Today at the Nature Center the air was warm and bright and I saw how fast the prairie has grown since I last saw it in mid-May. Golden alexanders are flourishing, cup plants have grown tall, and all trees are full green. The only birds around now are orioles, robins, and the few pairs of redwings that staked out cattails on the shores of the pond. The green heron is here, too, but I have yet to see its heron partner. The resident sandhills have been off raising young, most likely, and there are some house sparrows nearby doing the same. One exciting development is five bluebird eggs in the nest box that is out in the prairie on the left side of this photo. Insects have been slow to come out of hiding or eggs, but we are starting to see more grasshoppers and flies, and I have had a mosquito bite or two in the tiny forest on the left. There are definitely plenty of frogs around and painted turtles sunning on logs in the pond. This is my first summer spent watching a prairie and I am excited to see the extended theatre of colors and shapes and growth from now until October.
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