More Dragonflies

Last Friday we went to the Monclova Sandpits and the Hockey Pond to monitor Puccoon and Porcupine Grass.  

The fields were overgrown with Oak saplings and hardly recognizable from our previous trip this spring.  We tried to find Missouri Rock Cress, but were unable.  It may have been there hiding under the saplings - or was shaded out.

It is almost impossible to photograph Porcupine Grass, so I aimed my lens at the many dragonflies.

Eastern Pondhawk (?)

Clubtail (?)

Whitetail (?)

The last two dragonflies were at the edge of the Hockey Pond.  We went there looking for this little fellow - Northern Appressed Clubmoss.  There is an Oak leaf to the left of the photo for size comparison.

The only other location in the state for this rare plant is at The Nature Conservancy's Kitty Todd Preserve.  

It was having quite a fine year.  From a 3 or 4 inch straight line a few years ago, it has spread to about 0.4 square meters.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

The garden is doing very well this year.  

The mild winter and the wet spring helped.

This Clematis is one of the few with a fragrance.  

The white blossoms stand out early and late in the day, when I tend to be on the patio.

My friend and neighbor Johnna McWeeny gave me the Indigo above and the Siberian Iris below - two of my favorite plants.

The nesting birds have been having a hard time of it this year.  

The House Wren chased out the Chickadees that were trying to nest in the gourd out front, but were then raided by the Raccoon.  

The Tufted Titmice have not been seen in many weeks.  

And the Red-bellied Woodpeckers disappeared yesterday.  I saw a Starling go in and out of the hole this morning.  In all likelihood, the Raccoon raided the nest the night before last.

So far this season - Raccoons 3, Birds 0

Puccoon

Yesterday we monitored Puccoon.  There is a lot of it, so we separated to cover more ground.  I headed out with Jerry and Larry to what is known as the "plane crash site",  near the intersection of Girdham and Sayer Roads.  

It was a relatively cool morning, and we surprised a Blue Racer basking in the sun on the horse trail.  His blue scales were almost fluorescent.  Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with the camera.

The site is becoming overgrown by the surrounding woods.  There were still Lupine and Puccoon, but very few compared to past years.

I think this is a female Common Whitetail Dragonfly.

We finished up at Jerry's Meadow (just south of Girdham and Oak Openings Parkway) looking for Prickly Pear Cactus. 

The meadow was full of blooming Spider wort.