Astronomy

Before sunrise on Wednesday the 30th look in the east and you’ll see the crescent Moon, Mars, and Jupiter forming a triangle above the horizon.

Birds

Turkey Vultures soar over the prairie and the river. American Goldfinches are busy raising young. They use thistledown to line their nests and feed their young thistle seeds and consequently are one of the last species in our area to nest, since they must wait for thistle flowers to bloom. Listen for Indigo Buntings in the woods. Their call sounds like “fire, fire. Where? Where? Here, here. See it? See it?” And Gray Catbirds nest in trees and shrubs, but you may see them along the edges of the woods. They are gray birds with dark gray caps; their most common call is a raspy mew that sounds rather like a cat.

Mammals

Deer have changed from their winter gray coats to summer red and bucks are growing antlers. Rabbits, like deer, are “crepuscular”, which means that they are active at dawn and dusk. Chipmunks are active in the daytime, or “diurnal”, and skunks are active at night, or “nocturnal”.

Amphibians and reptiles

Young toads are growing up! Watch for them hopping across paths as you hike near the water.

Insects

The three segments of a dragonfly or damselfly are called the “head”, which is where the eyes are, the “thorax”, where the wings attach, and the “abdomen”, which is the part at the end which you might want to call a “tail”. There are ten distinct segments in the abdomen. Dot-tailed Whitefaces have white faces, and dots on their tail, just like their name suggests.The Common Whitetail has a grayish-white abdomen. And even though it’s just July it’s the start of the flight period of the Autumn Meadowhawk. The Autumn Meadowhawk has the latest flight period of any dragonfly in our area; if there isn’t a hard freeze you may see them flying into early November!

There are many species of Bluet Damselflies, and they often grasp the stem of a flower or a blade of grass and look like little flags.

Plants

Look for evening primroses along the edges of the woods, and for jewelweed near wet areas. It’s also called “spotted touch-me-not” and is a favorite nectar plant of hummingbirds and many insects. When its seed pods are mature, they explode when you touch them, scattering the seeds far and wide. And on the prairie see if you can find bee balm (and a few bees!) and oxeyes.

Many people know that milkweed is the host plant for Monarch butterflies and their larva. Did you know that it’s also the host for the Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar, and a favorite of the Red Milkweed Beetle? The Red Milkweed Beetle is a member of the Long-Horned Beetle Family, which gets its name from its very long antennae.

Weather observations

Here are some weather observations from past years.

Friday, July 26	2023: Thunderstorm overnight, then hot and in the 90s; 2013: blustery with rain showers, high in 60s
Saturday, July 27	2023: hot and muggy again, 90s, but evening thunderstorm brings cooler air; 2015: cloudy and in the 70s in the morning
Sunday, July 28	2023: thunderstorm with ½” rain in late afternoon; 2014: sunny and pleasant, with a high of 77°
Monday, July 29	2023: 80s and pleasant; 2014: Sunny and in the 60s in the morning, rising to a high near 80°.
Tuesday, July 30	2023: 80s and sunny; 2010: cloudy and misty through day.
Wednesday, July 31	2015: breezy and sunny, high In the low 80s
Thursday, August 1	2023: muggy and in the 80s; 2012: 70s in the morning, rising into the 90s. Hot and humid

Photo/Image credits:

All photos copyright Nina Manzi, except:

• Alan G. Nelson, Dembinksy Photo Associates, MN Conservation Volunteer: Striped Skunk
• Dudley Edmondson, MN Conservation Volunteer: Indigo Bunting
• Dean Lokken: Chipmunk, Rabbit, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Deer
• Bill Marchel, MN Conservation Volunteer: Gray Catbird
• Gary Sater: American Goldfinch