Gorgone Checkerspot

What's in a name? I'm fascinated by the common names of plants and butterflies. In Greek mythology there were three Gorgon sisters who had snakes for hair and would turn anyone who looked at them into stone. Fortunately this is not the case with this butterfly.

New Growth

This camera has been in the Fish Lake area for the last month and I braved the deer flies to see what was on the card. Only a couple deer and a work crew came by during that time. I am always amazed at the number of people who pass by such out of the way and inhospitable locations.
Dale

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.

Shiny Teeth

This wolf came very close to the trail cam and showed its gleaming teeth. What impresses me the most is their small size. For some reason I thought the teeth would be bigger, probably a function of the mythic "big bad wolf" mentality. A pack of five passed through in mid June. The alpha male with it's shoulder stripe, a black male, 2 mid sized grays, and a small yearling gray bought up the rear. The alpha and the small gray have been in area intermittently but this is the first time this year the pack has been at the scent post. Based on tracks this is probably the pack that has been frequenting the Buggert L. area.
Dale

(Image cropped to 50% of original)

Karner Blues

This was an excellent year for both lupine and the first flight of Karners at Crex and Fish Lake. Several times I lost count of the number of butterflies flying about me. The Prairie Redroot this one is feeding on is similar to Jersey Tea but I believe it is Redroot. Karner caterpillars feed exclusively on lupine but the adults feed on several different plants. I hope the second flight later this month is as active as the first one was.
Dale

Cedar Waxwings

I  took a trip through Crex today even though it was raining. After 3 straight days of rain I was going stir crazy. I happened to see a pair of Cedar Waxwings on the corner of East and North Refuge Rd. I watched them as they pointed their heads upwards in unison several times and then they mated. I was pretty far away but snapped a few pictures anyway. When I got home I could see that one Waxwing had a small berry in it's mouth. Doing some research I found out this is part of their courtship. They pass a berry between them.  Interesting...
Kathy J.

Night Games

These guys seem to be having a blast. I was reminded of dance recitals that we attended in years past. This den is exposed and would have made a great site for photography except virtually all activity has been at night.
Dale