Tiger Swallowtail
As Spring progresses, I’m seeing several kinds of butterflies. Here a Swallowtail is feeding on the flowers of a crabapple tree.
Common Yellowthroat
Every day a new bird or wildflower returns. Walking in Indigo prairie yesterday I saw this warbler for the first time this year. They are our must common warbler during … Continued
Great Egret
We were startled to see a Great Egret as we walked around West Lake yesterday. They aren’t nearly as common Great Blue Herons at the Prairie Garden Trust (PGT).
Black-and-white Warbler
Those birds that migrate south for the winter have started to return. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been hearing this bird singing in the dry rocky woods along the … Continued
Northern Parula
This small warbler is often hard to see as it is often searching for food among the leaves in the treetops. Here’s one I found in the top of a … Continued
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Today in a Wild Plum tree I heard the high-pitched, nasal calls of a gnatcatcher; the first I’d heard this year. This tiny hyperactive bird is just slightly larger than … Continued
Bald Eagle
We saw a Bald Eagle at Potter’s Lake yesterday. It perched on top of a giant cottonwood tree. We’ve never had one nest here before, but I hope this one … Continued
Winter Birds
The colorful warblers have migrated south for the winter, but a new batch of birds have settled in for the winter. One of the most common of the winter birds … Continued
Honey Bee
When we first moved to the PGT I used to keep beehives and sell honey. Even though it’s an exotic species, the honeybee is the official state insect of Missouri.
Downy Woodpecker
We have 7 kinds of woodpeckers at the Prairie Garden Trust (PGT). The Downy Woodpecker is one of the most common. They others are: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, … Continued