This concludes another wonderful grasslands outing! I hope the heat breaks soon. Today’s high was 91.5 degrees here at our house. So thankful there was a breeze today!
I love this beetle, the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis). However I still have not seen one on a plant in the milkweed family.
The sand that washed over this wood brings out the cracks and crevices.
This is a place where we had to go up and around this pool.
Same pool looking from the top.
Smooth Gayfeather (Liatris squarrosa)! When we take detours out of the creek bed, of course we get to see different vegetation.
Close up.
In this example, the phyllaries (marked in red) of the spent Smooth Gayfeather. Even if you did not have a flower, this would let you know that the plant was in the Asteraceae family.
Marsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata), a common plant in wetter areas.
Prairie Gaillardia (Gaillardia aestivalis) and a crab spider.
Flat-flower Gerardia (Agalinis homalontha), a great fall plant.
There are several species of Agalinis in our area. This species is distinguishable by the long pedicel (the stalk supporting a single flower).
https://player.vimeo.com/video/597812933
It is not often, I run across an orange puffball. Puff Puff!
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know.
Love the crab spider
What a fun day! I don’t think I’ve ever seen an orange puff ball