Chilly today
It is a tad chilly today, but tis nice to see the sun again. Our low this morning was 41 and the high was 61 degrees. Our four day total was 1.32 inches. I think the plants are happy! Here are the last of the grasslands photos from the April 13th.
This was a cool cat! We found them on the Redbud. I don’t know the species, but the two pale spots were almost translucent.
Here is another, but it was inside some webbing.
A perfect exit!
Gracie missed this one, but maybe it wasn’t smelly?
We found a few Ash Junipers as we headed up the hill to the barrens. “Barrens are a unique combination of forest (oak) opening and prairie, surrounded by mesic or dry upland forests (which have greater tree cover and less herbaceous cover than barrens). Barrens are restricted to poor, thin, or excessively drained soils over bedrock that is often exposed in places.” (Source: Illinois State Museum)
Daisy (Tetraneuris species).
Cow patties always seem to have good stuff growing by them.
We made it up to the barrens.
Little Wood-Satyr! We probably saw a dozen of them here and there in the uplands woods.
Last season’s Earthstars! It was a whole “nest” of them.
Interesting gall.
Up on the barrens, we found a colony of Yellow Star-grass! This one had a baby katydid!
We came across FOS Texas Dandelion blooming! I love the lemon color!
Hairy Evolvulus (Evolvulus nuttallianus) flower is closer to the base of the plant.
Dwarf-dandelion (Krigia cespitosa) are fairly small. (1/4″-3/8″).
And finally on the road home, I saw the Wild Blue-hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) blooming!
Pretty day!!
I will look for that 2-spotted caterpillar in my Caterpillars of Eastern North America book, and will report back if I find it.
I looked through my entire caterpillar book and didn't find a match. The body and head shape suggest a species of skipper.
Suzanne, I couldn't find a match either. Thanks for looking! Its ID will present itself someday. I found another one today at home. So it is not exclusively on Redbuds. I don't have Redbuds here.