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.)

Eastern Forktail damselfly

This damselfly, a young orange female Eastern Forktail, is of a species often seen near ponds in Minnesota.  The male Eastern Forktail is mostly green and black.  Older females look blue or frosty violet.  Forktails Ischnura verticalis live through winter in the water as nymphs, feeding on smaller aquatic critters.  But they are also prey for larger aquatic creatures.  If they make it through to springtime, they emerge out of the water as adult damselflies.  If they can avoid being eaten by a bird, they will mate and deposit eggs into plant stems or floating material.  The eggs later hatch and release new nymphs into the pond for next year's damselflies.

bees on thistle

young blackbird

Young birds often have the same feather color and pattern as their mother until they get their adult feathers.  Three eggs were in the Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoenicius nest this spring; three young birds fledged out of that nest, looking like their mom. 

Today, this young one perched close enough that we could see the beginning of the orange epaulettes on the shoulders.  Females do have epaulettes but they are usually orange-gold and blend in with her brown streaky appearance.  Males will molt into more blackish body feathers to contrast with bright orange-red epaulettes.  

But all have the pointy long beak, so nicely posed by the blackbird in this photo.

Tussock Moth Caterpillars on milkweed

12 spotted skimmer

The pond area is home to several 

kinds of  dragonflies. 

The females lay their eggs on a plant in the water,

or just drop them into the water.

The eggs hatch after about a week,

when the creatures are called 'nymphs'.

Dragonfly nymphs live in the water while they grow. The length of this portion of the 

dragonfly life cycle is variable.

If the nymphs are not grown enough at 

beginning of winter they will remain

 in the water until spring, often beneath ice.

They feed actively and grow all winter 

to emerge as adults in spring. 

This is a dragonfly called 12-Spotted Skimmer, perched on a reed top in early August.

protecting native plants

You might see me pulling weeds, snipping tree sprouts, or clipping seed heads in the riparian buffer surrounding our pond.  This is necessary to protect the pollinators, birds, and critters that depend on the native plants and the clean water in the pond.  Fortunately, we have a wonderful variety of native wildflowers close to the pond that have been thriving and propagating for several years.

Unfortunately, the builder brought in soil during the last 12 months to finish the area beyond the native plantings. That soil contained a plentiful seed bank of invasive or harmful species. We now have a bothersome crop of knapweed, velvetleaf (shown above), mustard, ragweed, lambs quarter, crabgrass, dock, amaranth, spurge, and thistles surrounding the pond.  They are competing with the desirable native plants like milkweed, aster, lobelia, boneset, chamomile, clover, daisy, echinacea, golden alexander, meadow rue, bee balm, penstemon, ironweed, mountain mint, vervain, silene, sunflower, and others. 

To protect them, you will see me pulling, snipping, and clipping.

wasp on white sweet clover

frog on echinacea

This Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor can change colors.  Part of its Latin name is versicolor, meaning 'to turn color'.  Any treefrog can appear as a mottled grayish green or solid green or gray or creamy white color, depending on where it is and whether it needs to be camouflaged.  Today, this one was looking among the leaves and flowers of Echinacea for insects to eat.  He was trying to hide by being green as the leaves of this plant.

Rather than chase their prey, Gray Treefrogs sit and eat whatever comes by.  They live and reproduce in ponds; they often sit in residential areas where it feeds on flying bugs or insects that are attracted to landscape lights.

pennant

Walking along the shore near the pond on an overcast hot day, I noticed a dragonfly perched on a stem of Horsetail.

This is a Halloween Pennant Celithemis eponina dragonfly.  They usually perch horizontally like this, waving in the breeze pennant-style, at the top of vegetation.

At 1-1/2 inches long, this dragonfly would be a juicy meal for a predator.

butterfly

This Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus was flitting around from flower to flower near the pond. It settled for a moment on a Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea.  But Monarchs prefer their host plant, milkweed, so it did not linger here.  The Monarchs' distinctive colors and pattern warn predators (mostly birds) that they’re foul-tasting and poisonous because of their diet. The milkweed they eat is toxic, but monarchs have evolved not only to tolerate it, but to use it to their advantage by storing the toxins in their bodies and making themselves bad for creatures who would eat butterflies.

nectar

White Sweet Clover is a another plant brought to North America as a green manure for fields and as a forage crop for livestock. And it is another plant that quickly escaped cultivation, now growing in disturbed areas as a weed.

It can be a nuisance because the seeds can persist in the soil for several decades and remain viable.

But it is considered an excellent nectar plant by beekeepers, especially for Honey Bees.
Many kinds of insects feast on the nectar, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, beetles, and plant bugs.  Short-tongued bees also collect and transfer its pollen.

Both the foliage and flowers are mildly fragrant. White Sweet Clover Melilotus alba blooms from early summer to fall.

horsetail

Horsetail Equisetum spp. is a living dinosaur among plants; it belongs to a plant family that dates back to 350 million years ago.  On the edge of the pond, a cluster of Horsetail grows in the sun.

This plant is not related to ferns, but reproduces through spores (not seed) like ferns.  At the top of its stems, the cone-like spore-producing structures grow.  The stem also has tiny gray leaves fused vertically onto it in a sheath with a black ring beneath. 

From a distance the plant looks like a group of attractive stems, from 2 to 4 feet tall.  Tiny ridges run vertically along the stems and contain silica.  Those stems feel rough and, in the past, people used this plant for scouring cooking utensils.

birds on the branch

Eastern Bluebirds also like to sit on the branch over the pond.

Many flying creatures use this branch as a place to spot a prey item to eat, or a place to rest, or a place to socialize.

In this photo, after some rain, the rock behind the Bluebirds is under water.  It is our gauge for the water level in the pond.

Below, a turtle sits on the same rock on a day when the water level is lower.

out of the nest box

When young songbirds are grown enough to leave the nest, it may be an hours-long process for the parents and the young.

We've been watching the Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor for four days, thinking it would happen soon.

This afternoon the parents started flying at the nest box without any food items, teasing the young birds to come out of the nest.  Finally, they did.  It is amazing to see a creature take its first flight.

This little Tree Swallow is leaping out into air for the first time, nose down and spreading his wings with new strong feathers to fly with the big guys.  But he flopped to the ground, flapped his wings a few times, then took off again successfully.

Now, the parents will teach the young birds to hunt for insects on their own. We may see them flying together over the pond.

dragonflies for lunch

On 7/18 we thought the Tree Swallows might be ready to leave the nestbox.  But they have not fledged yet.  The adults are still regularly feeding the three nestlings.  And they are bringing bigger food items as the young ones grow.  Today both parents kept up a continuous delivery of meals to the nestbox, including several dragonflies.  Two little birds were hanging out of the slot above the "door" hoping to get the prize, while the third one was inside the door.  The parents feed the young from dawn until dusk, bringing flies, beetles, ants, mayflies, spiders, grasshoppers, damselflies, and dragonflies.

dragonflies on branch

We love the branch over the pond, since it is a platform for all flying creatures to settle on for a short time.  Usually we get a close look at birds pausing there.  Now, in mid-summer, the dragonflies and damselflies use it too. 

12-Spotted Skimmer

Eastern Pondhawk or Blue Dasher

muskrat mid-summer meals

Now that the clover growing near the pond is on the wane, the muskrats are finding other plants to eat.

Here, the muskrats eat pondweed, rushes, grasses, sedges, and other aquatic vegetation.  We do not often see them feeding right where they find food.  They usually cut and drag plants to a feeding spot near one of their travel paths.  There, they can eat without worrying about predators.

Muskrats consume about one-third of their weight each day.  That's a lot of greens!

pond morning sounds

Mornings near the pond are so peaceful, with the birds singing and the breeze rustling through the grasses and reeds. 

Then you notice the bullfrogs calling. It is said they can be heard up to a quarter mile away.  They are vociferous from early June through July.

ready to fledge

The 3 nestling Tree Swallows are peeking out to get some air on this hot day.  They have inborn abilities to fly, which develop gradually as the young bodies grow.  By the time the parents coax the nestlings out, the young will have been exercising their wings within the boxes for days.  When they are physically ready for flight, the parents know and reduce their feeding trips into the box.  Instead, the parents may perch on the door and hold out a morsel for one nestling, teasing it to come out and try its wings.

Monarda - Bee Balm

Wild Bergamot Monarda didyma is blooming now in the buffer around the pond.
Also known as bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, bergamot, wild bergamot, mintleaf beebalm, horse-mint, purple beebalm.

Monarda species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species.

Even before it blooms, the plant becomes colorful and promises its flowers will be interesting in structure (below).

Ironweed ready to bloom

Ironweed Vernonia fasciculata is growing tall in the buffer around the pond.  Soon, it will open its brilliant purple aster-like flowers in clusters at the top of each regal plant.  The name 'Ironweed'  becomes this plant because the stem is tough, straight, and strong, up to 6 feet tall.  It is very attractive to butterflies and native bees, and is a host plant for the American Painted Lady butterfly.
In the photo below, you can see the upper 12 inches of a six-foot tall specimen with flower buds.

green heron - frog for lunch

Green Heron tried to lure fish by picking up floating bits of vegetation and throwing them out on the water.  This bird is able to use tools for fishing!  But after a while with no success, he went to the rocky shore and watched for movement of something else.  When a frog revealed its presence, the Heron grabbed it for lunch.  We witnessed the frog kicking for a minute, then the Heron stretched his neck longer to swallow it completely.

green heron hunting

Green Herons look small and stocky (pictured here), until one is hunting for a meal on the shore of the pond.  Then they stretch their neck full length  to reach the prey.

They hang out in small freshwater wetlands near ponds and streams lined with thick vegetation.  All the better to hide in while hunting. 

Herons are opportunistic feeders . . .  they'll eat fish or whatever they find along the shore . . . aquatic insects, frogs, grasshoppers, snakes, or small rodents.

A Green Heron Butorides virescens is one of the few birds that actually uses tools.  They will try a variety of baits and lures, including leaves, insects, earthworms, twigs, or feathers . . .  dropping the item onto the surface of the water and grabbing the small fish that comes up.

We saw this one pick up floating bits and fling them back on to the water surface.

Vervain blooming

Blue Vervain Verbena hastata is a graceful plant in the wetland, with numerous crowning spikes of blossoms that give a candelabra-like appearance.  Each tubular, blue-violet flower is only about 1/4 inch.  They bloom on spikes held on the very crown of the plant, opening from the bottom up in July's heat.

Both short-tongued and long-tongued bees visit Vervain for nectar.  Later, the seeds will be a staple food for many small mammals and birds like Cardinals, Sparrows, and Juncos.