Summer - the Fourth Approaches

 "Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) with two Metallic Green Sweat Bee species" - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison 

Each morning here the wild roses along our hillside driveway are really showy from the house...I decided this morning to take the camera and tripod down to see if there were any photos presenting possibilities.

I'm fairly confident these are "Rosa blanda" as they are really very smooth and un-barbed on the flowering stems...further down on the base stem they are very barbed. 

 

The roses were being visited by Bumble Bees and Metallic Green Sweat Bees. Which one these two are, I am less sure of. But they are most likely female Texas Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon texanus or Bicolored Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon virescens, as the females present totally metallic green - both thorax and abdomen. However, they could also be Metallic Green Sweat Bees (Augochloropsis metallica)...another common native bee where both males and females are primarily shiny, metallic green overall.

 

But I'm at least confident of the Wild Rose in the photo! If I could live another 3/4 of a century, I think I could manage to be a fair amateur entomologist too!

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Who doesn't love Butterfly Milkweed?!! This is one engaging native wildflower in the pastures here in SE O'Brien County, IA. One of the most recognized milkweed family (Asclepias) member. 

 

Often adopted for the domestic garden, this milkweed will grow in nearly any soil type. Those found here are generally on the gravel slopes and return year after year. 

 

From what I have observed over time is they tend to thrive when they aren't overly crowded by a higher canopy. 

 

We have found this is a good "ambassador" plant for the prairie "uninitiated". When we first came to our little spot many years back, a particular neighbor didn't seem approving of us letting the pastures return to their native state...once a few of the Butterfly Milkweed started to return, some interest was peaked and casual interested conversations became more frequent.

 

You can observe the Asclepias tuberosa in the pastures here in a short "A Prairie Moment" video at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG2lJ223zIY

Thank you for visiting my Blog - Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there...please remember to be good to one another - we are all in this together!

Count Down 1!!!

Prairie plants composite from the Pasture

here at Prairie Hill Farm in 2009

Yesterday afternoon, as I was gazing out the living room window in awe at the deep snow still caressing the acreage, Georgie mentioned to me that daylight savings time starts this weekend. That is just amazing to me, but I'm seemingly getting used to everything surprising me this year. How can it be?! Well, get used to it Bruce...that's the way it is!

Happily though, these changes are most welcome! Our first American Robins of the year were in the yard two days ago! The past couple days have had about three dozen Red-winged Blackbirds in the yard as well...this all means things "are" changing for the good!

Even though we've not seen 40 degrees here at Prairie Hill Farm Studio since late November, it has changed from snowing to raining! Messy - yes, but a step in the right direction! This morning we still have maybe a third or a quarter of the 65 inches of snow that has covered us since December, but I can now "see" the daily progress the rain is making...our hillside driveway is now clear!

Last year the pasture here was amazing...this memory has sustained us all winter long. I put together a small composite for this blog celebrating the spring and summer to come. We are now a week and a half from the vernal equinox, but spring has really begun; the small signs now tell us it is here - it will just get better!

Counting down (but already enjoying)!

June! Where Ya Goin'?!

Daisy Fleabane

How's it happen? Is it just me?! June finally came and now it's about gone! Well, we have till next Tuesday but it still looms as a past deed about to be retrospect.

I'm finally rapping up a long job here and am hoping for some real prairie time and even easel time (!) fairly soon. Meanwhile everything has no regard for my absence and continues full steam ahead.

The prairie remnant pasture here is a good example...during this week we've had more plants come into bloom...just to name a few there's the almost weedy Daisy Fleabane shown at the top of this blog. It's not a particularly attractive plant but the blooms are quaint and from a distance they bring an air of fun.

Butterfly Milkweed

A real favorite, the Butterfly Milkweed is just now blooming here...it is a drop dead gorgeous bloom...unlike other milkweeds, this Asclepias does not have a milky discharge if broken...the Monarch caterpillars love to eat the seed pods on this plant, almost preferring them over leaves.

Pale Penstemon

Our smaller Penstemon, Pale Penstemon is in bloom now, just coming on after it's larger brethren has finished out (the Large-flowered Beardtongue). I like the tubular flowers and so do the Hummingbirds and the Bumble Bees.

"July Afternoon, Compass Plant"
oil on mounted canvas

And now summer must really be here as the Compass Plants have just begun their colors...we waited 5 years for our first bloomers here a couple years back; there's more each year now. This was a small oil painting I did of a Compass Plant last year...ya the title won't fit for a week yet but they bloom through July.

I wanted to mention an event this weekend near here if you have either Saturday or Sunday free. The nature center at Lost Island in Palo Alto County is having a "bioblitz"! The public is welcome and encouraged to participate.

It's a 24 Hour Snapshot/Inventory of Animals & Plants and the public is invited to join scientists as they survey over 7,000 acres of prairie, wetland, lake and timber. Teams will inventory mammals, birds, insects, fish, prairie & wetland plants. Fun stuff!!

I volunteered to help out so am looking forward to it.

You can join us for all or part of this event - it starts at noon on Saturday and goes through Sunday. Register by calling 712-837-4866.

Keep cool out there!