The River Mild

"Spiders are anti-social, keep pests under control, and mostly mind their own business, but they somehow summon fear in humans who are far more dangerous, deceitful and have hurt more people. Of the two I'm more suspicious about the latter."

― Donna Lynn Hope


Wisconsin River near Sauk City

I spent part of Sunday morning along the Wisconsin River near Sauk City in search of Shoreline Wolf Spiders Arctosa littoralis –– and I found several. Aren't they adorable? If you have arachnophobia, I do not recommend seeking them out, as their escape hopping behavior is a bit unsettling. I did not observe any of the spiders catching prey items, but these critters have been very well-fed over the summer –– they're quite large now. Though tiger beetles were a secondary subject, I spent some time photographing Bronzed Cicindela repanda. There were also Festive, Big Sand, Punctured, but only a single Sandy Stream.


Shoreline Wolf Spider Arctosa littoralis











Without sufficient rainfall, the river is low enough that sandbars have become accessible for exploration. While navigating one micro-island chain to another, I noticed there were several shorebird species foraging along the edges: Least Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, and Killdeer. Also present were Great Blue Herons, American White Pelicans, Baltimore Oriole, Warbling Vireo, Eastern Kingbird, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Gray Catbird, Pileated Woodpecker, House Wren, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, and more.


Least Sandpiper


Obedient Plant

It appears blogging has become a regular thing once again. I suppose it seems fresh after such a long break. Still, it's quite possible I'll take another long hiatus ― perhaps over winter. A major driver and source of inspiration continues to be tiger beetles. The pursuit puts me outside with camera in hand, which usually means I end up finding other things to photograph.


Bronzed Tiger Beetle







Excellent camouflage when feeding ...


Red Admiral

But then not so much when searching for a new spot ...



I can't live out here indefinitely, but sometimes I wish I could. So, every micro-adventure ends and I consider myself fortunate that I'm able to spend so much of my free time in the great outdoors searching for interesting flora and fauna. And we'll see how blogging goes. Again, fair warning ― it could end abruptly without notice. Isn't it just like life to be like that? Enjoy the short time we have walking this strange planet of ours. Try to imagine the living critters you come across as if you've found them on some obscure planet orbiting an ordinary yellow star in a star-filled arm of a remote galaxy. Because that's where we truly are.



All images © 2020 Mike McDowell