Nature Sneak Peak - July 2026

July hiking and nature observations are always a treat, despite the heat and humidity. Wetlands, woods and prairies all have interesting plants and wildlife to find.


Like the blooms on the common milkweed on the left, found widely throughout the Driftless area, both we and wildlife are attracted to the flowers of so many plants.

Here are a few July highlights to keep your eyes out for on the trails.

Prairies

Rainblow of Blooms - the prairies are bursting with colorful flowers this month

• Pink - Deptford pinks and purple poppy mallows have an almost neon brilliance

  

  Tiny Deptford pink

• Yellow - prairie coreopsis, black and brown-eyed Susans, sunflowers, evening primrose, cinquefoils, and partridge pea are just a few of the yellow flowers you'll see this month
• Orange - butterfly weed is always a star, not just for its flowers but also for the pollinators it attracts
• Blue/purple - lobelia, purple prairie clover, harebells, wild bergamot, hoary verbena
• White - false boneset, yarrow, white prarie clover, spotted bee balm
• Gray - Leadplant - also once known as "devil’s shoelaces" because of its deep taproot that can be as long as 15 feet which made it difficult for farmers to plow under - is a sure sign of a healthy prairie The white hair on its leaves gives it a downy appearance. It has just started it's brief blooming period so don't miss it.

Plus keep your eye out for the towering flowers and grasses - yellow cup plant and compassplant, pink Joe-Pye weed and common milkweed, and the greens of big bluestem, indiangrass and Canada wildrye

Want to learn more about the above flowers? Stop by Minnesota Wildflowers webpage or Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin.

White-faced meadowhawk dragonfly

Damselflies and dragonflies are whirring around the prairie. These tiny predators are great mosquito hunters. Wisconsin alone has over 160 types of these onodates. One's time in the prairie can be well-spent quietly observing and identifying these busy insects that sometimes rest perched on leaves, grasses and flowers long enough for you to get a photo!

Bumblebees - With the increasing blooms, bumblebees and butterflies are beginning their pollinating, foraging and nectaring. Plump young queen bumblebees (gynes) are less in evidence as their first hatched smaller female workers are taking over the foraging and brooding tasks. The queens then devote their life to egg-laying in the nest. 

Wetlands and Woods

Jewelweed aka touch-me-nots, will begin to flower

Jewelweed

 this month, especially in wetlands and in damp, partially-shaded woods. Their arresting yellow and orange horn-shaped flowers continue blooming into August. Look for their seedpods - when ripe, the seeds explode out at a touch. They are a favorite when hiking with kids. 

Birds and Birdsong - with young raised, birdsong that marks territory starts to decrease in frequency. One exception is the common yellowthroat’s “witchity, witchity, witchity” song heard in prairies, marshes and woodlands. This warbler is one of my favorites - perhaps because it’s season-long singing was long enough for me to learn it!

Mushrooms and Fungi - this is the month that fungi begin to fruit in earnest. puffballs, boletes, chantarelles, lobster mushrooms, chicken of the woods are just a few of the types of mushrooms you may find on the trails. Jelly and coral fungi are also much in evidence. With their varying colors and unique shapes, they are a delight to spot and marvel over. As always, do not forage any mushroom unless you are absolutely sure what it is and that it is edible.

Leadplant in bloom
Great River Bluff State Park MN

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!

Images - Marge Loch-Wouters

You can read my quarterly column on seasonal hiking suggestions in Inspire(d) Driftless Magazine available online or pick up a free copy at businesses and organizations around the Driftless areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.