Canada Goose and Mallard Chicks

The local waterfowl have fledged their young. These photos, of a Canada Goose and Mallards, were taken on 8 June 2017 on local Northfield ponds.

Dusky Clubtail

On 2 June 2017, Erika and I visited one of our favorite dragonfly spots. The Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Dakota County consists of about a dozen lakes nestled among urban sprawl. The lakes are surrounded by forest and the water seems be in fairly good condition, thus the dragonfly diversity. This day brought us a fair number of dragonflies, but relatively few species.

One I had only seen once before was this Dusky Clubtail. The first time was on 2 June 2015 in Washington County. At first this dragonfly perched on a branch at about eye-level. Then it flew almost to the forest floor. The species is known to perch on or near the ground. It proceeded to raise its abdomen skyward, until it appeared to be almost standing on its head. This behavior is probably a form of obelisking, in which odes attempt to keep cool during hot days by pointing their abdomens to the sky. At 90 degrees F, this day was, indeed, hot.

Summer Tanager

On 8 June I banded a Summer Tanager in our backyard in Northfield. Summer Tanagers are rare in Minnesota. This is only the second I have seen in the state. It is not the first Summer Tanager that I have banded. I caught two in South Dakota. Summer Tanagers breed across the southern United States. In the spring males are regularly reported north of the breeding range. Less often they are found in the north during the fall. Although fond of various fruits, Summer Tanagers have a predilection for bees and wasps.

Clay-colored Sparrow

A May 2017 Clay-colored Sparrow from Carleton College’s arboretum. This bird breeds across the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. Grant and Knapton (2012) write, “The Great Plains is the continent's most endangered major ecosystem. The decline in extent and quality of North American prairies coincides with decreasing populations of many bird species that depend on them, including the Clay-colored Sparrow.” Most forms of habitat destruction are fairly clear. Not so obvious is fire suppression, which allows a variety of invasive bushes to survive in the prairies. 

Baltimore Oriole

While walking in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Bass Ponds on 5 June 2017, Erika and I , along with two other birders, happened upon a Baltimore Oriole acting strangely. It hopped overhead about the boughs of a maple tree.

We figured it must have a nest nearby, especially since it carried two green caterpillars in its beak. The caterpillar with a horn on its back is likely a sphinx moth. The oriole flew into a dense mat of leaves and dipped its head into a nest. In all my years of birding, this was the first active oriole nest I have seen.

For a few seconds, the oriole stood watch over the nest opening. (As you may know, oriole nests are woven, hanging pouches with an opening at the top.) The caterpillars were gone. No doubt a few satiated baby orioles enjoyed their caterpillar-lunch.

Dame’s Rocket vs. Phlox

Erika and I find Dame’s Rocket every spring in the Carleton College arboretum. Dame’s Rocket is an abundant, four-peteled member of the mustard family. Dame’s Rocket is considered to be an invasive species, having been introduced to North America in the 17th century. This weed tends to displace native species. Many sources warn against planting it in gardens or roadsides.

Sometimes people confuse Dame’s Rocket with phlox, which has five petals. On a recent bike ride on 1 June 2017, along the Cannon Valley Trail, we found two species of phlox. I have been playing with a free phone app called Pl@ntNet. Take a photo of a plant and the app identifies it for you. We give the app a solid B in plant identification. Not too bad in the classroom, and, I suppose, better than nothing. We found Wild Blue Phlox, Phlox divaricata, (left) in shady areas, while the brighter pink Downy (or Prairie) Phlox, Phlox pilosa grew in the full sunlight.

  

Aunt Lucy

A new wildflower for me, Aunt Lucy, Ilsia nyctelea, is in the Waterleaf family. Except for many coastal states and provences, Aunt Lucy is found across much of North America. Scott King and I encountered it in the wood edge in River Bend Nature Center on 26 May 2017. I tried unsuccessfully to use my new app, Pl@ntNet to identify it. Later Scott found it again in the Carleton College arboretum. Aunt Lucy is a native wildflower, which grows in woodlands and disturbed areas. It is considered a weed in gardens, nurseries, and in cities (Illinois Wildflowers).

Northern Crescent

This elegant Northern Crescent landed in front of Scott King and me as we returned from our unsuccessful 26 May search for a Southern Spreadwing. The afternoon, however, proved to be entertaining. 

Northern Crescents are very similar to Pearl Crescents. Some Lepidopterists consider them to be variations of a single species. Pearl Crescents are found across eastern North America. Northerns are found further north and west, and also south through the Rocky Mountains. A lot of range overlap exists, with little hybridization between the two forms. Brock and Kaufman warn that many individuals can not be told apart. 

This butterfly is clearly a Northern Crescent. Note the row of dark dots against the orange across the back of the hind wing. Immediately above these dots is a broken black line. This line is continuous in a Pearl Crescent.

Tree Swallow

I photographed this Tree Swallow in the St. Olaf College playing fields on 25 May 2014. Males of this species are blue above and white below. I was not sure what to make of the brown edges of this bird’s white underparts. Young Tree Swallows are brown and white. Female Tree Swallows take a couple of years to lose this brown color and can be quite variable. Eventually, they are inseparable from their mates (Winkler et al. 2011).

Another hint that this bird is a female is the crease in the center of her breast—presumably where her feathers part to expose her brood patch. This patch is the bare skin with which she incubates her eggs.

Snail-Killing Fly

Scott King showed me this Snail-Killing Fly next to a dead slug. This fly is in the Marsh Fly Family, Sciomysidae. This family is large and most deposit their larvae in slugs or clams. Often their larvae are aquatic and penetrate their hosts. In this case the larva are terrestrial and are injected into live or dead slugs. All I have to say is here is yet another line to avoid when you return to the Reincarnation Center.