by Carl Strang
Photos from Mayslake Forest Preserve have been accumulating, so today’s post covers a miscellany. Two of the subjects were additions to the preserve’s species list. I have been there for more than 5 years, so this testifies to the dynamism of that ecosystem.
The two-striped grasshopper is distinctive enough that I should have noticed it before if it were any kind of significant presence.
This view shows how the grasshopper got its name. Notice the bright red tibias.
The other new species was a turtle.
Though this large map turtle was sunning at Mays’ Lake, it’s a short crawl from Trinity Lake, which is much more extensive and would account for my not having observed this critter before.
The remaining photos are of organisms I have seen before at the preserve, but are uncommon.
Swamp rose mallow is hard to miss.
The tiny skimming bluet always is a delight.
The spotted spreadwing, a relatively late-season species, signals that summer is on the wane.
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