Here are some prairie sightings for this #wednesdaywalk by @tattoodjay
We went to a large state park that is all prairie lands. As usual there were plenty of chipmunks spying on us along the way.
The trees were full of tent caterpillars.
One can only hope they have a natural predator out there because there must have been thousands of them everywhere. I suspect their fur might be stingy and who knows if birds want to mess with them.
Perhaps the tiger beetles can take them on when they leave the tent.
Sadly this was the only mushroom I found. I was hoping to discover new patches of morels. Instead I just found a tough dryad's saddle.
Part of the reason we go to this large state park is to look for nesting sandhill cranes. We only saw one this time but this is also the first time I saw one making a nest. Maybe by the end of the month there will be babies exploring the swamps.
Painted turtles are quite common around here. I always look to see if there is a more rare turtle around them but its mostly just red eared sliders and painted turtles.
My daughter really loved the open prairie areas. This open area is great for seeing bobolinks nesting during summer. Right now the weeds are still to low for them to start building nests.
After the park we went to a grass fed farm to look at the pigs.
These two were paired up in their own pen to make more pigs. They ran over to us thinking we had food but grunted when they realized we didn't have any.
That's all for now, thanks for looking :-)
I hate these caterpillars! They can eat all the leaves on a tree and leave it bare. By the way, what is the name of this tree? It looks like a bird cherry.
I'm not sure about the tree, bit it looks like you are right about it as they do have those dark blue fruits on them later on in the year. Those caterpillars are trouble. I used to live in the desert and the mesquite trees would get a gray spiky version of them and those ones actually burn your skin if you pick them up.
Such a lovely day for a nice walk. Some photos gave me the creeps! Too many spiky things!
Lots of worms in one place pretty creepy. Only the fiery searcher beetles would dare eat those things. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calosoma_scrutator
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WOW what cool things you found there love all the photos
Thanks for joining the Wednesday Walk
Have a great day
Spring is great for critter sightings in the prairie. I was hoping some snakes would be out warming up finally but I think they have too much grass to hide out in.
Ugh tent caterpillars 🙁 I watch for them around my house and just cut off all parts of tree they are on. Don't know if there are natural predators. I DO know if they get established they are horrible. Nice pic of your daughter 👍
I don't think too many people care about them in the big nature preserve but if they are on one of your trees its terrible. The worst pest around here is the emerald ash borer wiping out loads of native trees.
What great shots, everything is the power of nature and all its great harmony.
Lots of critters were out this time fortunately. I'll have to go back again to check if any baby cranes have hatched.
Great walk in the middle of the wild. It's wonderful to watch animals, it's very soothing and reeling from the bustle of the city.
Yeah I need to escape the city at least three days of the week, especially in spring. I saw some ruby throated grossbeaks too, should be posting them tomorrow.
Tierno
Gracias :-)
Wonderful set of photographs. These caterpillars look like nightmare fuel, but they're fascinating creatures.
These caterpillar definitely trigger Trypophobia. Out west there is a version of them that burn your skin. Fortunately these guys don't do that but they do ruin trees.
😕 I hope I don't come across those critters.
When I was younger I would do landscaping work and came across them many times. I never got burned by them but one of my clients did. Imagine seeing what red caterpillar tracks looks like on the skin lol. He let one crawl on him but the tricky thing is the burn happens about 30 min later.
Ouch! It's interesting that the chemical substance acts slowly but surely. Nature is bizarre.