River Oats
’m starting to see the nodding, flattened seed clusters of River Oats. It’s a native grass that likes a bit of shade. It’s the arching stems are attractive in all … Continued
American Lotus
American Lotus is a gorgeous wildflower. They aren’t easy to get started in ponds, but once established they are very low maintenance. One problem is that they tend to take … Continued
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
A good place to find butterflies now is on Cardinal Flower. The best place to find this showy wildflower at the PGT now is along the edges of the ponds … Continued
Viceroy Butterfly
Not all orange and black butterflies are Monarchs. This one’s called a Viceroy. The way to tell the difference is black line on its hind wing. Viceroy’s are also smaller … Continued
Big Bluestem Flower
Big Bluestem is a native ornamental grass. It’s finger-like flower clusters (to 4″ long) sort of resemble a turkey’s foot – hence the additional common name of Turkey Foot. Big … Continued
Prairie Blazing Star
This wildflower has tall colorful spikes that are very appealing to butterflies. At the PGT you can see them along the sidewalk as you walk to the Lotus Ponds and … Continued
Big Bluestem
Some of the prairie grasses are starting to flower. Grass flowers are usually less showy than wildflowers, but I still enjoy seeing them.
Halloween Pennant
I saw this dragonfly perched on top of a stalk as I was walking along the mowed paths in the prairie yesterday. The orange colored wings and banding makes it … Continued
Sycamore Bark
Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis This week I’ve been noticing sheets of sycamore bark along paths by the creek. As the trees grow they periodically shed plate-like scales of bark and leave … Continued
Sweet Coneflower
There are so many different kinds of yellow flowers in the prairie that it’s hard to keep them straight. This one is called Sweet Coneflower. It looks a lot like … Continued