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| A riot of native flowers in the wetlands of Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge |
This has been the nicest two weeks in August that I think I have ever lived through. Relatively low humidity; a bit of rain here and there; temps in the 70s and 80s and fine cool nights. Combine that with some great Perseid meteor showers and a glimpse or two of faint northern lights and it felt perfect.
While on the seed collecting trip, I ran into a summer staffer for the Nature Conservancy who was doing a butterfly survey at Mound Prairie SNA. We both noted, "Where are the butterflies?" On her two-day survey she counted very few. In my trips to the prairie throughout the summer that has been my experience as well. In acres of native plants favored by butterflies, they are a rare sight. Bees on the other hand are out in force. The buzz along the trails is audible and they are pollen gathering in a frenzy. I take some comfort in the fact that I am seeing lots of butterflies in native plantings around my community - and in my yard!
Prairies have been my main jam again over these two weeks. The current theme is overwhelmingly yellow on the prairies with goldenrods, partridge peas, cup plants, compass plants, coneflowers and various sunflowers. Blazing stars, though, are just beginning their big splash; in the coming weeks, they will add their bright pinky-purple to the mix.
As always, older and earlier bloomers are going to seed and seed collection is underway in earnest from the early summer natives. I had a chance on August 6 to gambol around on Mound Prairie SNA gathering a couple of different seed types with Sara Holger (aka the Driftless Naturalist) who was gathering for the DNR. It was easy and fun. These are great stewardship opportunities especially on prairies. Check this DNR site for upcoming seed collection opportunities coming in fall or the Sept edition of Let's Get Hiking and Learning in this blog (published the last week of August)..
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| Found one! Holland Sand Prairie |
While on the seed collecting trip, I ran into a summer staffer for the Nature Conservancy who was doing a butterfly survey at Mound Prairie SNA. We both noted, "Where are the butterflies?" On her two-day survey she counted very few. In my trips to the prairie throughout the summer that has been my experience as well. In acres of native plants favored by butterflies, they are a rare sight. Bees on the other hand are out in force. The buzz along the trails is audible and they are pollen gathering in a frenzy. I take some comfort in the fact that I am seeing lots of butterflies in native plantings around my community - and in my yard!
We will be seeing fewer butterflies from now through the fall because they are beginning their fall southward migration. If you read this in time, the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a program about their migration tonight, August 16 at 6pm. Stop here to read about it and register!
Plants Observed
Appleblossom Overlook Park - prairie/ hardwood forest
- Culver’s root
A dewy morning flower
Appleblossom Overlook Park - Cup plant
- Compass plant
- Rattlesnake master
- Blackcaps
- Dense blazing star
- False sunflower
- Anise hyssop
- Grey-headed coneflower
- Wild bergamot
- Showy tickseed trefoil
- Round leaf bushclover
- Wild white indigo
- Stiff goldenrod
- Tall goldenrod
- Canada goldenrod
- Virginia mountain mint
- Spiderwort
- White panicled aster, pre-bloom
- Brown-eyed Susan
- Big bluestem
- Smooth brome
Mound Prairie SNA - hill prairie
- Grooved flax
Cylindrical blazing star
Mound Prairie SNA - Cylindrical blazing star
- Rough blazing star
- Wood betony
- Tall thimbleweed, past bloom
- Purple prairie clover, past bloom
- Wild bergamot
- Round leaf bush clover
- Hoary vervain
- Harebell
- Stiff goldenrod
- Tall goldenrod
- Spotted bee balm
- False sunflower
- Fewleaf sunflower
- Grey-headed coneflower
- Starry false Solomon’s seal
- Canada goldenrod
- Grey goldenrod
- Prairie goldenrod
- Downy painted cup
- Flowering spurge
- Partridge pea
- Big bluestem
Holland Sand Prairie-dry sand prairie
- Hoary vervain
A surprise in August - a hoary puccoon
Holland Sand Prairie - Spotted bee balm
- Poppy mallow
- Hoary puccoon
- False sunflower
- Fewleaf sunflower
- False boneset
- Wild bergamot
- Rough blazing star
- Common milkweed
- Roundhead bush clover
- Hairy aster, pre-bloom
- Yarrow
- Evening primrose
- Hoary puccoon
- Blue grama grass
- Big bluestem grass
- Yellow Indiangrass
- Purple love grass
- Hairy hawkweed
- Side oats grama
- Early goldenrod
- Stiff goldenrod
- Narrow leaf four-o’clock
- Partridge pea
- Yellow salsify
- White sagebrush
Whitewater State Park -hardwood forest, wetlands, hill prairie
- Slender lip fern
White and purple deceiver mushroom
Whitewater State Park - Maidenhair fern
- Lady fern
- Interrupted fern
- Bulblet bladderfern
- Evening primrose
- False sunflower
- Fewleaf sunflower
- Wild bergamot
- Rough blazing star
- Tall goldenrod
- Narrowleaf hawkweed
- White rattlesnakeroot
- Sideways grama grass
- Big bluestem grass
- Canada wildrye grass
- Jewelweed
- Grooved flax
- Cutleaf coneflower
- Grey-headed coneflower
Zig-zag goldenrod
Whitewater State Park - Small-flowered leafcup
- Sweet Joe-Pye weed
- Yellow giant hyssop
- Tall thimbleweed
- Purple prairie clover
- False Solomon’s Seal, post-bloom
- Bloodroot, post-bloom
- Coral fungi
- White and purple deceiver mushroom
- Ghost pipe
- Golden oyster mushroom
- Pinewood gingertail mushroom
- Chicken of the woods mushroom
- Downy yellow violet, past-bloom
- Zigzag goldenrod
- Elmleaf goldenrod
- Early goldenrod
- Stiff tickseed
- Tickseed trefoil
- Tall cinquefoil, past-bloom
- Devil’s darning needles
- Harebell
- Flowering spurge
- Whorled milkweed
- Smooth blue aster
- Roundhead bushclover
- Late boneset
- Leadplant
Raymond Bice County Forest - coniferous and hardwood forest
- Spotted bee balm
A bee on spotted bee balm
Raymond Brice County Forest - False sunflower
- Self-heal
- Rough blazing star
- Hoary verbena
- Leadplant
- Old field balsam
- Gray goldenrod
- Butterfly weed
- Black-eyed Susan
- False Solomon’s seal
- Braken fern
- Lady fern
- Roundhead bushclover
- Purple lovegrass
- Yarrow
- Flowering spurge
- White snakeroot
- Grooved flax
- Meadow hawkweed
- Harebell
- Sweet Joe-Pye weed
- Ghost pipe
Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge - hardwood forest/wetland/dry sand prairie
- Spotted bee balm
Common mullein's beautiful flower -
Who knew?!?!
Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge - Poppy mallow
- Bergamot
- Hoary Verbena
- Partridge Pea
- Swamp milkweed
- Common milkweed
- False sunflower
- Black-eyed Susan
- Brown-eyed Susan
- Cup plant
- Sensitive fern
- Marsh fern
- Eggs-and-butter (yellow toadflax)
- Prairie cordgrass
- White sagebrush
- Purple prairie clover
- Stiff sunflower
- American white water lily
- Common evening primrose
- Common prickly ash
American water lily
Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge - Guelder-rose bush
- Gray dogwood
- Arrowhead viburnum
- Great blue lobelia
- Tall thimbleweed, past bloom
- Roundleaf bittersweet
- Canada goldenrod
- Purple loosestrife
- Swamp loosestrife
- Flowering spurge
- Leafy spurge
- White meadowsweet
- Tall boneset
- Water smartweed
- Giant chickweed
- Prairie ironweed
- American wild mint
- Mullein
- Calico aster, pre-bloom
- Jumpseed
- Jewelweed
Wildlife (seen, hear, detected)
- Green heron
Great blue heron
Wagon Wheel Trail - Great blue heron
- Sandhill crane
- Barred owl
- Pileated woodpecker
- Downy woodpecker
- Hairy woodpecker
- Red-bellied woodpecker
- Bell's vireo
- Eastern kingbird
- Baltimore oriole
- Brown thrasher
- Indigo bunting
- Common yellowthroat
- Cedar waxwing
- American robin
- American goldfinch
- Gray catbird
- Rose-breasted grosbeak
- Great breasted flycatcher
- Red-winged blackbird
- Song sparrow
- House sparrow
- Field sparrow
- House wren
- Hummingbird
- Bluejay
- Eastern wood pewee
Pearl Crescent butterfly
Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge - Northern Cardinal
- White-breasted nuthatch
- Brown thrasher
- American toad
- Painted turtle
- Tiger swallowtail
- Twelve-spotted skipper
- Eastern forktail damselfly
- Black digger wasp
- Black blister beetle
- Monarch butterfly
- Pearl Crescent butterfly
- Black swallowtail butterfly
What are YOU noticing on your hikes?
Two weeks of hikes:
Hikes below in bold color or underlined have links to previous posts with descriptions/location of the trails
Appleblossom Overlook Park, La Crescent MN (2); Holland Sand Prairie, Holmen WI (2); Mound Prairie SNA, Hokah, MN; Whitewater State Park*, Altura MN; Raymond Bice County Forest, Mindoro WI; Upper Hixon Forest Prairies trail, La Crosse WI;, Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent MN; Riverside Park and International Gardens, La Crosse WI; Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, Trempealeau WI.
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| Getting all the pix Image -Nola Larson |
* Enjoy this marvelous description of ALL the trails at Whitewater State Park from the Nature Impacts Us blog and website
All images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters
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