Mullein blooms over a long time in the summer. Some of the flower stalks have produced seeds. Birds molt old feathers and grow new ones after nesting and fledging their young. This Downy Woodpecker has a few more new feathers to sprout, but it is hungry enough to come out for lunch.
Cornell University has a program called NestWatch https://nestwatch.org/ where citizen scientists report on birds' nests they see. I missed this one until now; it was hidden very well in the reeds near the pond.
The muskrats swim across the pond to gather food on the opposite shores. The rabbits browse among the plants around the pond. I wonder who ate the Spiderwort?
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.
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/
Now each flower has transformed into clusters of feathery, wispy plumes that eventually will spread seeds as they wave in the breeze.
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 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 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.
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.
