There is a lot I like about winter, but right now, winter is not really meeting my needs. We’ve missed the last couple of snows here, so everything outside seems very dull, flat, and blah. Today’s bright overcast light, if this was summertime, would pull me right out the door and into the prairie. It’s not summer, though, and beautiful evenly saturated light doesn’t get me very excited when there’s not much color to be found. (And of course I’m being lazy, because if I ventured out with my camera, I’d surely find SOMETHING to photograph.)
Instead, I went into my files from six months ago and found some photos I took back on July 23, 2018. The light that day was almost identical to today, but I had no difficulty finding something photograph in the prairie across town. It cheered me up to look at those photos. I hope they do the same for you.
The Prairie Ecologist 
I was especially cheered by the sight of the ambush bug. I’ve had a photo of one in my files for a few months, and hadn’t gotten around to identifying it. I was quite taken with its pink eyes. Now, I know where to begin looking to learn a bit more about it.
I laughed at the milkweed bug, too. Anyone who thinks the insects aren’t aware of our presence hasn’t tried to photograph one that keeps hiding in exactly that way.
Thanks for the inspiring bit of summer color. I sauntered over to the window & looked out to the back where my fall sown native seeds were… now covered in over a foot of snow and going through what they need to do to eventually germinate this spring. Alas, not too photogenic.