Rattlesnake Bluff and Final Soybean Crop
This photo is a reminder to all of us that the soybean crop in this field and two adjoining fields will be the last. The property owned by Scott and Anne Jones will be managed by the Minnesota Land Trust as it transitions to an oak prairie savannah. Numerous colorful forbes will be mixed in with the native grasses to provide interesting diversity. The transition will take a period of about three years to become fully established. Thank you Scott and Anne for this wonderful gift.
Spiderwort
With leadership and effort from Wacouta resident Diane Mueller, the Rattlesnake Bluff Trail is once again providing an incredible variety of colorful prairie flora for walkers, bikers and people driving on Wacouta Road and Lakeview Ave. In recent weeks, the deep blue blooms of the Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalist) can be found in several locations. These flowers open up in the morning and typically wilt by noon in hot weather.
Female Monarch Butterfly and Red Clover Flower
It has been very exciting this spring and early summer to observe an impressive increase in the number of monarch butterflies along the trail. In addition to seeing adult butterflies, numerous green, white and black stripped larva have been found feeding on common milkweed and butterfly weed plants. This female monarch is extracting nectar from a red clover flower.
Blackberry Blossoms
During the second week of June, the native blackberries were in full bloom along the trail. Blackberries ripen much later in the summer than raspberries. For many years I have harvested black raspberries "blackcaps" around the 4th of July. Blackberries typically ripen around mid - August in our area.
Pale Purple Coneflower
A colorful prairie flower not observed in previous years is the pale purple coneflower (Eichinacea pallida). A couple interesting characteristics of this plant are their flowers are single on a stout hairy stem and the 15 to 20 purple petals which hang down as the flower matures.
Male Bluebird
For many years, it has been a real struggle to observe a successful nesting of bluebirds in our artificial nesting box until this year. In previous years, bluebird nesting attempts have been thwarted by house wrens or English sparrows.
This year, as soon as I noticed bluebirds were interested in building a nest, I hung strips of bright orange flagging above the nest box. Reportedly, this flagging discourages both wrens and sparrows from taking over the nest. In addition, I enticed the bluebirds by placing a handful of dried meal worms on top of the nest box every morning. This male bluebird is waiting in a nearby maple tree for me to arrive with the treats.
Adult Trumpeter Swan and Cygnets
On June 6th, Kathy and I took a friend down to the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area near Elba to look for spring birds and wildflowers. While driving along Minnesota State highway 74, we observed a pair of trumpeter swans and 7 newly hatched cygnets in a wetland area near the road. The adult appeared to be instructing the young how to forage for food.
Adult Trumpeter Swan
It is common for the head feathers of an adult to be stained rusty brown during the nesting season.
Red Admiral Butterfly On Creeping Charlie Flower
For far too many years, creeping charlie has been a persistent nemesis in maintaining our lawn. I have tried a wide range methods for removal all to no avail. So this spring, I decided to let a fairly large section of our backyard be overrun with this aromatic and colorful plant. One week ago, I was surprised to observe numerous bees and four red admiral butterflies cashing in on the nectar from the light blue flowers. I can't believe it took me so long to discover the futility of all my hard work.