seed pods

Northern Blue Flag Iris versicolor bloomed in June at the edge of the pond. Now, in July, seed pods have formed. When they are ripe, we'll sow the seeds.  These were only tiny foliage two years ago, and now they can propagate new flowering plants.
 

muskrat whiskers

The muskrat Ondatra zibethicus was gathering breakfast this morning near the pond. 

He has a short soft underfur that traps air for insulation and buoyancy, and with longer stiff guard hairs over the underfur.  The whiskers stand out from the face.

Their tails are 7 to 11 inches long. No fur here . . .  the tail is covered in scales.  When they dive to move around, the tail is flattened vertically and serves as a rudder.

 

hare

The pond has been under a comforter of white snow. The snow layer insulates and protects the critters tucked in among the rocks, mud, and dormant plants below water and ice.

On a sunny day, we saw a large rabbit sitting in the snow near the pond. It created a depression in the snow among reeds and wildflower stems, and snuggled down there all day. At dusk, it was gone from that spot. The next day the sunshine was bright on the white snow. The rabbit was in the same spot again, and napped all day. I suspect it was a White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii, actually a hare.  Jackrabbits are nocturnal hunters and are known to take daylight naps in a shallow hole. 

log in first snow

Overnight, we had the first snow of this season.  On the pond, the water is high and the log was frosted with a little coat of white 'frosting'.  The reeds are still green, but weakening and leaning sideways with the weight of moisture.  The turtles who sun themselves on the log in summer are hibernating now. (see Surviving Below Freezing, 10/31/2020)  

green heron scouting for prey

We have not seen the Green Heron Butorides virescens around the pond since mid-July.  This one was balanced today on rocks near the shoreline, its thin legs crossed as it turned its body to spy prey below the water. After a while, it went into the grasses to hunt for another food item.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

The  rose flowers of Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata plants are blooming in several places along the shore around the pond.  Actually, the flowers can vary in color from soft mauve to dusty pink to soft crimson violet.  This milkweed attracts a profusion of butterflies and other pollinators who lap up its nectar.  The Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus uses the milkweed as its host plant. A host plant is where the butterfly will lays its eggs exclusively, because the larvae that hatch will have a ready supply of the only plant they will eat.  This Swamp Milkweed had two different size caterpillars feasting on leaves.  (In these photos, golden aphids share the sweetness of the plant.)