Dog walk in the tall grass

[kgd]

Poor mutts haven't gotten a good walk in for a little bit so I went to the little prairie behind my house to let them romp. It was hot enough today that their romping seemed to take the wind out of them and by the end of the walk they plopped onto the living room floor and quickly panted themselves to sleep.

This time of year, when the ground is dry, I really like to get in the thick of it and wade through the tall grasses. You always get a better view of the plants and insects that way.

There is lots of milkweed back here. A good haven for Monarch butterflies and great breeding ground for fall/winter tinder!

Flushed out a couple of deer in the prairie. Its always hard to for me to get a good shot of them with my two dogs doing perimeter runs around me. If you look closely you can see its white tail springing up in the center of the shot.

Golden rod gulls are produced by a small grub in the stock. Right now they are very small, but by the winter they can be the size of a nice fat little maggot. Perfect for fishing or a desperate protein snack.

more coming....

 

[kgd]

A large Prairie Dock plant. At first I confused it with burdock which has more indented leaves and darker foliage. Unlike burdock, this plant and its taproot is mildly toxic although there is some text out there that indicates some traditional medicinal uses. The large leaves would appear to be useful for waterproofing shelters!

One thing about the prairie is there is always some type of flash tinder to be found.

What I was trying to hunt for today was a praying mantis to take pictures of. Unfortunately no luck, but I'll keep looking. I haven't found any this year. Curiously there was what I felt a distinct absence of grasshoppers. Usually they are popping about all over the place but I had a real struggle to find them. This was one of the few specimens I came across on my walk today.

One for Joezilla because he so loves the honeybees!

 

[TheGame]

Great pics, Ken. Looks like you had a great time out there. Thanks for sharing.

 

[CWL]

Great photos!

I've got a border collie and a beagle and they love to go chase cottontails in the hills behind our home.

Do you have ticks in your area? Too many around here, unfortunately.

 

[kgd]

We do have ticks, but they don't seem too bad right now. Fortunately. The heat of the day, one of the few hot ones this summer, did a good job of driving down the skeeters also.

 

[Mentor]

Great stuff, Ken. I always appreciate the descriptions of local flora, as my knowledge is usually limited to observations like "that one, with the green leaves".

All the best,

- Mike

 

[HikingMano]

Thanks for the great post Ken :thumbup: You took some really great pics! What's on your finger in the second pic in post #2? Is that an aphid?

 

[kgd]

Thats the gull grub - tiny now, nice and fat by the fall

 

[HikingMano]

Ah! I see, didn't catch that the first time around. I hope you take some pics of full grown ones in the fall .

 

[pitdog]

Great pics as always buddy and I'm really liking that Koyote blade !!!

 

[kgd]

Thanks Pit - this blade is really growing on me fast!

 

[Joezilla]

I LOVE the bug pics! thank you so much for sharing! Your dogs look like skunks amongst the field. That bee is not a honeybee, but a ground dwelling species which doesn't make the honey. I still love 'em anyway! Thanks for the super clear insect pics! !~

 

[milani74]

Very nice pics. That area seems like all of the ground plants are competing for sunlight and racing to see who wins.

 

[sasha]

love the pics... not many things are more fun then to watch dogs have fun running around and playing..

 

[Rockywolf]

Great pics! And the Koyote is awesome. What sort of camera are you using to get such clear close-ups?

 

[Bushman5]

awesome pics! keep em coming!

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Thats the gull grub - tiny now, nice and fat by the fall

Gull grub?

Doc

 

[fujita yuji]

Amazing pics and stories, especially the gull.
I love insects and other small creatures.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

I think he means unspecified gall grub.

Awesome pics kgd! I have a very hard time getting my dog to stay still for long enough for mi digicam to get a good shot.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Sorry, wasn't trying to be a nit picker - my brain just didn't get the connection between gull and gall. Duhhh!

Doc