Máistir Nádúraí: When in Doubt, Spring Green!

"Within and around the Earth, within and around the hills, within and around the mountains your authority returns to you."

― Joan Halifax

Spring Green Preserve

One of these visits to Spring Green Preserve I'm going to find a Prairie Racerunner out in the open, patiently waiting for me to photograph it (ha ha). I saw four of them Sunday afternoon, but they were far too quick for me. Oh yes, I much prefer the comparatively cooperative nature of tiger beetles. I spent a large part of the day enjoying the beautiful weather and hiking the prairie trails –– Blazing Star, Dotted Horsemint, and False Sunflower were the dominant wildflowers. I regret that I missed the Prickly Pear bloom back in June, but the preserve always has so much to offer the mindful observer. A cool discovery was a Northern Widow web, but I was unable to locate the spider. I did see a few Lark Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds, Indigo Buntings, and the Blue Grosbeak was still singing away at the west end of the parcel.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Blazingstar

Big Sand Tiger Beetle

Festive Tiger Beetle

Black Sharpshooter Leafhopper

On Saturday I met up with Steve Thiessen near Stoughton to check out his tiger beetle spot –– WOW! I have never seen so many C. repanda (Bronzed). There were, like, flocks of them. Several were attacking (fighting over) the same invertebrate prey along the shore of the pond. Naturally, the highlight was C. duodecimguttata (Twelve-spotted), which is only my second lifetime encounter with them. They were just as hard to photograph this time as they were a few years ago –– very frustrating species! This makes 2020 #13. It sure would be nice to add some of those northern species to my annual list.