Tag Archives: photo

Photo of the Week – October 19, 2018

Posted on by
5
Dotted gayfeather (Liatris punctata) seeds at our family prairie last weekend.

This is the season of flying fluffy seeds.  Asters, thistles, blazing stars, milkweeds, and other late season flowers are sending their seeds into the air, a few of which might actually land in a place where they can germinate.  Each of those seeds is attached to a filamentous structure, variously called a pappus or coma, depending upon the species of plant.  Those fluffy structures catch the wind and allow the seed to travel many miles, in some cases – though most land within a few meters of their origin.

Seeds that can float on the air are a nice adaptation for plants, but they are also attractive photographic subjects.  Over the last week, I’ve photographed the seeds of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), dotted gayfeather (Liatris punctata) and tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum) in some local prairies.  Here are a few of those photos for your Friday enjoyment.

Common milkweed seeds lined up inside their pod, nearly ready for launch.
A common milkweed seed temporarily hung up on big bluestem.
The coma of this milkweed seed got stuck and was drifting lazily in the breeze, having become separated from its seed.
Tall thistle seeds.  Many of these get eaten by insects before they get a chance to fly away, but at least one of these managed to escape – so far.
Dotted gayfeather seeds, backlit by the autumn sun.

Photo of the Week – March 16, 2018

Posted on by
7

Ok, here’s a little nature puzzler for you.  In today’s post, I’m including three photos from 2017 that have something in common.  Are you sharp enough to figure it out or will you need someone to point it out to you?  (Hint, the answer is not that they are all animals, live in prairies, or have legs and eyes, though all of those are true.)

These red beetles are often found feeding on milkweed plants.

This speedster was photographed in the Nebraska Sandhills.

This beetle is one of many insect species that often feed on the pollen of sunflowers.

Given the level of expertise within this blog’s readership, I figure someone will come up with the answer a few minutes after I post this.  If you think you know the answer, please put it in the comments section.  I’ll keep an eye on the comments and reply when someone’s got the answer I’m looking for.  Have a great weekend!

(If you are subscribed via email and just read posts from your email messages, you might have to click on the title of the post to see it in a web browser and view the comments.)