Common Milkweed

Asclepias Syriaca.  There are thirteen milkweed varieties found in Wisconsin and this stuff grows all over the place.  Along the driveway, in the flower beds, in the native planting and along the trails.  It is ubiquitous.

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It is a host plant for the Monarch butterfly and because the sap of the plant contains cardiac glycosides the Monarch caterpillars are toxic to birds.  If you don't believe me tast the sap sometime.  You're heart will begin to race and you'll have hot flashes.  Maybe even pass out.

The local orioles use the fibers that make up the plant stems to weave their nests.

Joe-Pye Weed

Eupatorium maculatum.  Another member of the aster family.  Because it sometimes has spots it is commonly called Spotted Joe-pye Weed.

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This native species is well-adapted to wetter locations so it's often found in ditches, along stream banks and potholes.  The plants in the photos are growing in locations that are typically standing water in spring.

In case you are wondering about the odd name.  It comes from a medicine man named Joe Pye.

Butterflies love it.

A Serpent Comes to Visit

Elaphe vulpina - Western Fox Snake or Spotted Adder.

Grows up to 55 inches in length and lives up to 30 years.  Hibernates in communal dens below the frost line.  It's a proficient climber and is a true constrictor - squeezing its prey to death by coiling around it.  Then it swallows it whole!

A Couple of Bucks

You can tell the rut is still a ways off in the future as the guys are hanging around in groups of two to three.  Bachelor groups they're called.

Here are some trail camera pictures of a what I figure to be a three to four year-old consorting with a two year-old buck.

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Those antlers haven't hardly finished growing yet.

Gray-headed Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata.  Commonly called the yellow coneflower this native plant is also a member of the aster family.

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A tall plant it is characterized by its showy and droopy yellow flower petals. Beloved by the birds, bees and butterflies.

A Different Type of Shed

I'm not talking about a building where you store firewood.

Nor am I talking about the girl's favorite winter pastime of hunting for shed antlers.

I'm talking about this...

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The Frau found this the other day.  A freshly-shed snake skin of about 18 inches in length.

All animals shed their skin.  Even people.  We actually replace our skin about every month or so by shedding millions of skin cells every day.  Snakes actually crawl out of their skin leaving it behind in one piece.

So what do you do with a shed snake skin?  

Seek out the neighborhood witch.  It is a common ingredient in making a witch's brew.

Curious

I frequently get a chuckle out of how curious a fawn can be from time to time.

This one has to check-out the camera...

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Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purprea.  The purple coneflower is a member of the aster family and a common contributor to herbal medicine.

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Butterflies are attracted to the nectar and the local goldfinches are crazy for the seed it produces.

Boat From Outer Space

This is so totally cool.  It looks like something from outer space.

See more pictures at this link.

Alien Attack

The aliens around here haven't given-up on their brazen attacks.

One of two attempts last week to blind the trail camera with the deadly purple laser...

False Sunflower

Heliopsis helianthoides.  Commonly called Ox-eye this native plant is a member of the aster family.  

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A great butterfly attractant it is also another showy wildflower.

Purple Prairie Clover

Following the burn earlier this spring the native planting has greened-up really nicely.

And the flowers are flowering.

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Dalea purpurea.  A member of the pea and bean family it is a nitrogen-fixing plant thus enhancing the fertility of the soil.  It has a showy, thimble-shaped flower and is ofter visited by insects and butterflies.

Still Life

An interesting photo composition.

I call it:  A study in milkweed, propane and septic mound.

Bachelor Pad

Three pictures taken on the same day - morning and late afternoon.  A pair of bachelors with velvet antlers.

They might be the same ones 

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If not there certainly are a bunch of them running around here...

The Local Herd

More of the local herd.

Two year-old buck...

And a doe...

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The Local Herd

The local deer herd seems to be doing just fine.  

Everyone has a sleek, roan coat and nobody is looking like they've missed a meal.

Some of the deer around here have spots too.

Mama and the twins...

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Belgian Days

Final Belgian Days post.

Booyah being made...

Baseball...

Beer...

And Old Glory...

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Learn more about making Booyah here.

Belgian Days

You cannot get enough of small town America.

More photos from the Belgian Days parade in Brussels, WI

A ghoul...

A handsome pair of horses...

And a redneck mudder truck...

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Belgian Days

More photos from Belgian Days in Brussels, WI

Some smaller red tractors...

  
And a really, really big red tractor...

 

And the green brigade.  The John Deere Contingent...

 

Nothing runs like a Deere.

Belgian Days

Belgian Days this weekend.

An annual event to celebrate the heritage of the people that settled here and all things Belgian.

Parade in Brussels...

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Talking Turkey

I think this hen has developed a fondness for this particular trail camera.

Multiple pictures taken over the course of the week...

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Alien Invasion

Flying corkscrews captured on a trail camera late last week.

Now this.

It's the purple alien death laser.

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Mr. Buck

This survivor from last year is sporting a nice new set of headgear.

Velvet antlers are putting on sime nice growth for so early in the year.

I'll have to keep my eye out for this chap some fall hunting season.

Dandy deer...

 

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

The wildflowers are beginning the bloom.

It all begins with the Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta.

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A member of the aster family The seeds produced are a favorite of the goldfinches around here.

Next time you're out for a walk - take a cue from my Labs and take some time to stop and smell the flowers.