seeds

Many times old comfortable ideas can become rooted in little more than a person's imagination. This legume (related to a pea plant) grows very commonly along clear ditch. I got used to calling it "donkey's fodder". Now it turns out this plant is actually called "Illinois bundle flower" but is not found in Illinois!

Likewise, the common, purple flowers of the "deadly nightshade" turns out to be silverleaf nightshade. This plant well visited by bumble-bees even this late in the season. The plants have silver hairs that reduce evaporation and so are specifically designed for our climate.

as the water table continues to fall the ditch wetlands are undergoing a transformation. Some animals are quick to take advantage of the changes, like this heron, hunting stranded fish, frogs, insects, snakes and even turtles in the newly created shallows.

One of the animals just about every predator eats is baby lizards. Plus they are easy to outwit with just a little observation. Most creatures fall back on instinct in a panic, making them predictable.

On the morning walk I got to watch a skunk heading home to it's burrow in a drainage pipe. It fluffed its tail at our dog and meandered on its way. Didn't get time to snap a picture but I also didn't want to take my eye off a skunk that was displaying it's displeasure!

Animals that are easy to see are likely to be acting unusually. I think this is a male mantis. It was struggling to fly but is missing it's head and front legs.