Saturday, September 08, 2007

Whetstone Park and Prairie

After visiting the art show at Whetstone park on this super humid day, Megan and I ventured down to the Whetstone prairie, a project organized by a group called Columbus Wild Ones.

Although the plants growing in the prairie are very much past their prime, there are still several interesting things to be seen.

All summer long, I really didn't have a good chance at photographing a Monarch butterfly. Well, one was hanging out, nectaring on some goldenrod, and this guy seemed happy to be photographed.

 


Fall is the time for symphyotrichums. It used to be the time for asters, but botanists have decided to go with a different naming system for the plants formerlly known as asters. At least scientifically. The north american Asters have now become It is still perfectly acceptable to still call this heart-leaved aster for the common name but drop aster and add Symphyotrichum to your botanical dictionary.

 


There were hundreds of goldfinches in the prairie. They were mostly after the seeds of leaf-cup, of which there were hundreds of plants here reaching over ten feet tall. This individual is a female "goldenfinchie" (this is what goldfinches are called by some in Maine.)

 


Finally, a skipper. This butterfly may be a Peck's skipper, Polites peckius. That is the closest species I could come up with using the Kaufman focus guide to butterflies. What a beautiful animal. This insect appears to be nectaring on this Liatris , which was planted here at Whetsone.

 
Posted by Picasa

No comments:

Post a Comment