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Dee Hudson Photography

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  • Nature created an animal shape frozen in the ice. What animal do you see? I see a beaver with his paws and head emerging from the ice.
    Ice Sculpture001.tif
  • This large bull moved toward the field where the stewards were weed managing, so a very quick retreat to the truck occurred. When a six foot tall, 1,000-2,000 pound animal chooses a site to graze, rest, or wallow, he always gets his choice! This particular bull appears to prefer this hill, perhaps because the soil is sandy. Notice the swarm of insects around this bull . . . no wonder he wallows so often! As one of the mature bulls in the herd, he will probably dominate and breed with a majority of the cows in the herd during the mating season, from July through September.
    Bison
  • I had the opportunity to follow U.S. Fish & Wildlife into a wetland habitat at Nachusa Grasslands to monitor the Blandings turtle. This is an endangered turtle in Illinois. They face many obstacles to reproduction — habitat loss, predation by man and other animals, and a slow maturation rate. Females mature around 18 years of age and males around 12 years. To help this turtle, support organizations that conserve their habitats! Blandings Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
    Blandings Turtle
  • This female Barred Owl was probably hit by a car. She was brought to the wildlife rehabilitation center in 2004 with a beak fracture, a misaligned jaw, a fractured toe and a vision impairment in her right eye. Due to the extent of her injuries, this owl cannot be released back into nature and remains a permanent resident at the center.
    Raptors 04
  • Otis, a Screech Owl, came to the rehab center in 1998 for treatment on a broken wing. Though small, she is feisty, and she chewed off her bandages. Otis flapped around and caused a more serious and permanent injury to her wing in a different place, thus preventing her release back into the wild. <br />
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Male and female Screech Owls look the same in appearance and for years Otis was thought to be a male. When Otis received a male cage mate, she surprised everyone by laying eggs.
    Raptors 05
  • Andre, a magnificent male Great Horned Owl, has lost all vision in his right eye.
    Raptors 06
  • Two Red–tailed Hawks flew across the road directly in front of my car. I quickly followed them into an abandoned school yard. Luckily I had my camera with me and also my telephoto lens. As I exited the car with my camera, I could not find the hawks anywhere. Then, to my surprise, one hawk landed on the chain link fence about 15 feet away from me. I congratulated myself for being in the right place at the right time and snapped off several shots. I expected the small birds down the fence to fly away from the hawk, but they seemed unperturbed. Red–tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
    Red–tailed hawk
  • Posing for my camera, is a Wisconsin–threatened species, the Wood Turtle. Biking along the Bearskin Trail in northern Wisconsin this Fall, I see a dark mound ahead on the path. I suspected a snapping turtle. To my surprise, it was a turtle I had never seen before, a Wood Turtle. This turtle lives amongst the forested land along river and streams (riparian wetlands). Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta)
    Wood Turtle
  • Andre, a male Great Horned Owl, was found injured along an interstate by a wildlife keeper. He was probably struck by a car. Though he is totally blind in his right eye, this left eye is quite beautiful.
    Raptors 03
  • This male peregrine falcon, exhibited at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, IL, sustained a permanent vision impairment to his right eye. This vision loss affects his ability to hunt successfully in the wild, because with only one good eye, he cannot judge distance accurately.
    Raptors 02
  • This is the largest frog where I live, in DuPage County, Illinois. In fact, this species is the largest frog in Illinois and in North America. They will eat about anything they can fit in their large mouths. The male can be heard singing "jug–o–rum, jug–o–rum." Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
    Bullfrog
  • Walking obliviously past empty mussel shells and narrow trails exiting the water, I nearly missed a family of muskrats. As it was nearly twilight, these busy rodents were feeding along the water's bank during the cooler evening hours.
    Muskrat
  • The Fox Snake prefers to live in open grasslands, so prairies are a perfect habitat for them. For food, the snake will feast on many small rodents, like mice & voles. Being a constrictor, the snake will coil its body around the prey to subdue it. Often Fox Snakes are mistaken for rattlesnakes, for when they are bothered, they vibrate their tails against dry grass or leaves, and it sounds like the rattle of a rattlesnake.
    Fox Snake
  • All afternoon I watched this mama–to–be gather dry grass to line her nest. Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
    Eastern Cottontail
  • Peregrine falcons are best known for the incredible speeds they attain in a dive after their prey. They have been clocked in their 'stoop' or dive, at over 200 mph. This falcon, Zeus, was brought to Willowbrook Wildlife Center for care in 2004. He was found injured in a driveway in Elmhurst, probably due to a collision with a car.
    Raptors 01
  • Dreamy Muskrat
  • This female Great Horned Owl was found injured in a sludge pit in 1991. She needed rehabilitation for the extensive muscle damage she suffered to her left wing. Though permanently disabled, she has been an incredible ambassador for her species, as a favorite bird used in Raptor Outreach programs.
    Raptors003.tif
  • American Bullfrog
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • "My Prairie!"<br />
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A female Red–winged Blackbird protests my presence. I must be too close to her nest.<br />
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Red–winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
    Red–Winged Blackbird
  • Dweller 10
  • Monarch Caterpillar
  • A female Red–winged Blackbird grasps the stems of the big bluestem grass, a native tall grass found in prairies.<br />
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Red–winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
    Red–Winged Blackbird
  • I love watching this bird's aerobatic flight as it catches its insect prey right out of the air.<br />
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Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
    Tree Swallow
  • Propelled through the prairie's bounty, this seed–eater finds plenty to eat here!<br />
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American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
    Goldfinch
  • "Clinging to Habitat." <br />
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A Dickcissel grasps the pale purple coneflower.<br />
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Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
    Dickcissel
  • The White–lined Sphinx moth sips from a thistle.<br />
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White–lined Sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)
    White–lined Sphinx Moth
  • It is amazing how well the White–tailed deer can camouflage in the prairie for such a large mammal.<br />
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White–tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
    Deer
  • Raccoon
  • White–tailed Deer
  • 20 Bison
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • Monarch Butterfly Eggs
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • Monarch Butterfly Chrysalis
  • Monarch Caterpillar
  • A male Dickcissel patrols his territory. This grassland bird will actively defend good nesting and feeding sites from other males. <br />
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Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
    Dickcissel
  • Bison Calf
  • This long–horned beetle is one of the few insects that can feed on the milkweed plant. This red beetle eats the leaves, the buds and the flowers, easily tolerating the toxins in this poisonous plant.<br />
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Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)
    Red Milkweed Beetle
  • Bison fur is very thick, with two layers. The inner layer is soft and wooly, and helps regulate their body temperature, providing great winter insulation so that snow can sit on their backs without melting. The outer layer of fur is the dark–chocolate brown color we see. This fur is coarser and provides the bison protection from the elements. They all have scraggly beards on their chins, some longer than others.
    Bison Close–up
  • Juvenile Pheasant
  • With its legs tucked closely under the tail, this eagle is presently streamlined for some quick speed. Flying level like this, the eagle can reach speeds of 30-35 miles per hour.
    Bald Eagle
  • Hoverflies can be seen 'hovering' around these Spiderwort flowers. They resemble bees, but I know this is a fly because it only has two wings (one pair).<br />
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Hoverfly (Toxomerus marginatus)
    A Hoverfly on Spiderwort
  • A young black bear in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada.
    Black Bear
  • Here a Mourning Cloak butterfly feeds on the nectar of the common milkweed flower. This awesome butterfly does not migrate, but instead has the amazing ability to hibernate and survive through the very cold winters on the prairie. To survive, they produce chemicals in their body that prevent them from freezing.<br />
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Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
    Mourning Cloak
  • White–lined Sphinx Moth
  • Opossumly adorable! I actually think they're pretty cute — look at that pink nose. I spotted her walking slowly and very gingerly through the snow, finally disappearing down a hole. I usually don't see possums during the daylight, but after the past two -25+ degree nights, she smartly came out to forage when it was warmer.
    Opossum
  • Although robins are very common in Illinois, they are a welcome sight in early spring and I really enjoy their cheery song. This one was running and hopping along the grass near the water. The robin paused a quick moment, with the light perfectly illuminating his orange–red breast, and I could not resist its striking pose. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
    Robin
  • I enjoyed watching this heron fish off the shore of Mustang Island, Texas. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
    Great Blue Heron
  • While visiting Sanibel Island, I would often sit on the beach and watch this wading bird probe for its food along the shore. White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
    White Ibis
  • The Black Swallowtail caterpillar feeds on plants in the carrot family, like dill and parsley. This caterpillar was photographed munching on a Queen Anne's Lace plant (Daucus carota), also a member of the carrot family. Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes)
    Black Swallowtail
  • After about 9 1/2 months gestation, the bison calf is born in April and May, weighing between 40 and 60 pounds. The calf is born with orange–red fur, which will change to dark brown in a few months. The mother is very protective of the calf and they stay together for about a year, or until the next calf is born.
    Bison Cow & Calf
  • Bison Herd Grazing
  • This Brown Pelican extends its wings to balance and ride the waves as it feeds. Schools of fish lie close to the surface near Mustang Island, so the pelican can dip its bill under water and easily catch a pouch full. Pelicans have been listed as endangered since 1970. Eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
    Brown Pelican
  • The Ornate Box turtle has been on Illinois’s threatened species list since 2009. This box turtle is very fancy, or ‘ornate,’ with bright yellow stripes radiating across its shell. The turtle favors a prairie habitat that has open grasslands for hunting insects, spiders, worms and vegetation and also likes sandier soils suitable for digging burrows. This turtle species is unique, for it has a hinged plastron (the shell on the turtle’s underside), which allows the turtle to completely pull its head, tail and legs inside the shell for protection.
    Ornate Box Turtle
  • Gray Tree Frog
  • Sitting so still on a cool September morning, I could not resist the stunning beauty of this dragonfly covered in hundreds of tiny dew drops. Usually dragonflies are on the move, but at sunrise on a cool fall day, they are pretty immobile. Black Saddlebags Dragonfly (Tramea lacerata)
    Black Saddlebags Dragonfly
  • Black Saddlebags Dragonfly
  • This toad has puffed himself up to appear larger and more threatening so I will not want to eat him. He is quite safe from me, for I only want him as a model for a few minutes. I found him in the woods on a warm autumn day, hopping around in the leaf litter. American Toad (Bufo americanus)
    American Toad
  • Bison are grazers, with grasses being their favorite food. In fact, their diet consists of ninety–nine percent grass! As residents in a prairie, the bison are quite an attraction, but they actually have an important job to do. As they continually graze on the grasses, they open up space for the forbs (the beautiful flowers) to compete and flourish, creating a lot of plant diversity in the prairie. During a typical day, an adult bison may consume about thirty pounds of grass.
    Bison Eating
  • Both male and female bison have horns. In general, the base of the horn will be larger on a male than on a female. The horn tips on the male bison will tend to point upwards, while the horn tips on the females will curve slightly inward, towards the head. The inside of the horn is made of bone, while the outside is covered in keratin (similar to our fingernails and hair). Horns are not shed like antlers, but will remain attached to the bison’s skulls for their entire life. If the horn is damaged during a fight or while digging, the outside keratin cap may fall off. It will not grow back, though the bony inside will harden and remain.
    Hello Ladies!
  • The Sedge Wren nests in sedges and grasses, so prairies are great habitats for this small bird. Before this image was captured, I was making a “pishing” sound with my lips. The wren became very interested and moved in closer. He flew to a nearby clump of Big Bluestem grass and sang his song. Then, he dropped to the ground and walked towards me, hidden among the prairie plants. All of a sudden, he popped up from the ground onto the seed heads of this Cinquefoil, only to sing me a parting tune.
    8x10Sedgewren_MG_9630.psd
  • Adult bulls can weigh as much as a small car (like the Scion Smart car), approximately 1,800-2,000 pounds. At this weight, it is surprising how fast they can run (35-40 mph). Take a closer look though, and you will see that they are very lean and “all muscle.”
    Lone Bull
  • I photographed this majestic eagle soaring over the Mississippi River. Due to the coloration under the wings and on the face and beak, I believe this is a 3rd–year eagle.
    Bald Eagle
  • This ornate box turtle's shell is damaged above his head. Perhaps another animal tried to see what he tasted like. <br />
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Prairie restoration demands hard, tedious and sweaty physical labor. The work is rewarding when the results create a habitat that allows this threatened Illinois turtle to flourish.<br />
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Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
    Ornate Box Turtle