What Do You See? Field ID Tips - Part 3

Hitting the Books

In this three-part series, I explore ways you can increase your observation mojo and resources to help you in identifying what you see as you hike.

Great spangled fritillary on butterfly weed
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

Once I'm off the trail, I get down to business of identifying and verifying identification of observations I've made on the trail. It takes an hour or two depending on what's new to me to make sure I am getting it right. I don't mind the time because it helps with my learning and keeping a more accurate (I hope) phenology journal.

The following list of books and websites are by NO MEANS all the possible identification resources you can tap to learn more. They are my current go-to's. Think of it as a snapshot of this summer season and the resources I currently have at hand. To be honest, I am a hound for finding new websites to try and buying or checking out new field guides so this list is absolutely not the last word.

Wildflowers

Minnesota Wildflowers website- first stop for verification. Detailed information on wildflowers, trees, shrubs, ferns, vines, grasses, sedges and aquatics. Modeled after field guide and a gem. I also will refer to my old classic Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to Wildlflowers; The Audubon Society's Field Guide to North American Wildflowers - Eastern Region and Stan Tekiela's small Wildflowers of Minnesota Field Guide

Fungi 

Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest by Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich. This is a field guide I carry with me in fall and have at my side at home throughout the season. It is still better than any app I've found and reliably addresses the mushrooms and fungi I sight. While I will also check the Picture Mushroom app for a quick ID, I find it's accuracy pretty poor and expensive if you want it to identify fungi while in the field. 

University of MN Bee Lab

Bumblebees

There are websites/social media galore for our Driftless area! Both the WI DNR Bumble Bee Brigade and the University of MN Bee Lab have rich resources and identification help at their websites. I am also a huge fan of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Facebook page where the amazing Judy Cardin generously helps you identify the species you are seeing. She also created really helpful Key Identification Trait cards for WI bumblebees which sits at my side for reference. 

Native Bees

Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States is a true field-sized guide that is light and portable and is waiting for me to get serious about identification of these small bees. I'm afraid I'll need a net and speciman jar to ID these until I can gain more knowledge about these tiny swift pollinators!

Ferns

I find them endlessly tricksome but am slowly adding to my identification skills thanks the Welby Smith's Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota and sheer determination. A recent guided field trip gave me some additional recommended, and less-academic titles to acquire: Joe Walewski's Ferns & Allies of the North Woods and Linda Levine's Identifying Ferns the Easy Way: A Pocket Guide to Common ferns of the Northeast. I can hardly wait to dig in.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies of Wisconsin by Karl and Dorothy Legler with Dan Jackson is a huge help to me. 188 species of odonata are described and includes data on their appearance, range, size and other details. The  full-color photos may include male, female and juvenile forms.  This paperback (available for sale at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge by their Friends group or through the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society) is absolutely mandatory if dragonflies are your jam.

Birds

Oh my gosh, you name it, we have it - Sibley's, Ehrlich's Birder's Handbook, Peterson's Estern Birds, Tekiela's Birds of Wisconsin. I am still awful at most birds that don't actually visit my yard and am over-reliant on Merlin in the field, but there's always hope right?

Whether you are a casual observer or more dedicated as you hike, identification of what you are observing can lead to a richer experience in nature. Let me know your go-to guides whether apps, websites, books or your own philosophy. After all, on my natural history and identification shelves, there's always room for one more!

Other posts in this series:
 - What Do You See? Field ID Tips (Using Your Senses) - Part 1     9/10/26
 - What Do You See? Field ID Tips (What's App?) - Part 2              9/14/26

Gremlins or My Goofiness?

Readers who subscribe to the blog may have gotten a mysterious "lost" blog post or two recently. One called "Feast of Ferns" and the other our next month's "Nature Sneak Peeks". When you clicked on "Read More", poof, they were gone.

The mix-up was all on me. I was busy writing and pre-scheduling posts before some trips I am doing in the next few weeks. Too much multi-tasking contributed to some carelessness. Please accept my apologies. 

Instead of scheduling the unfinished draft posts for early October, I hit publish and off they went through my subscription service. Ooops! 

I ended up deleting the original and rechescduling them to their proper publishing dates: Oct Nature Sneak Peak will publish on Oct 3 and Feast of Ferns will appear on October 5. 

To tide you over until then, please enjoy this pre-ferny feast of older pictures!

Snow trillium under maidenhair fern

Interrupted fern

Bulblet bladder fern

What Do You See? Field ID Tips - Part 2

What's App?

In this three-part series, I explore ways you can increase your observation mojo and resources to help you in identifying what you see as you hike.

In this blog post, I am going to share my go-to apps that I use in the field. Part 3 will look at the other more traditional methods I use as well.

Each season, I re-acquaint myself with what I encounter. The further into the season I go, the more I remember - although hiking companions hear me muttering identifications as I practice on every hike. And, for what I don't know, my AI-powered apps and photos help me make the identification in the field.

Here's what I use:

iPhone 16 Pro Max photo app

This iphone version has a really excellent camera system and editing options that allow you to crop, straighten and photoshop any shot. It also has a pretty good identification feature that gives you a first ID of flowers and fauna on the trails. I click on the bug or plant icon and I get a quick result that I can then add to the notes field.

This is a great "out-in-field" way to capture what flowers I am seeing while I am hiking. I also use it to record what I am seeing from trail-to-trail and day-to-day. And its "live" photo feature really helps me when I am doing close photography for bees and other insects. I can go back and scan the 8-10 pictures in the "moving" photo to select the best shot for ID purposes.

Since I update my phenology journal after each hike, it also helps me easily refer back to what I've been encountering.

I like to cross reference the ID with other apps, field guides and websites I use once I'm back home to make sure the phone has the correct ID. Then I can type the verified identification in the photo notes line. Pretty sweet!

Seek by iNaturalist

This app is a pretty huge delight on the trail. You just aim your camera at the plant, insect, amphibian, mammal, mollusk, reptile, bird, arachnid, fish (or other species). The app will often identify it on the spot. It then pops it into your observations which includes the date observed, its taxonomy, seasonal observations based on other users, range map of observations near year, similar plants and a short snippet from wikipedia (be sure to donate to them). If the identification isn't returned, you can forward the photo to the iNaturalist community for an ID. 

I have three hesitations. It does not reliably identify fungi. Second, it takes it time when initially opening and loading so if you are after a fast ID on a quick moving bird or insect, you are often out of luck.  You can upload photos later so that helps. My final hesitation is that it doesn't remain open as an app which adds to frustration when quick ID is needed for fauna and you have to re-open the app yet again (although I am sure my phone battery is grateful)..

 

PictureThis

I actually pay for this flower identification app for alot of its features. It is pretty darn good at flower identification accuracy. It is easily used to check IDs from my phone photos after the hike (or even on it, if I have cell service). I appreciate that feature because its two quick clicks from the photo to my confirmed id.

The identification includes a range of names for the flower including its scientific name. It has a FAQ area that often includes interesting tidbits that I can use when I am doing interpretive hiking programs. They include characteristics of the plant, sometimes poems and symbolism, its taxonomy, range, where it is native, cultivated, considered invasive, garden use, and care guide.

It also saves my observations in "My Snap History" so I can refer back when I am about to guide a hike that I have scouted for flower and plant IDs. I can do my prep quickly and easily! All this info really helps me learn the plant better so the cost is worth it to me.

Merlin Bird ID

Of course, you all yell!

I have learned more bird song/call identification from this app than ever before. Created by the magical folks at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this is most hikers' favorite app.

I really appreciate the sound ID, since birds often escape my eyeballs (except when I am with MN Master Naturalist friends and bird gurus Janet Malotky and Steve Dietz when all birds appear before my eye and binoculars).*

With Merlin, you can track not just what you are hearing, but locate the bird by following its sound to actually see them. Plus the app let's you hear recordings of birds to help you attune your hearing to the birds you are likely to hear at various times of the year.

Bee Machine

While it is a bit fussy and slow in the field if you don't have good connectivitiy, it is a whiz at identification. I chalk that up to its pedigree - the developers worked closely with Kansas State University and a number of citizen science groups like the amazing Wisconsin Bumblebee Brigade (check out their Facebook page for additional generous identification help).

There is a wait for identification in the field so I primarily use it as an identification source, post-hike. It will load up to five photos of the bee you wish to identify, ask you to add the location of the sighting by using an interactive map and then, after a short pause while it examines the photos, returns an identification. 

What I appreciate about this app is that it provides a "percentage of confidence" rating on each individual photo of the same bee with a final aggregated confidence score for the identification. If the score is low, I see if I can take better photos next time that show the bee's head, back, and as much of the thorax as I can. 

While it will take me awhile before I am confident in my bee id skills, Bee Machine helps me get there!

AllTrails

Finally, you only have to hike with me for 4 minutes before you discover my sense of direction is absolutely nonsensical. If it's not a loop or an out-and-back, you may find me wandering 5 years later. It's why I heavily scout hikes I lead. I want to make sure no one follows me into the land of the lost!

For me the AllTrails app works swell. Like all crowd-sourced apps, you have to be on your toes - one person's hike doesn't always match another's or has weird names that don't really quite match the trails you are on. You can pre-download the map you want to use as the guide as long as you are aware you may want to hike that trail or trail system slightly differently.

On the good side though, you can just set the app to navigate and it will often display the trails you are on with names. While it sucks up battery while on the trail tracking your whereabouts, it has kept me on the straight and narrow every time I have used it.

I appreciate that it tracks mileage and elevation and that you can save your hike if you choose to. I use the app alot not just on the trail but for the blog to remind me of information. You can choose to review your hike after you are done or just look at the info and delete it.

What are YOUR go-to apps that help you stay on the trail, identify or make your hikes easier while you're hiking? Feel free to let me know in the comments or the next time you see me on the trails!  

Watch for Part 3, where I'll be sharing a few of my non-app sources for identification work! 

Other posts in this series:
 - What Do You See? Field ID Tips (Using Your Senses) - Part 1      9/10/26
 - What Do You See? Field ID Tips (Hitting the Books) - Part 3        9/18/26

What Do You See? Field ID Tips - Part 1

Using Your Senses

In this three-part series, I'll explore ways you can increase your observation mojo and resources to help you in identifying what you see as you hike.

Birches in summer

While I'm a certified MN Master Naturalist volunteer, that doesn't mean I know ALL.THE.THINGS. It just means that I am willing to be a life-long learner in the natural world. Part of that learning goes on while I am on the trails during my various weekly hiking adventures. As the seasons turn and various flora and fauna go through their life cycles and nesting cycles, my eyes and ears are attuned to what I'm seeing and hearing.

The challenge for me, as well as for many of us, is figuring out exactly what I am seeing and hearing. You would think I would know every natural thing I see (and have seen) by now. But I don't. I'm STILL learning, as many of you are.

My slowly growing knowledge over the past four years is generalist in nature. I don't know it all but I learn bit by bit. First it was wildflowers; then ferns; then fungi, then rocks; then grasses; then bumblebees; then birdsong; then butterflies; and now dragon-and damselflies and trees.  Once I am comfortable with one form of plant, insect, rock or wildlife, I add another component to my generalist identification tookit that I want to explore.

So how do we get to know all the fascinating creatures and plant growth we encounter in our hiking? 

Here are a few thoughts and resources to get you started.

Start with What You Know

Maybe you are familiar with a few flowers. Make flowers your first focus as you begin to identify along the trail. Don't try to figure out all the things. Instead, consider it a conversation that you are having with nature. The more time you spend, with her the more you will get to know her.

Slow Down

Consider decreasing your speed and be ready to stop and really look at what catches your eye. When you slow, you often see things that you might have passed by before that open up a world of inquiry.

Look Widely

Take the time to observe both to your sides and above you as you hike. That's the first step, as it were,  to noticing what's on offer.

Harvestman on interruped fern

Look Closely

When something catches your eye, stop and observe it at close range. Whether it's a bug, the shape of leaf or petal, an insect, fungi or a gall, taking the time to really see can be your first step towards identification.

Look Even More Closely

Study the stems, petal number and shape, height, proliferation, color and other details of flowers. Note markings on insects and wildlife. Many of these small clues help you towards more exact identification.

Use Other Senses

Using caution and good sense, feel the stem, the mushroom top, the petal. See what you discover. Use your sense of smell to learn to identify particular plants. Listen closely to bird song and calls and you will begin to pick out and learn them. 

Hike with Curious Friends

More eyes produce more discoveries! Countless times on the trail someone spots something interesting that I have completely missed. Friends also alert me to the appearance of favorite flora, fauna and fungi they’ve seen on their hikes so I can head out to see them too. And best of all, as they share their nature expertise, I learn from them and sharpen my skills.

Take a Photo

Don't be afraid to capture the particualr quality that caught your eye for later study or identification - or just to remind you of the wonder you've found. These photos and use of phone ID apps can be a huge help on the trail (see Part 2).

Carry a Notebook

Or make notes on your phone. Note your observations including identifying charateristics as well as sun exposure and direction that a plant is facing. What other plants are nearby that may give you clues to similar growth needs? Note the ecosystem as well. 

Tuck in a Field Guide

You can't carry all the things all the time, but take one light wildflower or bird guide in spring; a mushroom book in fall or one prairie plant ID book in summer. Nothing beats field identification (see Part 3).

Learning about native bees
Friends of the Blufflands hike

Guided Hikes

Take advantage of hikes guided by subject experts - birders, naturalists, rangers and other experts in the identification area you want to know more about. Their expertise helps you develop more of your own and leads you deeper into nature. You also learn fascinating tidbits that add to your enjoyment of what you see.

Verify Your Observations

Post-hike, take time to check field guides, apps, identification websites to give you assurance and confidence in your initial identification.

Make a List

Nature journaling and chronicling are time-honored practices. Keeping a phenology journal can be very helpful as well. You start to track the seasonal appearances of flora and fauna and it increases your knowledge.

Here is interesting short article that inspired me in my journey to knowing more. It has some great tips on hiking and observing and you might find it useful.

In the next two parts of this series, I'll be looking at using apps on and off the trail and post-hiking research sources.

Other posts in this series:

What Do You See? Field ID Tips (What's App) - Part 2           9/14/26

What Do You See? Field ID Tips (Hitting the Books) - Part 3   9/18/26

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Naturalist's Corner - Unexpected Curiosities

I welcome Jon Rigden back to share another thoughtful column on curiosity and mystery. Jon is a hero for the prairies and their restoration along with his many colleagues in The Friends of the Blufflands and The Prairie Enthusiasts, both groups he is active in. His dedicated passion for this work and his curiosity about the life and history of these remnants has led him to write deeply researched and quite amazing blog posts at the Friends of the Blufflands website. Jon kindly gave me permission to reprint his most recent and extraordinary August 16, 2026 post.

Who Ordered That?

By Johnathan Rigden

Friends of the Blufflands blog

When hiking on the bluffs around La Crosse, it is not uncommon to come across something that seems out of place. When this occurs, I sometimes think , “Who ordered that?". Finding something odd is often followed by doing an internet search which uncovers more about that peculiar sight than if it had been something "familiar". Like the saying goes, "Confusion is the sweat of learning". Without being puzzled, like when we know the name of something and dismiss it as if we know it thoroughly, our curiosity can be dimmed. 

Which reminds me of an occasion long ago when I first started learning about birds with a well-known birder in the La Crosse area. Equipped with a lousy pair of Bushnell binoculars, I saw a very red bird in the distance and initially thought it was a scarlet tanager. But, it turned out to be a cardinal. When the group asked what I was looking at, I uttered the line, "It's just a cardinal" dismissing it as something so familiar that it was hardly worth mentioning. Immediately, I was humorously chastised by the expert birder..."JUST a cardinal???" Since then I have tried to stay humble about the little I truly know about even the most familiar subjects. Which makes me think of line from Socrates- "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know."

Swamp milkweed

Recently after a morning on Zoerb Prairie, I left via the grassy field above the prairie and I noticed a plant growing with a bunch of bumblebees scurrying about its flowers. 

Initially it threw me off because it seemed to be out of place- is that swamp milkweed? Growing on the bluffs in a field full of reed canary grass and smooth brome? True to this plant, it was a bee magnet with brown belted bumblebees swarming it, but, why was it growing here? Doesn't it grow in wet, swampy areas, hence the name? Who ordered that?

Further up the field, there was another oddity- rattlesnake master.

Rattlesnake master

Where did that come from? This was a cultivated field back when the State of Wisconsin owned it from 1931 to 1962 and where the USDA investigated sustainable farming- the “Experimental Farm”, or, as we learned in a previous post, the “Upper Mississippi Soil Conservation Station" . Since it was plowed and planted with a variety of demonstration crops, it shouldn't be a native plant left over from the original sod. Maybe it was from one of the nearby planted prairies. But, a review of the seed mix for those prairies showed no rattlesnake master. Hmmm....a mystery! Maybe some "Johnny Rattlesnake Seed" threw some seeds out there. Once again, who ordered that?

Rosinweed

Further along in the field this  flower caught my eye.

Ahhh, something familiar! It's good old rosinweed in the genus Silphium! I've looked that up a few times in the past... I can tell you the name, so I know all about it. Right? Not really. Again, I'm humbled every time that I think something is "familiar" and less interesting just because I know its name... like that cardinal. Here is a short video of the great physicist Richard Feynman discussing the difference between knowing the name of something vs knowing about something: https://youtu.be/lFIYKmos3-s?si=oUW2jb-EJwIADYGt And what about all of those insects? I think they are hoverflies and probably the oblique stripetail, Allograpta obliqua, but that's just a name and maybe a rabbit hole to go down some other time!

Cardinal flower

In this same field, a cardinal flower was growing a few years ago. Again, out of place. How was a cardinal flower growing in this field of thick grasses and other tough competitors? And doesn't it like wet spots like along streams? What was it doing here? Who ordered that?

The lesson from this trip through a "field of weeds" is that life is full of mysteries. In 500 BC, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, "If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail." Be ready to be surprised even in the most "degraded" of places. On your hikes, find interesting tidbits to add to your collection and be willing to include even a few of those most familiar of plants and animals for further thought. But be humble like Isaac Newton when he said, " I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in the now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

"Who ordered that?" is a memorable phrase said by the American physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi in 1936. It was his reaction to the discovery of the muon, a cousin to the electron, which at the time had no clear place in atomic theory... it was "out of place". Since then, this line has been repeated frequently in the physics community when something comes up that is completely unexpected. And if you want to learn more about Rabi, a good book to read is "Rabi: Scientist and Citizen" by none other than my father: https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/199807/scientist.cfm .

I've taken to co-opting Rabi's line on my hikes when I see something unexpected as a way of saying that mysteries will always surround us. Some are profound, others rather trivial. Some have answers, many do not. But they will always be there, even when walking across an old weedy field. So, the next time you see something and are puzzled, think "Who ordered that?" And, á la Feynman, just because you know the name of something, don't be fooled into thinking you know much about it.

Images - Jonathan Rigden

Lansing Bridge Update - Surprise!

 In this press release, Iowa DOT and WisDOT share some very welcome news.

LANSING, Iowa – Sept. 3, 2026 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) are announcing that the Iowa 9 / WIS 82 Mississippi River Crossing at Lansing is proceeding well ahead of the original timeline. The agencies expect to open the bridge to traffic in early November 2026, instead of the initial planned opening in spring 2027.

“This is incredible news for Lansing, its neighboring communities in Wisconsin, and everyone who lives and works in the region,” noted Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. “I commend Iowa DOT and their colleagues at WisDOT along with all the consultants and contractors – most notably Kraemer North America – for their outstanding teamwork on this critical project. What a wonderful gift, and just in time for the holiday season and winter travel.”

The Mississippi River Crossing project has been proceeding since late 2023. The prior bridge was closed permanently in late 2025 and demolished in December 2025. Project staff credited the early opening plans to the concentrated work of the contractors and subcontractors, which has also been aided by favorable weather and river conditions.

Lansing Bridge

Lansing Bridge deck

Since November 2025, Iowa DOT and WisDOT have provided a free car ferry service through two different operators. In all, the ferry service has carried almost 131,000 vehicles over the river through the end of August 2026.

Motorists who cannot or choose not to use the ferry have used a marked detour route on the U.S. 18 bridge connecting Marquette, Iowa, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, about 30 miles south of the crossing at Lansing.

Photo of car ferry at Lansing Bridge

The exact bridge opening date will not be established for several weeks as construction continues. Even after the bridge opens to traffic, there will be additional work to be completed outside of the main traffic lanes. When the bridge opens to traffic, the car ferry service will be discontinued, and the project will restore the ferry landing areas. Iowa DOT and WisDOT will work closely with the contractors and the local communities to pinpoint the exact opening.

For more information on the construction of the new Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing, go to iowadot.gov/lansingbridge and sign up to receive updates directly to your inbox or check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/LansingBridge/.

Information on the ferry is available at https://iowadot.gov/lansingcarferry.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through our 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or X (find links at https://iowadot.gov/travel-tools/iowa-511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device. 

It’s easy to subscribe to Your 511 and sign up to receive email/text alerts. Visit https://new.511ia.org/#login to sign up. For instructions and help with this feature, visit https://511ia.org/help/section/how-to-create-and-manage-a-511-account.html.

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For questions about this news release, please contact Clayton Burke at 515-290-2376 or clayton.burke@iowadot.us.     

Nature Sneak Peak - September 2026

Grasses and goldenrods dominate

Autumn is just starting. Cooler nights and days, dewier and foggier mornings and some leaves turning red and yellow are all evidence of the change coming this month. The cool temps will also dampen mosquito activity making woodland hikes alot more pleasant!

Here are a few things to watch for this month as you hit the trails.

Prairies

Plants

The colorful blues, pinks and even white asters make their welcome return in September. The tall grasses are dominating the prairies and are lovely on a windy day.  Goldenrods and native purple field thistles still flower and provide needed nectar to bees and migrating butterflies alike. It's not unusal to see a host of insects on thistles this month.

Brown-belted bumblebee
on cutleaf coneflower

Bumblebees
You will be seeing some giant bumblebees as you hike among flowering plants. These are the new, young queens (gynes). They are entering their mating season and will soon begin to dig their hibernaculum to shelter themselves through the winter. This month you may also note bees that have ragged wings and bald spots on their back as well. These are the males and workers of the colony who, along with the old queen, will die as autumn comes. The gynes will be the only survivors when they emerge from diapause next spring and lay their eggs to begin a new colony.

Monarch Butterflies

Their migration south has begun. As their sources of nectar age and dwindle and daylight and temperatures decrease, the butterflies experience a change that sets off their migration instinct. You can stop here to read more about their remarkable life cycle as well as a list of resources on how we can support this lovely butterfly. Be sure to stop by prairies in the heat of the day to watch the action.

Image - Xerces Society

Woods

Shaggy mane inky cap

Fungi

This is another great season for fungi fans. The woods are full of a huge variety of mushrooms and fascinating fungi. Two of my favorites in the Driftless are inky caps and any of the milk caps. The distinguising feature of inky caps is that, at maturity, their gills dissolve into a marvelous soupy black ink. What could be better? And milk caps, when cut, ooze milky latex, often in blue, violet, orange, green or white. They'll bruise those colors as well. Happy 'shrooming!

Early color
on stressed leaves

Plants

A few flowering plants like self-heal, white snakeroot and asters will hang in there along the forest floor. But it is the changing leaves on bushes and trees that are the star in the life cycle of plants in September. Early colors pop up in sumacs, poison ivy (hurray, easier to spot!) and red maples. You might note that trees near roadsides or parking lots often display their colors early or drop brown or yellow leaves first. That is due to the stress from heat generated by pavement, accumulated salt and soil compaction of roadside construction near their roots. 

Orb Spider webs

With dewy and foggy mornings followed by sun, intricate orb spider webs are easily spotted in the woods. With these spiders at their full growth, their webs are also bigger and more noticeable. Dropping temperatures and still abundant prey stimulate increased web-building and feeding activity this month before cold weather ends their life cycle.

Migration

September is always notable for the volume of migrating birds that travel the Mississippi Flyway through the Driftless. You can follow Cornell University's Birdcast to anticipate their flights. You can also subscribe at birdcast to receive alerts when the migration forecast is high.

Waterfowl migration 

The migration south to wintering grounds starts slowly this month for waterfowl. Canada geese are starting to flock. Early duck migrants like blue wing teal, wood ducks, shovelers, widgeons and mallards are starting their journeys. They respond more to length of daylight than low temperaturs to start their migration. It's a great time to see them as you hike our many Driftless wetlands trails. 

Songbird migration  

Songbirds are flocking and have begun their nightly southward journeys. In the past two weeks, in fact, we've had millions of birds passing nightly through our Driftless area. I have noted in my bi-weekly phenology posts the lessening of bird song and one can see why! It's also recommended that you consider turning off any outside lights from 11pm - 6am to help these migrators on their way. Darker skies help them avoid confusion..

Green darner dragonfly
Image - UW- Milwaukee

Migrating green darner dragonflies?

You may have noticed fewer green darner dragonflies lately. That's because some of them migrate, typically July through October. They can fly up to 80 miles in a day with favorable winds. Their descendants will return in spring. For other darners in the Driftless, they will overwinter as naiads under frozen ponds. If you are lucky this month on sunny days, you may catch one of their flying swarms.

No matter where you go this month, be curious. Take some extra time to look and see what you can see along the trail. You’ll be delighted!

Indigo milk cap

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters