dragonfly - Widow Skimmer

The widow skimmer Libellula luctuosa), part of the group 'king skimmer' dragonflies. It has large bulky body (compared to other species odonata) with large heads.  This is a juvenile, with yellow with brown stripes.; when adult it will have a steely blue body.  Wings are transparent, but marked with prominent black basal bands.  Widow Skimmers are found commonly in muddy substrates, or still bodies of waters such as ponds. They prey on other smaller insects like mosquitoes. 

two killdeers

I've seen two Killdeer around the pond since early June.  I wonder if they're are pair or siblings?  

If they are a pair, wonder where the nest is?  

The pond and it's environs are full of questions that I ask myself every day!

milkweed

 

ducklings napping

 

killdeer

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus is a shorebird that is part of the plover family. About the size of a American Robin, it has very long legs and striped black and white neck.  It usually inhabits grassy areas but eats mostly invertebrates. This one was foraging along the shore for aquatic insect larvae.  The scientific name "vociferus" is from Latin; 'vox' meaning "voice" with 'ferre' meaning "to carry". Their call is surely carrying!  https://musicofnature.com/mary-holland/killdeer/ 

floating log

 We tied a weight to a driftwood log, and put it offshore for the turtles to sun themselves.  There are several logs partly on the shore but this one turns with the breeze and flow of water.

Sure enough, one turtle made its way to the log within 60 minutes.

Later, the Hooded Merganser hen stood on it to survey the surroundings from a new angle.

prairie smoke gone to seed

 

We added Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum to the riparian area around the pond last year. They survived the winter, and bloomed mid-May. 

Now each flower has transformed into clusters of feathery, wispy plumes that eventually will spread seeds as they wave in the breeze.

blue flag

 

Northern Blue Flag Iris versicolor has a deep blue to purple flower.  It is also called Harlequin Blueflag.

It grows on lake shores, swamps, pond edges, and wet meadows.

Blue Flag irises occur throughout the USA, in several varieties.  Some plants are located on the south shore of the pond, and are blooming now.

ox-eye daisy - invasive

 

Ox-eye Daisy Leuceanthemum vulgare is a perennial herbaceous species with a creeping root system. 

This daisy is not native to Minnesota, but imported as an pretty ornamental flower. 

It turned out to be an aggressive invasive species. Once established, it can spread rapidly by means of roots and seeds, and block sunshine for other native wildflowers.

song sparrow

 

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia live up their binomial nomenclature 'melodia' by singing a delightful song, enthusiatically, and often.

They move along wetland edges like around the pond. I see the males occasionally, but they spend most of the time in dense, low vegetation. 

nest box Tree Swallows

Tree Swallows nest in cavities . . . old woodpecker holes in trees, or nest boxes.  They do not go far south in winter; they return to Minnesota before any other swallows.  They can eat plant foods, so they can survive before the insects come out.  In the nest box near the pond, the Tree Swallow laid one egg each day in the last six days.  She started incubating the eggs today.  They will hatch in 11 to 20 days.

And the Tree Swallow male stands by to guard the nest while the female incubates the eggs. 

ducklings, Mallard 2023

 This clutch of Mallard ducklings came to the pond a few days ago, led by their mother.

wild geranium

 

Lonicera

The Lonicera is blooming, now through November.  This perennial vine is a favorite of hummingbirds.

prairie smoke

 

Prairie Smoke is flowering now.  Geum triflorum is an early bloomer; fertilized flowers are later followed by distinctive silvery-pink fluffy fruits with wispy seedheads or 'plumes' densely covered in fine hairs, making them resemble downy bird feathers or wisps of mauve smoke blowing in the wind.  

This native wildflower is also called Old Man's Beard, Old Man’s Whiskers, Purple Avens, Long-Plumed Avens, and Three-Flowered Avens, or Torchflower.

2 turtles on log

 

violets by pond

Blue Violets Viola sororia grow in the riparian area around the pond.  These plants are larval host plants for several species of butterflies.

pair of blue winged teal

Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors have a bold powder-blue patch on their upperwing coverts, only seen in flight or when they are preening.  

They are 'dabblers' - - dipping into water to find aquatic insects and water plants to eat. When on land they eat vegetation and grains. 
 

sandpipers

We see many Sandpipers on the pond each Spring and Autumn.  They are hard to tell apart! I think this is a Solitary Sandpiper, because it has a dark bill.  Solitary Sandpipers nest further north of Minnesota, but Spotted Sandpipers nest all around the state.  

yellow loosestrife

Daffodil (left) besides young Lysimachia leaves

Lowland Yellow Loosestrife Lysimachia hybdrida, a perennial native plant, is sprouting again near the pond.  The  stems will to grow to 30-40 inches tall, then flowers will appear in June.  Some specialist bees will gather the oils that the flower produces to mix with pollen as food for its offspring.

pasque flowers

American Pasqueflower or Eastern Pasqueflower (in the Buttercup family) provides a large amount of pollen for pollinators, an important early-spring resource for female bees to provision their nests.

muskrat, greener pastures

The muskrat left the safety of the pond to find fresher food!  Usually, it eats plants that are growing in the water or very near the shore.  It has been a cold wet Spring, so maybe the plants are not producing enough for muskrats.  This critter ventured out of its comfort zone to fill its hunger.  Several times!

Near the safety of water, circled around to run up the slope to find fresh food.

At top of the slope, gathering a big mouthful of plant material.

Running downhill to the safety of the pond to munch the fresh food, and try the gathering again.

sandpiper on pond

 

yellow-rumped warbler

 Yellow-rumped Warblers Setophaga coronata arrived here on the pond today on migration to the northern part of Minnesota and Canada, where they will nest and breed young birds.  Also called "Myrtle" Warblers.  On migration they eat fruits and seeds.  Here, they flit along the shoreline hunting insects among the grasses.  These individuals came to the feeders to eat thistle and sunflower chips. When more insects appear and the Warblers arrive on the breeding ground up north, they will eat caterpillars and other larvae, small beetles, weevils, ants, scale insects, aphids, grasshoppers, caddisflies, spiders, and gnats.

northern shovelers in Spring

Northern Shovelers visited the pond today.  They eat tiny crustaceans, other aquatic invertebrates, and seeds in and around the pond.  To filter food out of the water, they have comb-like projections (called lamellae) along the edge of their bills.  Lamellae are slightly pliable.  They help many ducks, gooses, and other birds eat by filtering edible items from mud or water.