In an acidic graminoid fen.
Relatively large thicket in sandy wet prairie on a beach ridge
The pubescent leaf undersides and the glandular petioles are unusual for this species, but everything else seems like a good match
Idk the difference between V. palmata and V. triloba or if V. triloba is now a syn for viola palmata.
First instance of a population that recurs yearly within a large patch of Viola
Wetland at Middlefork Savanna FP.
Nighttime Drama Queen
Photo 1:
Playing Possum
While taking out recyclables at night, I heard something in my backyard. Got my camera, turned on the flash and discovered a small possum foraging in the leaves. I said hello as I took this shot & it promptly fell over and played dead. Complete with the mouth held open in a "death rictus"
Photo 2:
Is She Buying It?
I stayed still & quiet and soon the possum cut its eyes over at me like it was checking to see if I was buying its act.
Photo 3:
Cautiously Getting Up
Very slowly the possum started to get back on its feet.
Photo 4:
Still Showing My Teeth Just In Case
As it began to sit up, the possum kept the death grin going, just in case there was still a threat out there.
Photo 5:
And....I'm Dead Again!
I made the mistake of saying "it's ok baby, I'm not going to hurt you" & the possum promptly flopped over and froze. "Dead" once again. I was chuckling as I went back inside so the little drama queen could go about its business.
yawwwn
Robust vine. I think this is the native W. frutescens rather than W. sinensis or W. floribunda. I found a source suggesting that sinensis and floribunda have fuzzy/velvety seed pods while frutescens is smooth. Observations on iNat seem to bear out this distinction. Also, the seeds on this specimen look bean-like, while most of the photos I saw of seeds for the other two are flatter and rounder.
Small group of clumps in meadow, right beside C. stipata for comparison (in spike and sheath photos, stipata on left, alopecoidea on right)
Poor fen on edge of floating mat, near minerotrophic moat
The galls on the leaves are distinct and common. I have seen what are likely the same galls on the same plant species in a sandy sedge meadows in Cook County, IL.
Low prairie. Potentially a higher swale
FINALLY! Been trying to see this Cook County mammal for 3 years now. Thanks to a little help from my birding friends in high places, I was able to visit the yard that hosts this community of these little gems almost nightly.
interesting coloration...hybrid or low-bred or cross? inquiring minds - go! Be your Best!!
on inside of empty shell of a Giant Floater Mussel
take two... thanks for pointing out my earlier mistake guys
In a damp woodland edge near sand prairie and a marsh. Maybe something close to a male Spilopteron occiputale?
A large and robust tiger beetle in a small sand dune blowout. ID based primarily on the uninterrupted tawny marking, but also on the robust form.
Assuming muskrat? Not in water but on floodplain
Not sure. Those leaves make this an overall suspect character
American Mink (Neovison vison) LaBagh Woods Chicago Cook County IL November 2015 Week #44 Jeff Skrentny IMG_8117
@dziomber, these were your lifer Bonaparte's Gulls at Midewin
This mink was in the tree the entire time I observed it, about 15 minutes. It came out only to pee down the side of the tree, then returned inside the hole. This is the only time I've seen a mink in a tree.
Wetland Giant Wolf Spider (Tigrosa helluo) LaBagh Woods Chicago Cook County IL June 2019 Week #23 Jeff Skrentny IMG_8445
Wetland Giant Wolf Spider (Tigrosa helluo) LaBagh Woods Chicago Cook County IL June 2019 Week #23 Jeff Skrentny IMG_8444
Short-tailed Weasel or Ermine (Mustela erminea) Palos Cook County IL May 2013 Jeff Skrentny FB0504 IMG_1468