After enjoying the creek bed, we headed back to the top.
As we headed back, Claire spotted a pair of mating Spreadwings damselflies (Lestes)!
They were very much attuned to the business at hand. So they allowed us to get up close!
Even closer!
Eye ball to eye ball!
A small egg sac on the underside of a leaf!
Springwater Dancer (Argiaplana) was cooperative!
I could not believe my eyes! A White Milkwort (Polygala alba) was blooming!
A close view!
A small nodule rock!
Always I feel lucky when I find the red fruit on Plains Nipple Cactus (Escobaria missouriensis)! Shirley had always told me that the critters would get to them most times before she could see the fruit. So of course I feel most fortunate to see them as well!
This is Showy Dodder (Cuscuta indecora)! So my daughter and I got to see the dodder LOL!
The flowers are only about a millimeter or so across. It is a perennial native that parasitizes herbaceous or woody host plants. Some dodder’s are host specific. It is not a loved plant by some, but I find it to be a cool plant here.
This concludes this outing with my original grasslands prairie partner!
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know.
Mary, I’ve glad you had a chance to show Claire some of your favorite places on the Grasslands. Always excited to see what interesting thing y’all find.
Certainly is always great to have Claire along. Claire and I started going to the grasslands in 1999 on a regular basis. So we have our favorite places that still are some my favs.
Sweet post!
Love blue damselfly and red fruit on the cactus. Ive seen it but not often. So lucky to have original partner with you. Shes the best.
I agree!
Mary, I’ve glad you had a chance to show Claire some of your favorite places on the Grasslands. Always excited to see what interesting thing y’all find.
Certainly is always great to have Claire along. Claire and I started going to the grasslands in 1999 on a regular basis. So we have our favorite places that still are some my favs.
I’m so glad I got to visit! We sure had a good visit!
The best!