids!
Red Goldenrod Aphid Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum
Oleander aphid Aphis nerii
Though extremely abundant right now, I rarely take time to photograph damselflies and dragonflies. I joke that if I ever get tired of photographing tiger beetles, there's always grasshoppers. To be sure, though, one could spend a lifetime photographing Odonata.
Azure Bluet Enallagma aspersum
Eastern Forktail Ischnura verticalis
Peacock Fly Callopistromyia annulipes
Large Lace-border Scopula limboundata
For Saturday's finale, I hauled out my Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope for some lunar and planetary observation. Right now after sunset you can see Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars (going west to east). Using my Nikon V1 and a TeleVue Nagler 9mm eyepiece, I managed to get a somewhat decent photograph of Saturn via eyepiece projection. Technically this is digiscoping, but with an astronomical telescope instead of a spotting scope. Though I earned my chops with astrophotography in the days of film cameras, it's still only marginally easier with digital. Focusing is tough!
Looking south, part of our solar system.
The Moon
I remember showing a Dane County deputy sheriff Saturn with my C8 at Indian Lake Park many years ago. He thought for sure it was fake and that I was somehow projecting Saturn's image into the telescope. I assured him it was the real thing and even pointed it out to him in the sky, but he remained skeptical nonetheless! So, Saturn:
Saturn
All images © 2018 Mike McDowell