Blue Jay Barrens

Summer is the time of big bugs. I’ve always enjoyed large insects. Partly because of the ease of viewing the various insect parts and partly...

The abundant rainfall has certainly spawned a crop of robust wildflowers at Blue Jay Barrens. Certain plants, like this Wild Petunia, Ruelli...

When I have the time, I’ll stop and check every spider burrow I find. These are made by the Burrowing Wolf Spider, a spider that is consider...

Something has been digging in one of my barrens. There wasn’t a lot of evidence left behind, so I’m having a little trouble figuring out jus...

Late spring is the time of year when you are most likely to run across a young salamander that has recently metamorphosed from a gilled aqua...

June is when the prairie garden goes through the green weedy stage. Of course I don’t consider it weedy. I call it that because now is when ...

Thistle flowers have to rank among the most attractive of all blooms. The bloom of the Pasture Thistle, Cirsium pumilum , presents a kaleido...