Peaking

I'm always intrigued by plant and insect interaction.  The pollination of plants by insects is just one component of this.  Frequently insect predators lurk on the flower as well.  The whole food chain on a 2 inch flower.

Milkweed Peak

Common milkweed are at or near peak and definitely at peak for butterfly photography. Not only is the photography excellent, the aroma of the flower is incredible. Just by watching a plant with camera in hand dozens of photo ops present themselves. These plants are a food source for almost everything that flies and even the crab spiders that lie in wait for dinner.

Tracks in the Frost

February is the month for frost. Any morning with an above freezing temperature the previous day has potential for it. Animals are moving more, especially the predators, in preparation for spring denning. Most mating has already been done. The bald eagles are checking out their nest on Dueholm Flowage. Cardinals are calling in the morning. The season of silence is winding down.
Dale

January Wildflowers

The sunrise temperature has been in the -20 degree range all week. It has been hard getting out early for nice light but I finally made it today. Later in the morning the shadows were too harsh and the color was gone. This was taken near the historic overlook after walking a short distance in snowshoes to get a good background.

On another note, the hawk owl was busy hunting along the Corduroy Dike at sunset yesterday. Stolte Rd. is not plowed and is a single track of ice pack. I don't know what would happen if you had the bad luck to meet another vehicle.

The trail cams were empty when checked. One was ice covered. With the snow the wolves are staying on the roads and seem to be very active on East Refuge Rd and the Main Dike Rd by the pump house. Fox tracks are everywhere with an occasional pheasant wing signifying a successful hunt. This winter will be tough on pheasants, hopefully to the benefit of the few remaining sharptail grouse.

Dale