Phenology is the study of biologic events (such as flowers blooming and birds migrating) in relation to the seasons. I have been working on a restored prairie for the last several years and have enjoyed watching the changes that come with the seasons. For the next year, we'll take a look at what's going on in the prairie once a month.
There are a few flowers in bloom:
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| Common Milkweed |
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Common Milkweed is a
host plant to Monarchs. The butterflies lay their eggs on these flowers and the caterpillars eat the leaves. This fragrant flower can be found in prairies, glades and abandoned fields.
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| Queen of the Prairie |
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Queen of the Prairie begins to flower in early to mid-summer and is a great plant for the garden.
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| Slender Mountain Mint. |
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| Slender Mountain Mint. | | |
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The Slender Mountain Mint is just beginning to flower this month . Such beautiful, delicate flowers.
And with the flowers come the insects. The Ants were busy on the Common Milkweed, Bees collecting pollen, and Dragonflies hovering above. The Butterflies are making their presence known, and the day's heat had them flying fast. If you look closely at your surroundings, you will find smaller butterflies, such as the Sootywings.
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| Common Sootywing |
Today I watched a Common Sootywing chase a bumblebee off of a White Indigo Plant. The bumblebee was much larger than the butterfly.
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| Eastern Tailed-Blue |
Eastern Tailed-Blues are tiny butterflies that are often found in gardens and their favorite plants are alfalfa and clover.
I found this mystery fly while walking today. I have no idea of the species.
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| Mystery Fly |
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| Mystery Fly |
Look at the eyes on this insect!
I also encountered several garter snakes today.
These common snakes will live in a variety of habitats, but they do prefer areas near water. The prairie edges Deer Creek, creating a haven for the garter snakes. Garter Snakes eat frogs, tadpoles, toads, salamanders and earthworms. They occasionally eat mice and smaller snakes.
I'm looking forward to the treasures that will be found on the prairie in July.
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