Today at Shangri-Laura

Monarchs and Those Yet to Be

Perhaps it's just that it has been such a rainy year, but the summer seems to be waning already if the tattered wings of this monarch are any indication...

And yet, there are signs of new winged life yet to be...

Ruby Meadowhawk on Poppy

Last year two little poppies showed up in the garden strip along my garage near the downspout. I think they are breadbox poppies. I suspect the seeds blew in and washed down the drain to find themselves planted there, as they aren't anywhere else in the yard. They are such sweet little flowers and this year they've delighted me with more. This female ruby meadowhawk dragonfly seems to love the seedpods and can be seen there regularly these days.

Incidentally, if you enjoy the photos that I take of my humble yard and would like to see what I might find in yours, please don't hesitate to contact me about doing a custom photo shoot of your gardens. There are so many precious vignettes to capture who knows what I might discover for you. (You may want to keep me in mind if you, or someone you know, is having to move away from a beloved piece of land...wouldn't it be lovely to take a custom book or wall art of those memories along?)

Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly

The Ruby Meadowhawk is one of the most common dragonflies in the meadows and fields of northern Illinois. This is the female, more russet in color compared to the more truly scarlet colored male. They are also among the more tolerant of intrusive photographers.

Garter Snake

One thing to be said for neglecting my overgrown gardens is that it allows the other residents of our acre to thrive relatively undisturbed. I know there are a lot of people out there who don't really enjoy seeing snakes, especially large ones like this creature, but I've always delighted in seeing them.

They are beneficial in the garden, almost exclusively eating insects, while not doing the least bit of damage to plants. Larger individuals may also east small rodents, frogs and toads. I did see one eating a full grown toad once. It was horrifying and fascinating in equal measure. With the myriad of tiny toads still romping around the yard (along with a nice crop of frogs), I'm sure our resident snakes are getting a diverse diet this year.

This one was quite mellow and tolerated my presence quite a long time.

I'd actually seen a couple this day and Scott thought he might have seen some tiny ones dash through the grass (they are very fast, and about the size of large earthworms). One more reason to pay attention out on the lawn.

Amazing what an eco system a lawn is when you don't chemically treat and let it be the mix of grasses, ground ivies and low lying weeds nature insists on. While it isn't exactly a putting green, actual grass lawns have come to look so unnatural to me that I actually prefer the 'mowed weed' look. And the critters seem to prefer it, too.

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