Summertime activities around lakes and ponds include the darting and dashing around of many varieties of dragonflies. The black spots on the wings gives this dragonfly its name of Twelve-spotted Skimmer.
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Picture of the Day for July 25, 2019
The late July summer days have the native Black-eyed Susans blooming across the fields and road ditches. The flower head looks like spokes on a wooden wagon wheel when the yellow petals haven’t unfurled all the way yet.
Black-eyed Susan Wheel
Picture of the Day for July 24, 2019
Besides the common milkweed, the swamp milkweed is also blooming now and it is attracting various insects and butterflies including the monarchs.
Monarch on Swamp Milkweed
Picture of the Day for July 23, 2019
Union Pacific’s historic steam locomotive, Big Boy No. 4014 after two years of restoration, traveled the rails through Wisconsin today as part of the celebration the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion.
Big Boy weighs 1.2 million pounds and has a water capacity of 24,000 gallons. Because of its great length of 132 feet, the frame of the Big Boy is “hinged,” or articulated, to allow it to negotiate curves.
Big Boy No. 4014
Watch Big Boy rolling by on the rails.
Picture of the Day for July 22, 2019
The flowers looked in better shape before the storms pounded them with rain and wind. This clematis adds a splash of color against the green lawn.
Clematis Before the Storms
Picture of the Day for July 21, 2019
Many areas of northern Wisconsin are dealing with a large number of down trees from the recent storms, but at least this view of the lake still has its trees from a morning sunrise.
Sunrise at the Lake
Picture of the Day for July 20, 2019
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” A famous line made by Commander Neil Armstrong fifty years ago today when he became the first man to step onto the moon’s surface.
Landing on the Moon
Picture of the Day for July 19, 2019
This young weasel was a bit camera shy as it explored the great outdoors. And the outdoors was where it belonged and not inside a house with its three other siblings that required a weasel wrangling event to get them back outside. The Short-tailed Weasel (also called Ermine) is brown during the summer with white feet and undersides and a black tip on the end of the tail. In the winter, they turn white except for the tip of the tail. Weasels are fierce predators eating mice, rabbits, birds and other things as a weasel eats about 30 percent of its weight each day.
Short-tailed Weasel
Picture of the Day for July 18, 2019
The sunset might have set already this evening but the thunderheads were higher to catch the later sun rays to light up and glow on the clouds.
Sunset Thunderhead
Picture of the Day for July 17, 2019
The violas may be small but they provide a big cheery smile.
Yellow Violas
