Crocus Hill, June

[rtbaum]

The growing season has progressed and Crocus Hill is beginning to show its colors. Early Spring flowers have faded, only a few Pasqueflower seedheads remain, most having broken up and fallen to propagate new flowers next Spring



The first native prairie grasses have begun to mature and I must admit that I am at a loss as to how best shoot them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Porcupine Grass is one of my favorites, as it has developed a couple adaptations that give it an advantage over other grasses. The seeds come equiped with a very sharp tip, unidirectional hairs, and an awn with thick walled cells along one side.



The mechanism of dispersal typically involved bison munching on the nutritious blades and inadvertently picking up the seed in their wooly coat. The hairs on the seed allow the seed to move only pointed endward until the sharp tip irritated the bison enough to use some sort of rub to remove the irritant. The awn reacts to changes in humidity by twisting, literally screwing the seed through the accumulation of thatch and into the soil.

The forbs


Yellow Sundrops


Ground Cherry, and yes it does taste like cherry


Harebell


Leadplant


Prairie Larkspur


Prairie Rose


Spiderwort


Western Salsify


Prairies are the home many insects feeding from the grasses and forbs


Spittlebug "spittle"


Spittlebug nymph


Spittlebug adult


Tried to get this fellow in a more natural setting, but seemed to prefer my knee. ID would be welcomed


Hoverfly on Spiderwort, I really couldn't avoid this shot as it just appeared while I was composing. Very accomodating, I felt



Crocus Hill, as mentioned in my previous threads, has always been a quiet site for reflection. I can only guess the reason for this momento left on a park bench, but it seems to reflect how special this spot is to many

[Donald]

Thank you Randy. A pleasant set of images to wander through.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Randy for sharing your countryside with us. Must be a lovely place to live in, place where a city person like myself can only dream about.

[FrankMi]

Hi Randy, it looks like a great selection of images but far too many to be able to effectively comment on. If you are looking for specific feedback, you may want to choose one that you'd like to improve and let us know what aspect of the image you would like C&C about.

On the other hand, if your goal is to display your work for the appreciation of viewers then I've got to admit that these are a really fine set of images. Thank you for sharing!

[Daisy Mae]

Yes indeed...a very satisfying glimpse into your world...thanks Randy.