Wild Wild Woods

This morning, after 7 inches of rain fell overnight, the pond is higher than usual and some of the shoreline around it is under water....

The Tree Swallow pair return to the branch over the pond every day.  When she is in the nestbox, he sits on the branch to keep watch on he...

Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota is a member of the carrot family.  There are several of these tall striking 'wild carrot' pl...

The Musk Thistle Carduus nutans I've been watching since May is now blooming.  The plant is more than 5 feet tall and branched out reg...

Daisy-like flowers are scattered here and there around the pond.  Most are the Ox-eye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare,  a common wild flower. ...

The pond is a magnet for dragonflies and damselflies.  Both are in the  Odonata family . Above is a damselfly hunting for a food item in ...

Many Painted Turtles  Chrysemys picta live in our pond. They mate once a year; in Minnesota, it is usually late May or June. Usually, Pain...

Each day, Tree Swallows fly above the pond looking like they are doing aerial acrobats for our amazement.  In reality, they are eating -- fe...

Hiding in the reeds, unsure of what to do next, these three young Red-winged Blackbirds are waiting for instructions from a parent.  They fl...

On 6-7-2020 we posted photos of a lovely rosette of thistle leaves. The Musk Thistle plant is biennial -- seed germinates in the fall a...

This little 5-petaled gem shines with bright yellow blossoms among the early green plants around the pond. It looks like wild strawberr...

Alfalfa Medicago sativa is another forage crop grown around the world. But it escaped and now commonly sprouts along roads and degraded or...

Clover is a forage crop around the world.  But it readily escapes cultivation, so it is common in meadows and in disturbed places.  This pon...

The female Red-winged Blackbird has been constantly hunting and making frequent trips back to her nest.  This signaled to me that her egg...

There are two kinds of swallows that regularly hang out near our pond.  Both species are aerial insectivores, which means they are so agile ...

We have been watching this thistle plant, while removing the other "field" thistles from the wetland area.  Probably 'Musk Thi...

A pair of Mallards showed up with ducklings on the pond.  There were only six ducklings today, and they looked older than the brood ...

Both adult Red-wing Blackbirds have been very aggressive in this wetland area. They regard the entire pond and shoreline as "their...

The Red-winged Blackbird nest is hidden in vegetation at the far end of the pond.  The female was in the nest when I approached.  The mal...

The Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe  is one species in the family of Tyrant Flycatchers.  Phoebe is mostly insectivorous. It forages by watc...

Grackles Quiscalus quiscula  forage on the ground. Food items might include seeds, acorns, fruits, and garbage. In summer their diet include...

Early Meadow Rue Thalictrum dioicum  is also called Quicksilver Weed.  The small flowers will open into fuzzy clusters.  The foliage is a...

Wildflowers are blooming around the pond.  3-1/2" of rain yesterday will encourage more blooms. Ox-eye Daisy (top), Golden Alexanders ...

This morning a Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius  was finding a meal -- small invertebrates,  crustaceans, or insects -- among the ree...

The eagle nest near the pond is surrounded by more leaves each day.  The tree is healthy and shelters the Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalu...