"Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction."
― E. O. Wilson
June is the month for birds on territory and insects. You've met them on this blog before, but here are a few of the grassland sparrows of Spring Green Preserve. For the species that spend the summer here, we have the showy and gregarious Lark Sparrow, the more inconspicuous Grasshopper Sparrow, and the tangible Field Sparrow. These three are the sparrows most likely seen or heard by the casual birder at this particular prairie ― their songs rule the landscape.
There are others, too: Savannah Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and Eastern Towhees count for summer residents. But on occasion I've also found Vesper Sparrows and Henslow's Sparrows. During fall migration the preserve will host southbound boreal sparrows as well.
I assume this is a female Grasshopper Sparrow (above) as her mate was at the top of branches singing away.
And a somewhat concerned Field Sparrow ...
Of course, no visit to Spring Green Preserve is complete without studying and photographing tiger beetles. The morning was a little on the chilly side, so it took a few hours before they emerged from nocturnal burrows. Still, overall numbers seemed to be down. Tiger beetles are ectothermic ― they regulate their internal temperature from their surroundings. To maintain a body temperature for maximum efficiency and dexterity, they'll warm themselves in the sun. If they overheat, they'll find a bit of shade formed by vegetation and cool down. It's important for their survivability and reproductive health to maintain a very specific internal temperature. If they're too cold they can become sluggish making them susceptible to predators, and if they overheat they impair gamete production.
The Festive Tiger Beetle.
The larger and more tenacious Big Sand Tiger Beetle.
Slower but no less armored are the sand prairie's Dung Beetles:
Endearing as they are, they also remind me of some kind of military vehicle. Unlike tiger beetles, which have an amazingly quick escape flight, if a dung beetle is disturbed or threatened, it will retract its head and legs underneath its armored body until the danger subsides. I have seem them rolling dung from time to time, but usually when I encounter them it's on a solitary basis ― a lone beetle on its way somewhere.
Though I've visited the East Unit of Spring Green Preserve several times this year, I decided to pay a visit to the less visited West Unit. I was dismayed to see a couple with their dogs unleashed having ignored the sign at the entrance that states pets are prohibited. I informed them that dogs aren't allowed at this Nature Conservancy property. At least I didn't get the obligatory earful of insults. They left without saying much about my castigation.
It's disappointing that people don't take the time to educate themselves by reading kiosk and entrance signs in order to appreciate what they're about to encounter and why the rules are in place. TNC has excellent signage, but they often go ignored. One thing the pandemic has rendered is more people getting outdoors (good), but I've noticed more and more people bringing dogs to places where they're not allowed and letting them run through habitat unleashed (bad).
Anyway, the West Unit had an abundance and nice variety of wildflowers. I found a couple of Large Beardstongue (Penstemon grandiflorus) that were open:
And Blue Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis):
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum):
This is Leonard's Skullcap (Scutellaria leonardii), but not the endangered variant. They were remarkably tiny and I nearly missed them while photographing tiger beetles. The power of the macro lens reveals an amazingly detailed and colorful world that often goes unnoticed by the casual trail hiker. Places like The Nature Conservancy set aside land for this purpose. Enjoy and protect it!
All images © 2021 Mike McDowell