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Dee Hudson Photography

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Dee Hudson Photography

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  • Nature's fall prairie quilt blankets Fameflower Knob, beginning with the patch of green coreopsis stems in the foreground, followed by a stand of yellow Canada goldenrod, and then all surrounded by orange–red little bluestem grass.
    A Mozaic of Coreopsis, Goldenrod & L..stem
  • Reflections of branches emerge from the tree-shaped melting river ice. Nature has created a beautiful winter scene.
    7260.jpg
  • 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
  • A natural “tree hugger.” As a land steward, I was removing small cherry trees from the prairie when I discovered this tree frog grasping a branch targeted for destruction. He saved the cherry tree from total annihilation, since I could not possibly remove the perch (yet!).
    Cope's Gray Tree Frog
  • Monarch Station at Nature Fest
  • A leaf is frozen among the ice bubbles in this lake at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL.
    Ice Sculpture006.tif
  • Gently blowing in the autumn breeze, a soft light gently illuminates the showy bronze–colored seeds. Not only beautiful, Indian grass is a great food source for native wildlife, with plenty of seeds for both birds and small mammals.
    Indian Grass
  • Monarch Butterfly Eggs
  • As waterfalls freeze, they form intricate pillars of ice that create beautiful winter landscape designs.
    Ice Sculpture009.tif
  • Lichen
  • Sunset casts a warm glow that illuminates this arching ice formation.
    Ice Sculpture007.tif
  • Colors and design are captured in the frozen ice below a waterfall.
    Ice Sculpture008.tif
  • This ornate box turtle's shell is damaged above his head. Perhaps another animal tried to see what he tasted like. <br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
    Ornate Box Turtle
  • Hiking the Trillium Gap Trail in the Smoky Mountains, this picturesque waterfall was my reward at the end of the climb. What is really unique about Grotto Falls is that I was able to also hike behind the falls, as the trail is carved right into the rock face at the waterfall's back.
    Grotto Falls
  • Perseverance_MG_5777.jpg
  • Perseverance 15
  • 0480.jpg
  • The lavender spikes of the Gayfeather ascend from the prairie and sway in the gentle wind at sunset. Growing in mass like this, they are absolutely stunning! Gayfeather or Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
    Gayfeathers at Sunset
  • 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
  • Mint Delight 20
  • 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
  • This beautiful prairie forb (flower) can be found throughout the prairie, blooming July through September. The purple and feathery flower heads are interesting because they begin blooming first at the top and then continue onward to the bottom. They are quite striking in bloom, especially in mass plantings. The Gayfeather is a great source of food for wildlife, providing nectar for butterflies, bees, and birds. Gayfeather or Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
    Gayfeather
  • Silky Parachutes
  • 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
  • Dew drops create an intricate piece of art on this foggy autumn morning, with each tiny hair decorated with fleeting beads of condensation.
    Indian Grass
  • Amber and Blue
  • The Porcupine Grass seed is very unique, with a furry tip that comes to a very sharp point, like a porcupine quill. Read more about this grass in my blog entry called "Porcupines in the Prairie." https://deehudsonphotography.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/porcupines-in-the-prairie/
    Porcupine Grass
  • 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
  • Prairie Switch Grass is a native grass that thrives in the hot, dry prairies of Illinois. With the dew drops glistening, the Switch Grass greets the dawn of a new day.
    Switch Grass
  • Gray Tree Frog
  • Black Saddlebags Dragonfly
  • Watch out prairie grasses! The Downy Yellow Painted Cup is coming for you! This native plant is unique because it is hemiparasitic.  The Downy Yellow Painted Cup will attach itself to other plants, mainly grasses, and shares some of their nutrients and water. This plant flourishes in the dry soil along the side of this hill, among its hosts of low–growing grasses and sedges. Downy Yellow Painted Cup (Castilleja sessiliflora)
    Downy Yellow Painted Cup
  • Cream Wild Indigo
  • Butterfly Weed
  • The purple wild lupines and heart-leaved zizia
    Lupine Landscape
  • _MG_9747
  • This Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadesis) was a glorious greeting in the early misty morning. Though it provides lovely color in early autumn, this particular species can become invasive in the prairie. The Canada goldenrod can multiply quickly and form dense large patches that prevent other species from establishing. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
    Canada Goldenrod
  • Awaiting a strong gust of wind . . .
    Milkweed Seed
  • 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
  • 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 love watching this bird's aerobatic flight as it catches its insect prey right out of the air.<br />
<br />
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
    Tree Swallow
  • Elegant on its slender & leafless stems, the Western Sunflower danced in the early morning breeze. The blooms brighten the prairie landscape in late summer and create a breathtaking scene when they grow amongst the purple Rough Blazingstar. This native prairie bloom is actually rather short for a sunflower, growing only 2-3 feet tall. Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)
    Western Sunflower
  • Lupine
  • Lupine
  • 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
  • Bottle Gentian
  • 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
  • It is still and quiet on this foggy morning. As the sun begins its hazy climb, I scan the pond for any beavers, but I do not see them. What a lovely wetland the beavers have created along the small creek! It has become a home for frogs & toads, turtles, wetland birds and muskrat.
    Secret Waters
  • As the morning fog lifts, the little bluestem grass emerges in all its autumn orangey–red glory.
    Unveiled
  • 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
  • The White–lined Sphinx moth sips from a thistle.<br />
<br />
White–lined Sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)
    White–lined Sphinx Moth
  • "What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." — Aldo Leopold. As I crouched low to frame my shot the light edged just above the horizon and created a beautiful and unexpected sunburst. Standing tall (these were around 9-10 feet) this native prairie plant has become one of my favorites. I photographed these at Nachusa Grasslands, where the Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) is once again beginning to tickle the bison bellies!<br />
<br />
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)
    Compass Plant
  • Conflowers & Black-eyed Susans
  • The splendor of the rough blazing star on a quiet evening in the prairie.
    Quiet Splendor
  • The four different Silphiums found growing in the prairie are all bright and sunny, and they all are very tall. The Rosinweed is no exception in the height department, standing up to six feet tall. Not only does this flower stretch high to the sky, but the Rosinweed also sinks deep below the ground, an impressive fourteen feet! This beautiful and cheerful flower attracts many pollinators, especially bees. Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)
    Rosinweed
  • Vibrant Blush
  • Beautiful frozen ice drops shaped like a cow's udder.
    Ice Sculpture002.tif
  • Pale Purple Coneflower
  • Swamp Milkweed
  • The pale purple coneflower is a very showy flower, especially when planted in mass or with other flowers of contrasting color. This sunrise view looks eastward over the Gobbler Ridge unit at Clear Creek Knolls. Volunteer stewards, Bernie & Cindy Buchholz, planted this stretch of prairie in 2011. Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
    Coneflower Sunrise
  • Gayfeather
  • Frozen water drops pool in layers at the base of a waterfall at Starved Rock State Park.
    Ice Sculpture004.tif
  • 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
  • The Wood Betony creates a lovely yellow carpet across Nachusa Grasslands prairie in the springtime. This lovely plant is actually parasitic on tall grasses, allowing the shorter grasses and flowers to populate areas of the prairie. The flowers are also a favorite bumblebee stop.
    Wood Betony
  • 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!
  • Warm winter days create interesting lines among the frozen lake ice.
    Ice Sculpture005.tif
  • Monarch Caterpillar
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 />
<br />
Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)
    Red Milkweed Beetle
  • Solidago 02
  • New Image
  • 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 />
<br />
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
    Mourning Cloak
  • All afternoon I watched this mama–to–be gather dry grass to line her nest. Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
    Eastern Cottontail
  • Chiseled Energy
  • Dreamy Muskrat
  • 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
  • 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
  • American Bullfrog
  • White–tailed Deer
  • 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
  • I photographed these lovely Virginia Bluebells blooming in Fullersburg Woods (Oak Brook, Illinois). <br />
<br />
Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica
    Virginia Bluebells
  • Propelled through the prairie's bounty, this seed–eater finds plenty to eat here!<br />
<br />
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
    Goldfinch
  • 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
  • This lovely Illinois wildflower brightens the woodland floor in springtime, with its delicate bloom resting on the top of a slender stem.<br />
<br />
False Rue Anemone (Enemion biternatum)
    False Rue Anemone
  • _MG_0728-Edit.jpg
  • The moment when all my life is simplified.
    Serene Haven
  • Surreal
  • I enjoyed watching this heron fish off the shore of Mustang Island, Texas. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
    Great Blue Heron
  • A young black bear in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada.
    Black Bear
  • 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
  • The soft sunlight gently backlights this Celandine Poppy. This beauty is a native Illinois flower that can be found in stellar woodlands. Sadly the non–native and invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) threatens its very existence. Pull, pull, pull that garlic mustard!!!<br />
<br />
Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
    Celandine Poppy
  • Soft light touches this celandine poppy amidst the Virginia bluebells. The bristly blue-green seed pods simply glow in the late afternoon light.<br />
<br />
Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
    Celandine Poppy & Bluebells
  • Autumn in Ryerson Woods
  • MightyOak
  • This showy beardtongue is an Illinois state-endangered plant. This particular plant here is the first large-flowered beardtongue I had ever seen. When I saw it in the field, it was so eye-catching that I immediately walked over to examine and photograph it.
    Large-flowered Beardtongue
  • 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
  • This plant is a legume species — a type of plant with seeds that develop inside pods, like peas or beans. See how stunning the seed pods look when they are backlit by the sun! <br />
<br />
I am always amazed by the way this plant disperses its seeds. The pods are covered with little tiny hooked hairs that will grab hold of anything or anyone that brushes up against them. Thank goodness the seeds release easily, for many times my photography clothes and equipment are covered in these rascally clinging pods. Illinois Tick Trefoil (Desmodium Illinoense)
    Tick Trefoil
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