"Flowers remind me of the beauty and brevity of life. They teach patience as you await some to bloom, enhancing their beauty. And then they're gone. Moral of this story: Enjoy every single second of this life. Embrace the beautiful parts, don't stress the areas awaiting to bloom ... enjoy the process. We are but a breath, so treasure each one."
― Sanjo Jendayi
Beautiful weather and a weekend exploring Spring Green Preserve! I have written much over the past several years about this magnificent Wisconsin State Natural Area and it was time for my annual Prairie Fameflower visit. The timely wildflower is a late afternoon phenomenon ― 4:30 PM, virtually on the nose. However, there were plenty of other critters to observe and photograph in the meantime and there were hours in my naturalist's bank.
Adult and recently fledged Lark Sparrows were abundant and working the ground for food items, especially in the sandy areas near the West Unit's entrance. We're having a great summer for Dickcissels and their songs were constant throughout my visits Saturday and Sunday. Perhaps the avian surprise of the weekend was hearing two different Blue Grosbeaks vocalizing ― entirely different locations. I eventually got great binocular views of a male and female, but they were too far away to digiscope. Other birds present included Field Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee and many more.
Butterflies were numerous and active as well. Here's a Striped Hairstreak under different kinds of lighting. Above, natural lighting with subdued sunlight. The image directly below was taken with a flash, and the third is natural lighting in full sunlight. You can see a difference in shadows; soft, sharp, and angled. What do you think? Personally, I think using a flash reveals the most wing detail and sunlight renders warmer color tone.
A slightly dinged-up Tawny Emperor ...
Mating Regal Fritillaries ...
St. John's Wort was a prominent wildflower ...
Poppy Mallows were in full-bloom at their historical spot near the kiosk ...
Punctured Tiger Beetles have taken over patrolling the sandy trails. There were a few Big Sand as well, but I didn't see any Festives. Their second seasonal emergence is coming later on this summer, though. I probably didn't get to the preserve early enough to catch a Virginia Metallic Tiger Beetle, but I do think of them more of a late August and September insect. Naturally, I'm always on the lookout for hopper insects, but only found this single Green Leafhopper in the genus Gyponana.
And now, Phemeranthus rugospermus ...
On this visit I managed to find a couple of Fameflower plants even before they started opening ― a challenging endeavor as they're very small and easily mistaken for a kind of grass. Slowly unraveling, in mere minutes one becomes aware just how many there are ... all around you.
And insects waste no time exploiting the new source of nourishment ...
It's enough, isn't it? Birds, bugs, and blooms ― a naturalist's delight and photographer's palette. These living things are best understood as they are and not what we want them to be. There's no mystical connection needed, and they offer none in return. In the span of all time, they have largely existed without us; without an aesthetic observer. It's difficult to imagine Earth and its life existing on its own accord for millions of years without humans around to appreciate, document, describe, and theorize. Through the natural forces of biological evolution, they've done the hard work by rendering endless forms. And we, too, have paid our dues as finite mortal beings. Do you not see how fortunate you are?
All images © 2022 Mike McDowell