On Tuesday, a storm moved through much of Nebraska and surrounding states, bringing very strong winds (gusts to 50-70 mph) and varying amounts of rain and snow. Schools were shut down, including here in Aurora, and most people just stayed inside.

HOWEVER. Right before the storm there was a beautiful, calm, foggy morning and I made a quick trip to my square meter plot to say hi before the winds hit. You might think there’d be nothing happening in the prairie on a foggy early March morning. Well, there wasn’t a ton of activity, but there was plenty to see, and I spent about 40 minutes trying to see it all.

When I arrived, I chased off a couple sparrows/ They were probably tree sparrows, but I didn’t get a good look at them. I didn’t add them to my species list for the project because A) I didn’t identify them, B) I didn’t photograph them, and C) I already have photos of tracks in the snow that are likely tree sparrow tracks. Those sparrows, and maybe other animals, though, have really been working over the sunflowers in the plot.

Most of the heads of those sunflowers have been torn apart as various critters have scoured them for any remaining seeds. In addition, as you can see in the above photo, most of the sunflower stems have been knocked down – I assume from a combination of snow, wind, and perching birds.

Birds aren’t the only thing feeding on sunflower seed heads, though. There were small exit holes in several of the sunflower heads within the plot. I photographed them and then sent a photo to my friend M.J. Paulsen at the University of Nebraska. As he usually does, he responded quickly with helpful information.

M.J. said there are three different moth species whose larvae can make exit holes in sunflower heads. Based on the size of the hold and the look of the sunflower, though, his best guess was that these were made by the sunflower bud moth (Suleima helianthana). (I did add that species to my list because even if it’s one of the other two, it would still be a new addition.)

In addition to appreciating the little holes in sunflower heads, I also had fun just exercising my camera and brain. It’s been a relatively slow winter for photography. There hasn’t been a lot of frost or snow, which both draw me out into the field. I’ve also been busy with other things. Either way, it was really nice to switch on my photographer/explorer brain for a while.

The remaining photos are examples of me just looking for patterns, light, and beauty – which has been the best part of this whole square meter project, anyway. As I keep telling people, the species list is fun, but the real joy comes from making myself focus closely on one little area and see things I wouldn’t otherwise notice. I highly recommend it.