McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday June 22
We were quite the small group on a pretty steamy morning, though a smattering of clouds gave some relief. Originally slated to go to the big prairie, we instead moved to the smaller prairie along 107th Street, across from Pioneer Woods picnic area.
Our main target here was Canada thistle, which appeared in several scattered pockets along with some strays. Many of the plants were still forming flowers, though the last batch, found along the roadside, had quite a few that already had gone to seed.
Terribly frustrating when you snip the head off one of these as a big breeze stirs, blowing the seed away before you can get it in your bag.
This was a terrific day to be on the prairie, with monarda, black-eyed Susan, and both purple and gray-headed coneflowers starting to bloom.
I attended the photography walk at Little Red Schoolhouse last Saturday. The staffer leading it, Kevin, did an excellent job. He spoke of watching cicada interactions with other species, including birds and insects, describing how one bird first caught a cicada, then pinned it to the ground and pulled the wings off, presumably to prevent it from escaping.
At the end of the walk we went to the parking lot in front of the old schoolhouse, by a big maple still flush with cicadas. One woman on the walk first said "There's a bird that just caught one", then, a moment later, "It's pulling the wings off!"
Wow, Kevin! Did you stage this, all for our benefit?
We were quite the small group on a pretty steamy morning, though a smattering of clouds gave some relief. Originally slated to go to the big prairie, we instead moved to the smaller prairie along 107th Street, across from Pioneer Woods picnic area.
Our main target here was Canada thistle, which appeared in several scattered pockets along with some strays. Many of the plants were still forming flowers, though the last batch, found along the roadside, had quite a few that already had gone to seed.
Terribly frustrating when you snip the head off one of these as a big breeze stirs, blowing the seed away before you can get it in your bag.
This was a terrific day to be on the prairie, with monarda, black-eyed Susan, and both purple and gray-headed coneflowers starting to bloom.
I attended the photography walk at Little Red Schoolhouse last Saturday. The staffer leading it, Kevin, did an excellent job. He spoke of watching cicada interactions with other species, including birds and insects, describing how one bird first caught a cicada, then pinned it to the ground and pulled the wings off, presumably to prevent it from escaping.
At the end of the walk we went to the parking lot in front of the old schoolhouse, by a big maple still flush with cicadas. One woman on the walk first said "There's a bird that just caught one", then, a moment later, "It's pulling the wings off!"
Wow, Kevin! Did you stage this, all for our benefit?
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