Category: Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day for June 16, 2019

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Many are celebrating Father’s Day, with gifts to dad or activities like fishing with the family as tribute to fathers. The birds might not observe holiday events, but the father of these red-winged blackbirds was doing his best to protect his children by making noise and swooping to drive me away from the nest. His song was not the nice melody when they return in spring, but the scolding chak chak chak noise that red-winged blackbirds make when you’re in their territory.

Baby Red-winged Blackbirds

Baby Red-winged Blackbirds

Picture of the Day for June 15, 2019

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The pink lady slipper flower, also known as the moccasin flower, is a wild native orchid. Pink lady’s slipper takes many years to go from seed to mature plants and can live to be twenty years old or more.

Among several Native American tribes, there are tales revolving around the pink lady slipper.  One story is of a young Indian girl who embarks on a snow winter journey for desperately needed medicine for her family and tribe. On the journey she loses her moccasins, but continues on bloodying her feet, leaving a trail behind her. In the spring the bloody footprints are replaced by bright pink lady slipper orchid and all return to health. In other tales, the maiden does not survive after getting the medicine to her tribe and the beautiful flowers grow as a reminder of her bravery.

Pink Lady’s Slipper

Pink Lady’s Slipper

Picture of the Day for June 14, 2019

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Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. Today were was another type of ‘flag’ waving in the wind. A native iris, the Northern Blue Flag is often found at the margins of water. The blossom has large lobes that bees use as landing platforms to attract insects to the nectar glands. This wild iris is also a deer-resistant perennial.

Blue Flag on Flag Day

Blue Flag on Flag Day

Picture of the Day for June 13, 2019

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Today I drove around a turtle (after I took its picture) and discovered it was a turtle which isn’t as common as the painted or snapping turtle.  The Blanding’s turtle was removed from Wisconsin’s Threatened list on January 1, 2014 but are still listed as a Species of Special Concern.  The destruction of Blanding’s turtle habitat is causing increased turtle mortality in all life stages and roads are also a hazard for them.

The females may travel a mile to their nesting site from about mid-May through early July depending on spring temperatures. Nests are not safe from hungry birds, crows, skunks, foxes, and raccoons. Each clutch, or nest of eggs, contains from 3 to 17 eggs and takes 65 to 90 days to hatch. The Blanding’s turtle takes 17 to 20 years or more to reach maturity and may live over 70 years.

Blanding’s Turtle

Blanding's Turtle

Picture of the Day for June 11, 2019

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On the news today, there was a warning about turtles crossing the road to get to their nesting sites because roadway mortality is a major factor in their decline. Their “hide in their shell and wait it out” strategy which has helped them since before the time of dinosaurs doesn’t work so well with fast moving cars and trucks so keep an eye out for the the turtles sharing the road.

Troubled Turtle Times

Troubled Turtle Times

Picture of the Day for June 10, 2019

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The color green is showing in the grass, trees and plants like ferns. Ferns first appear in the fossil record about 360 million years ago so they have been around for a long, long time. They may have been around for a long time, but they do disappear in the winter here so it is nice to see them spreading out in the summer again.

Old Ferns

Old Ferns

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