The Tallgrass Prairie At The End Of July

“Then followed that beautiful season…summer.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Hear the hum?

Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) on wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

That’s the sound of the tallgrass prairie in July, calling you. Come and see!

Blue dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis), Peck Farm Park, Geneva, IL.

The air is thick with buzz and click.

Unknown bee on purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Peck Farm Park, Geneva, IL.

Wade through the tallgrass in the heat.

Great egret (Ardea alba), Hidden Lake Forest Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

Do you feel yourself slowing down? Feel like you’re about to fold?

Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Maybe it would be good to rest. To sit for a bit.

(Left) Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) and (Right) 12-Spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

The humidity! We’re swimming in it.

Unknown frog, Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

July prairie wildflowers make the hike worth the discomfort.

Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

The month has flown.

Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) on prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

August is on the horizon.

Unknown bumblebee (Bombus), Peck Farm Park, Geneva, IL.

Keep watching the life of the prairie unfurl.

American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Who knows what you’ll see? The sky is the limit!

Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

It might be sprays of purple Joe Pye weed.

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium pupureum), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Unbelievable blues.

Springwater dancer damselfly (Argia funebris), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Scarlets.

Band-winged meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum semicinctum), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Ambers.

Halloween pennant (Celithemus eponina), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Barbie pinks, fading in and out of focus.

Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra), Peck Farm Park, Geneva, IL.

Even some paler hues.

Crescent moon over Crosby’s front yard prairie planting, Glen Ellyn, IL.

Sure it’s tempting to wallow around at home.

Bison (Bison bison), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

But July is almost over. There will never be another month quite like this one again.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Now is the time to go see.

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If you’re like me, you remember memorizing poetry in school, perhaps Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s (1807-1882) “Paul Revere’s Ride” or maybe, lines from “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie.” And why can’t I remember where I put my car keys, but I can still remember the lines about Revere’s ride? One if by land, and two if by sea… . Read more about Longfellow here.

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Join Cindy for a class or program in late July and August!

July 29 —Dragonflies and Prairie Wildflower Hike with the Greater Kane County Wild Ones at Peck Farm Park. Space is limited. For more information and details on registration, visit their website here.

August 3 — Dragonflies and Daiquiris, hosted by the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. (SOLD OUT) 6:30-8:30 p.m. Call and ask to be put on a waiting list.

August 5 — Nature and Art Retreat, hosted by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Founders Room, Thornhill Education Center. Cindy will be leading the writing section. Register here.

August 9 — Interpretation for Master Naturalists, hosted by the Illinois Extension and The Morton Arboretum (via Zoom). (SOLD OUT)

August 11 — The Tallgrass Prairie for Master Naturalists, hosted by the Illinois Extension and The Morton Arboretum (in person). (SOLD OUT)

August 14 — Dragonflies and Damselflies, hosted by MAPS– The Morton Arboretum Photographic Society, Lisle, IL. Free for MAPS members and their guests. Blended online and in-person program. 7-8:30 p.m. For more information and details, visit here.

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A note to my awesome readers: Jeff and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary by visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall this year. Please let us know where you think we should head to next. Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas! So far, we’ve enjoyed hiking, bison viewing, and/or kayaking at the following:

Kayaking at #1 Rock Cut State Park (Rockford, IL); hiking at #2 James “Pate” Philip State Park (Bartlett, IL); #3 Potato Creek State Park (North Liberty, IN); #4 Indiana Dunes State Park (Porter County, IN); #5 Indiana Dunes National Park (Beverly Shores, IN); kayaking Silver Lake at #6 Blackwell Forest Preserve (Wheaton/Warrenville, IL); hiking #7 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #8 Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve (Winfield, IL), #9 Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, IL), #10 Herrick Lake Forest Preserve (Wheaton, IL); Jeff’s family reunion at #11 Hawthorn Park (Terre Haute, IN); hiking #12 Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN) and at #13 Shades State Park, Waveland, IN; hiking and bison viewing at #14 Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN; hiking at #15 Hidden Lake Forest Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #16 Peck Farm Park (Geneva, IL), and #17 Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL).

Summer on the Tallgrass Prairie

“In summer, the song sings itself.” —William Carlos Williams

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A word to the wise: When you leave for the weekend, pick all the zucchini in the garden before you go. Or you might come back to this:

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), Crosby’s garden, Glen Ellyn, IL.

Anyone have some good zuke recipes? I think we’re going to need them.

The garden is thriving after the 14 tornados, torrential downpours, and heat of last week. Jeff and I have spent a lot of time pulling weeds in the garden, and tying up tomato branches which bow under the weight of green globes. All this rain and heat are welcome news for the everbearing “Joan” raspberries we planted last season because one of our granddaughters told us she wanted “razzies.”

Joan raspberries (Rubus idaeus ‘Joan J.’), Crosby’s garden, Glen Ellyn, IL.

Another reason to plant whatever your grandkids ask you for. Yum!

The week’s welcome rain came with plenty of weather watching. We dodged a bullet in the Chicago suburbs Friday as we huddled in a downstairs closet under the stairs in the dark, listening to one twister go over with a distant roar. Other than a flat of prairie plants waiting to go into the backyard which blew into the street, we saw no damage. We were lucky.

Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL. We try for 70% natives, 30% “other” —the “other” mostly zinnias and vegetables.

On the Illinois tallgrass prairies, the soaking rains helped fuel the wildflowers.

Unknown insect and bumblebee jostling for position on swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) at a Cook County Forest Preserve, IL.

Look at those yellow blooms! Rosinweed.

Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

Gray-headed coneflowers.

Gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) with compass plants leaves (Silphium laciniatum), Schulengerg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

Early goldenrods.

Early goldenrod (Solidago juncea) with an unknown insect, Shades State Park, Waveland, IN.

Striking black-eyed Susans–almost like an impressionist painting when seen from a distance—

Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN.

…are full of sharp contrast close up.

Black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta), Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN.

Flowers also come in knock-your-socks-off orange.

Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense) with leadplant (Amorpha canescens) and prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

I like the oddball flowers. This one reminds me of a court jester’s cap.

Spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata), Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN.

With the wildflowers come butterflies. I’m seeing larger numbers of monarchs here this week, as if someone pushed a button that told them “GO!”

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Wild indigo duskywings speed across the prairie, sampling non-native red clover and native wildflowers.

Wild indigo duskywing butterfly (Erynnis baptisiae) on red clover ( Trifolium pratense), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

Pipevine swallowtail butterflies vie for the best nectar.

Pipevine swallowtail butterflies (Battus philenor) on wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN.

Widow skimmer dragonflies seem to be everywhere, both aloft and perched.

Widow skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

You might even “spot” the occasional spotted lady beetle.

Seven-spotted lady beetle (Cocinella septempunctata) on prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

If you haven’t hiked your local prairie or nature preserve yet in July, why not? Who knows what you might discover.

Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN.

It’s all waiting for you. The wildflowers, the birds…

Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

…the butterflies and the bees.

Unknown bee on purple prairie clover (Dalea pupurea), Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

July is halfway over.

Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) with unknown bee, Schulenberg Prairie, Lisle, IL.

Why not go see?

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The opening quote is by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), from his poem, “The Botticellian Trees.” Read more about Williams at the The Poetry Foundation. He was a physician, as well as a poet, and his grandmother had the surprising name of Emily Dickinson (no relation to Dickinson the poet, however). Critics noted his poetry has “a stubborn or invincible joyousness.” That phrase, “stubborn” and “invincible joyousness,” is going to stick with me this week. What a great outlook to cultivate.

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Hello Wonderful Readers: I’ll still be blogging, but I’m taking most of the month of July off from teaching and giving programs to continue my adventures with Jeff, visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall for our 40th anniversary this year. Look for classes and programs to resume at the end of July (see http://www.cindycrosby.com for details), and please let us know where you think we should head to next. Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas! So far, we’ve enjoyed hiking and/or kayaking at the following:

#1 Rock Cut State Park (Rockford, IL); #2 James “Pate” Philip State Park (Bartlett, IL); #3 Potato Creek State Park (North Liberty, IN); #4 Indiana Dunes State Park (Porter County, IN); #5 Indiana Dunes National Park (Beverly Shores, IN); kayaking Silver Lake at #6 Blackwell Forest Preserve (Wheaton/Warrenville, IL); hiking #7 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #8 Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve (Winfield, IL), #9 Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, IL), #10 Herrick Lake Forest Preserve (Wheaton, IL); Jeff’s family reunion at #11 Hawthorn Park (Terre Haute, IN); hiking #12 Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN) and at #13 Shades State Park, Waveland, IN; and bison viewing at #14 Kankakee Sands, Morocco, IN. We are a third of the way to our goal!

July on the Tallgrass Prairie

“The forces that create inertia in our lives are difficult to resist…wake up… .”—Twyla Tharp

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Summer settles in.

Possibly the fork-tailed bush katydid (Scudderia furcata), on wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Let’s go for a hike and see what’s happening in the natural world.

Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

A hike in July is a good way to make discoveries.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL.

You might stop and watch the dragonflies, like the abundant common whitetails.

Common whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Can you find them both below?

Common whitetail dragonflies (Plathemis lydia), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

July is a month to discover damselflies. The expected…

Ebony jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx maculata), Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

…and the unexpected.

Male-form female eastern forktail damselfly (Ischnura verticalis), a first for me, Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

July’s kaleidoscope of butterflies may be as close as a walk through your backyard.

Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) on cut-and-come-again zinnia (Zinnia elegans), Crosby’s backyard, Glen Ellyn, IL.

Some show evidence of struggle. None-the-less, they keep on moving.

Possibly northern pearly eye butterfly ( Enodia anthedon) , Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

Take time to stop and admire July’s wildflowers in their rainbow colors.

Pink.

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Purple.

Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

Orange.

Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense), Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

Blue.

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis), Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

Pearly white.

Flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata), Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

Look closely and you might see more than you bargained for.

Leconte’s haploa moth (Haploa lecontei) and insects on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

July, you’re so spectacular.

Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL.

So full of delights! So full of possibilities.

Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, IL.

Follow a new trail this month. Keep moving. Who knows where it will lead?

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The opening quote is by choreographer and writer Twyla Tharp (1941-) in her book, Keep it Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life. At the end of each day, she writes, she asks herself “How well did I marry what I wanted to do and what I actually did?…the life we choose pays dividends. The life that we let choose us will bankrupt us.”

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Hello Wonderful Readers: I’ll still be blogging, but I’m taking most of the month of July off from teaching and giving programs to continue my adventures with Jeff, visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall for our 40th anniversary this year. Look for classes and programs to resume at the end of July (see http://www.cindycrosby.com for details), and please let us know where you think we should head to next. Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas! So far, we’ve enjoyed hiking and/or kayaking at the following:

#1 Rock Cut State Park (Rockford, IL); #2 James “Pate” Philip State Park (Bartlett, IL); #3 Potato Creek State Park (North Liberty, IN); #4 Indiana Dunes State Park (Porter County, IN); #5 Indiana Dunes National Park (Beverly Shores, IN); kayaking Silver Lake at #6 Blackwell Forest Preserve (Wheaton/Warrenville, IL); hiking #7 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (Downers Grove, IL), #8 Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve (Winfield, IL), #9 Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, IL), #10 Herrick Lake Forest Preserve (Wheaton, IL). We’re a quarter of the way there!

Tallgrass Prairie Fireworks

“And I know it’s gonna be…a lovely day.”—Bill Withers

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Happy Fourth of July, prairie friends.

Halloween pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) with pale purple coneflowers (Echinacea pallida), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

The best fireworks today are just a hike away…on the tallgrass prairie. Let’s go see.

Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Look at that color.

Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

Is that orange even real? Yes it is. But you have to see it to believe it.

When juxtaposed with blueish-purple scurfy pea, laced with compass plants, it’s perfection.

Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

Speaking of scurfy pea, it’s in its transition from bloom to seed.

Scurfy pea (Psoralidium tenuiflorum), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

Discovering plants going to seed always gives me hope for the future of the world.

Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

So does this turtle, laying her eggs along the path. I give her a wide berth, and leave her undisturbed.

Possibly a box turtle (Terrapene carolina), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Despite our severe drought this year, the prairie is resilient. Look at that frothy New Jersey tea.

New Jersey tea (Ceathus americanus), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Like a foamy cappuccino.

July also showcases prairie insects. This season, many of our prairies’ gray-headed coneflower plants are covered with ants and aphids, which have a mutualistic relationship. Check out that lady beetle, too! You can often find it where aphids are, as it was once introduced into the United States as a biological control.

Ants, aphids and a seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septumpunctat) on gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Fascinating! Check out this article from Science Daily or more information, or enjoy reading about blogger Kim Smith’s aphids in her intriguing post here.

Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downer’s Grove, IL.

Want something…well…prettier than aphids? More graceful? Watch a twelve-spotted skimmer dragonfly stand guard over the stream.

Twelve-spotted skimmer dragonfly ((Libellula pulchella), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Or see if you can spy the blue-tipped damselflies along the path.

Blue-tipped dancer damselfly (Argia tibialis), Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, Winfield, IL.

The Fourth of July is traditionally the time when prairie wildflowers sizzle with diversity.

White wild indigo (Baptisia alba) with leadplant (Amorpha canescens), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Look closely at the leadplant, one of the prairie’s few shrubs, blooming like a bunch of sparklers.

Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) with a sweat bee (possibly Augochlora pura), Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Admire the pink of the Kankakee mallow, and its distinctive leaves.

Kankakee mallow (Iliamna remota), DuPage County, IL.

What’s this? Short green milkweed, what a beautiful species! The monarchs will love it. And so, evidently, do the ants.

Green milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) with a visiting ant, DuPage County, IL.

Are those water droplets on the flower? Yes! And also on the blue flag iris. Rain at last.

Blue flag iris (Iris veriscolor), Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

What a spectacular week it is on the tallgrass prairie!

Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL.

Such a beautiful world.

Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

July Fourth—what an explosion of color. The life of the prairie is in full swing.

Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Downers Grove, IL.

What a lovely day to go for a hike.

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The opening quote is from musician Bill Withers (1938-2020). You’ve probably sung along to his hits “Lean on Me,” “Just the Two of Us,” “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone,” and “Use Me.” Withers grew up poor, struggled with a stutter, and was raised by relatives after his parents divorced. He joined the Navy when he was 17, and later, worked installing parts on planes. He financed his own demo tapes during this time, and sang in clubs at night. In 1971, “Ain’t No Sunshine” put him firmly on the map. He eventually won three Grammy Awards, and was nominated for many more. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2005) and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2015). But Withers grew disillusioned with the music industry and mostly walked away from it in 1985. The New York Times wrote of Bill Withers that “Ultimately Withers reminded us that it’s the everyday that is the most meaningful: work, family, love, loss.” Withers said he had no regrets about leaving the music industry. I love his music; “Grandma’s Hands” is a favorite, and “Lovely Day” is in my personal “top ten” songs. If you’ve not heard it, tune in and listen to it here.

Here’s hoping your Fourth of July is a very lovely day.

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Hello Wonderful Readers: I’ll still be blogging, but I’m taking most of the month of July off from teaching and giving programs to continue my adventures with Jeff, visiting 40 natural areas over the summer and fall for our 40th anniversary this year. Look for classes and programs to resume at the end of July (see http://www.cindycrosby.com for details), and please let us know where you think we should head to next. Thanks to everyone who has sent ideas! So far, we’ve enjoyed hiking and/or kayaking at the following:

#1 Rock Cut State Park (Rockford, IL); #2 James “Pate” Philip State Park (Bartlett, IL); #3 Potato Creek State Park (North Liberty, IN); #4 Indiana Dunes State Park (Porter County, IN); #5 Indiana Dunes National Park (Beverly Shores, IN); kayaking Silver Lake at #6 Blackwell Forest Preserve (Wheaton/Warrenville, IL); hiking both #7 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (Downers Grove, IL) and #8 Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve (Winfield, IL). Only 32 to go!