The weather in Chicago is nothing if not interesting. We seem to be repeating some of the pattern established last summer: extremely hot weather followed by a cool spell, usually following some thunderstorm activity. Last week the effect of all this was one spectacularly foggy morning in the Loop.
By the time I got to the Thompson Center, the pigeons were hanging out on the Jean Dubuffet sculpture which looks like it was made out of paper mache. It’s big enough you can walk inside it, between its “legs.”
Pigeons on the Dubuffet sculpture at the Thompson Center
The lack of green space takes its toll on me and the birds down here. I’m also not fond of crowds and so I tend to stay away from Millennium Park during the summer. But after spending a couple days working through lunch, it’s definitely better to go out and look at anything that doesn’t have to do with staring at a computer monitor. So I visited Lurie Garden one day with the macro lens.
Rattlesnake Master
Probable Margined Soldier Beetle
I’ve just purchased the Audubon app to help identify bugs but I am hopeless when it comes to flowers. I get overwhelmed surfing through pictures. I’ll take any help I can get if you know what these are. The red one on the bottom completely stumps me. Is it some sort of Monarda? (Those of you who are flower experts are allowed to laugh at me.)
Spiderwort – I think
almost looks like a Blazing Star but I don’t think it is
A female Northern Cardinal found me that day and she got lucky, I had peanuts just for her.
Sometimes it seems appropriate to pay attention to a Rock Pigeon. They are beautiful, we just take them for granted. But I look at it this way: they confirm our existence. This is one species that would not be here (as much) without us.
I think the weather is picking on you Lisa. Nice photos! 🙂
Thanks, HJ! Actually I like cooler weather which is where we are for the 4th of July weekend, so I’m claiming it. 🙂
Is the red flower some sort of scabius? ( I know nothing about flowers.)
The pigeon has a very nice lustre.
Very good, I looked up red scabius on the Internet making sure to designate “flower” so I didn’t go to pages describing dog skin maladies, and it looks very much like it could be a scabius although I’m too timid to decide which one. I now recall I did not take this picture at Lurie but in the plantings around the park outside of the garden so it could be anything. Thank you!
It’s a pleasure.
What a variety of photos..they are wonderful..our weather if Colorado has been radical too..Happy 4th of July..eat lots of hot dogs and watermelon…
Thanks, Syl! Many happy hot dogs and watermelon to you too. Although I will most likely be out swatting mosquitoes and flies somewhere. 🙂
I’m a sucker for misty, foggy photos, and yours are striking! Plus I love the female cardinal with peanut, sweet photo.
Thanks so much! I used to say the only reason why I go to work is to see the birds downtown but as that has become more challenging, I guess my purpose now is to document whatever I can with the camera. 🙂
🙂 I totally get that!