Welcome to my nature blog!

Welcome to my nature blog!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

SUMMER SOLSTICE AT DIAMOND GROVE PRAIRIE



Diamond Grove Prairie

 “I was raised on country sunshine, green grass beneath my feet.  
Running through fields of daisies, wading through the creek.”
--Country Sunshine by Dottie West 

I was not raised in the country, I grew up in suburban St. Louis.  But that did not stop me from seeking out any tiny patch of green grass, fields of flowers, or a creek to wade in when I was young.  Summer was an endless time of staying outdoors hours at a time, exploring natural places, and searching for anything wild; turtles, snakes, bugs, and lots of dirt. Not yet coming into my “naturalist mentality” yet, I brought home handfuls of wildflowers to grace our home. So it was fitting that I spent the summer solstice at a prairie.  



black eyed susan



golden winged skimmer
Diamond Grove dressed itself in my favorite color, yellow, for the first day of summer.  Purple headed sneeze-weed,  crownbeard, black eyed susans, and coreopsis created a yellow carpet wonderland for butterflies, dragonflies, and birds. 





sensitive brier
Contrasting colors came from bright red-orange indian paint brush, blue spider-wort, and pink sensitive brier. Hard to find milkwort, wild petunia, and deptford pinks shyly hid in the under story of the tall grasses.  It was a morning of prize after prize!


wild petunia



The longest day of the year is a great time to visit a prairie.  You can avoid the hot mid-day heat, and still have a lot of daylight in the cooler morning and evening.  Don't worry if you missed the opportunity today, tomorrow is the second longest day of the year!  




false dragonhead and purple headed sneezeweed