"November at its best - with a sort of delightful menace in the air."
― Anne Bosworth Greene
It hit 70 degrees yesterday — in mid-November, no less. By this morning, the warmth had swung back to a more seasonal low-30s. Sue and I took advantage of the brief reprieve and drove up to Sauk County to wander a few of our favorite natural areas and see what was still out there.
Astonishingly, at least one Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) was still fluttering around the beach at the Sauk City Canoe Launch. We've had some pretty cold nights, so seeing any butterflies this late was a surprise. A few small flies and grasshoppers were hanging on along the shoreline, but no tiger beetles.
Perhaps a little November insecting will help shorten the winter — if not on the calendar, then at least in the mind.
Next stop, Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area ...
We were hoping to find a Northern Shrike, and we did.
The shrike was perched atop a tree a fair distance away, but I was still able to digiscope it. Not my best photograph of this species, but any shrike sighting is a good one.
Our last stop was a short walk along the Roznos Meadow segment of the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin, where the green has fully slipped away and November settles in with its palette of tan, brown, and russet.
Bird-wise, it was pretty quiet — just a few American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, their muted plumage perfectly echoing the November palette around them.
With the sun sinking in the west, there were some stunning views of the prairie.
By the time we called it a day, the wind had swung around from the north and the daylight was sliding away, but it still felt like the right kind of ending — a late-autumn day distilled to its essentials: muted colors, sparse birds, and the simple pleasure of being out there before winter really takes hold. And best of all, cold beer and hot food was waiting for us at Vintage — the perfect reward after a November outing.
All images © 2025 Mike McDowell