Halloween Pennant
This time of year I normally visit Goose Lake Prairie in Grundy County, but I wasn’t going to go that far or walk that much this year, so I followed through with my Fourth-of-July unfulfilled plan and went to Orland Grassland Saturday morning. Orland, which is reclaimed farmland, is surrounded by development, but it’s large enough to afford considerable habitat and much has been restored. Next time I’ll use the ebird app and do a checklist. This time I just wanted to get a feel for the place and see how much walking I could manage before the sun reached an intolerable height in the sky.
Dickcissel
Dickcissels were abundant, but in general I heard more birds than I saw, or the birds I did see were pretty far away like the Eastern Meadowlark below.
There were a lot of Eastern Kingbirds and Tree Swallows hunting insects.
Eastern Kingbird
I caught glimpses of a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. Later two Great Blues flew overhead.
An assortment of beautiful dragonflies made themselves available for photographs.
Blue Dasher
Widow Skimmer (Female)
Eastern Pondhawk
I really couldn’t get enough of the Halloween Pennant. What a dazzling creature.
All I can say is I’ll have to go back to Orland soon. But this weekend I am off to Michigan to meet friends and find more birds and plants and insects… I will be back, I hope, with much to report.
Very nice photos Lisa! You’re brave to be outdoors in open fields where there’re no shade trees. Yesterday I went shopping in the afternoon, it was 94º F. I was wearing shorts and tee-shirt and I felt so hot to just walk from my car to the store. Thanks for the post! 🙂
Thanks, HJ! Saturday wasn’t too bad early in the morning but by 10:00 a.m. it was starting to get too warm. We are having the same heat as you now, with no immediate rain or cooling in the forecast. Sad when you want to be outdoors but it’s not safe. Hang in there. 🙂
It is very impressive that you not only spotted and photographed the dragonflies but knew their names too.
I confess I always have to look them up and if it were not for my little Stokes dragonfly book I would be at a total loss. I’m likewise challenged by some wildflowers and have to refresh my memory every year.
A dragonfly book sounds like a good investment.
Funny that we were both of a mind to visit a prairie about the same time.