Mr. B's Garden: First Weekend in May

There still isn't much happening on the gardening scene, but Spring wildflowers are in full bloom, the birds are returning and critters are starting to take advantage of sunny spots to warm up their winter weary bodies. I spent Saturday the 3rd at Hidden Lake and Herrick Lake Forest Preserves checking out the wildlife and the wildflowers, then went to Greene Valley Forest Preserve on Sunday. With over 50 Forest Preserves in DuPage County, I've just barely scratched the surface and fully itend to visit all of them before the year is over.

Let's start with the critters, then move on to the birds, followed by the flowers. Here's the first amphibian that was willing to sit still long enough for me to get a photo, an American Toad. I've seen its cousins in Arizona plenty of time, but they get quite a bit larger than this guy.

Anaxyrus (Bufo) americanus ssp americanus, American Toad

Coyotes, while evoking pictures of the American West, are now found from coast to coast.

Canus latrans, Coyote

Another common critter in the area is the Eastern Chipmunk and I saw several over the course of the weekend.

Tamias striatus, Eastrern Chipmunk

I was surprised that it was warm enough for the Chicago Garter Snakes to be out and about, but I saw two in a semi-swampy meadow within 30 feet of each other. This is a new species for me.

Thamnophis sirtalis semifaciatus, Chicago Garter Snake

Six-spotted Tiger Beetles were rather numerous on the paths where the ground warmed up much faster than the surrounding forest.

Cicindela sexguttata, Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

This guy wouldn't let me get very close, so I had to use the telephoto mode on my camera to be this shot; if you know what it is, please let me know.

A butterfly I wasn't able to identify

I saw this little guy floating on a strand of silk and interupted his journey to get this photo.

Inch worm

This was one of several tent caterpillar colonies I saw over the weekend.

Tent caterpillar colony

I saw a number of millipedes on the path at Hidden Lake.

Millipede

Thius little scarab (1/4") was in the leaf litter on the forest floor next to a pond where I was trying to get a photo of Spring Peepers. I didn't get the photo, but I at least saw a few as they jumped into the pond.

A scarab, unsure of species

I saw this interesting litlle fly on one of the dandelions that were everywhere and thought it would make for a more interesting photo than just the flower by itself.

Fly on a dandelion

After seeing lots, and I mean lots, of male Red-winged Blackbirds over the past month, I finally saw females this past weekend.

Agelaius phoeniceus, Red-winged Blackbird, female

While I didn't see them together, I did see both a female and a male cardinal.

Cardinalis cardinalis, American Cardinal, female

Cardinalis cardinalis, American Cardinal, male

This Veery was a new species for me and it landed on the path about 5 feet in front of me.

Catharus fuscescens, Veery

This blue jay was the only one that sat still long enough for a photo, which is a recurring issue with the birds aroud here. It was sitting in a tree 40 feet above me an was oblivious to my presence.

Cyanocitta cristata, Blue Jay

This Rose-breasted Grosbeak was another new bird for me and was one of several I saw.

Pheucticus ludovicianus, Rose-breated Grosbeak

I finally managed to get a photo of a Downy Woodpecker, as they tend to hop about a lot, flitting from tree to tree.

Picoides pubescens, Downy Woodpecker

Another new bird for me, I was lucky enough to have one land on the path ahead of me while I already had the camera set up.

Setophaga palmarum, Palm Warbler

Yet another new bird for me, the American Goldfinch is quite a bit larger than the Lesser Goldfinches that I used to see outside my window every day back at Dove Manor.

Spinus tristis, American Goldfinch

It took me three trips before I finally was able to get a pictue of a Tree Swallow at rest, and it was worth it as their coloring is spectacular.

Tachycineta bicolor, Tree Swallow

The first time I saw these, I thought they were Bluebird houses, but once I saw a Tree Swallow fly into one, I realized my error.

Tree Swallow Nesting Box

The last of the new species for me, this guy took me on quite a ride before I finally got this photo.

Mniotilta varia, Black-and-white Warbler

Wildflowers are really coming into their own and I wasn't disappointed by the variety of species that were in bloom. Even though I'd never seen one in the wild, I immediately knew what this was, some of the others took me longer to identify.