Another native orchid found in Wisconsin may not be observed very often since it is normally found in wet boggy (and buggy) conditions. The Dragon’s Mouth (or Swamp Pink) flowers offer little nectar even though they are sweetly scented and colorful. Bees quickly learn to avoid these flowers, so pollination is dependent on inexperienced and recently-emerged bumblebees.
Dragon’s Mouth Orchids
The Butterfly-weed plant (also called the Butterfly Milkweed) is a host plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. And at this stage of the metamorphosis of the Monarch, the larva are eating machines as the caterpillar continues to grow their pupa stage.
Monarch Caterpillar on Butterfly-weed
For some people, nature provided its own form of fireworks today with lightning and thunder, but others attended planned 4th of July celebrations with fireworks lighting up the evening sky.
The Fourth’s Fireworks
There has been fireworks lighting up the sky tonight, even though it isn’t the Fourth yet. There are wildflowers, like the hairy wild bergamot, which look like mini-fireworks near the ground. The unopened blooms of the Tuberous Grass-pink look like shooting rockets before they explode into a color display like the open blossoms. The Tuberous Grass-pink are native orchids to Wisconsin but with grass-like stems, they are not very noticeable unless they are blooming.
Tuberous Grass-pink
If you drive by cranberry marshes right now, you might spot stacks of honey bee hives near the cranberry beds. Bringing in honey bees and bumble bees help pollinate cranberry blossoms. Although this cranberry vine may have to rely on wild bees in the area as this vine is not in a managed cranberry bed but a wild cranberry native to the marshlands of central Wisconsin.
Wild Cranberry Blossoms
The recent heavy rains the past two days has caused flooding in some areas again and those areas don’t look as peaceful as this scene with American White Water-lilies covering the surface.
Peaceful Water View
Another hot day did not lend itself to hiking in search of wildflowers, but these Wild Columbine, a native flower, almost look like they are on fire with their red and yellow blossoms.
Wild Columbine
The hot temperatures today had roads buckling and people were trying to find ways to stay cool, including water activities and even walking through a waterfall.
Through the Falls
The long summer days gives more hours to spot butterflies darting around the blossoms in the yard like this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
Tiger Swallowtail
Sometimes after a rain storm, if the sun peeks out while there is still some rain and mist in the air, a patch of color in the form of a rainbow can be spotted. Although this double rainbow appears chopped off by the storm clouds.
Rainbow by the Lake
