I was at Muscatatuck national Wildlife Refuge this weekend. It was a new (to me) place to explore. This little jewel of a NWR is tucked into an area near Seymour, IN. It has marsh areas, trails to hike, places to launch boats for fishing and lots of potential for bird sightings.
The Visitor's Center has a very welcoming planting of native plants. The Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies were making themselves welcome for sure. This gave me the urge to go home and plant more natives.
We saw lots of birds in the marshes including this Green Heron.
The next day we went to our usual birding destination and we found that the lotus was abloom. I just love this wildflower. It is beautiful in any stage of its life. In the photo below you can see each stage from bud to the seed pods.
There are still lots of field birds apparent even though they are beginning to flock up. Breeding season is about to come to an end. It just doesn't seem possible. This female Dicksissle has a grasshopper in her mouth. No doubt going to take it to a nestling. We had lots of fledglings being fed this weekend.
I hope everyone has plenty of fun memories of their weekend and have eased into their work week. I want to thank my DB for taking all of these close up photos for me.
The Visitor's Center has a very welcoming planting of native plants. The Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies were making themselves welcome for sure. This gave me the urge to go home and plant more natives.
We saw lots of birds in the marshes including this Green Heron.
The next day we went to our usual birding destination and we found that the lotus was abloom. I just love this wildflower. It is beautiful in any stage of its life. In the photo below you can see each stage from bud to the seed pods.
There are still lots of field birds apparent even though they are beginning to flock up. Breeding season is about to come to an end. It just doesn't seem possible. This female Dicksissle has a grasshopper in her mouth. No doubt going to take it to a nestling. We had lots of fledglings being fed this weekend. 
I hope everyone has plenty of fun memories of their weekend and have eased into their work week. I want to thank my DB for taking all of these close up photos for me. 
Lisa, I did not know of this place. have been through Seymore manytines, but missed it. Your pictures are great and I know you enjoyed seeing all those birds. I have been seeing blue heron early in the morenings standing in or flying near our little streams. I think they are such an elegant bird when standing, but look so gangly when flying. I think it must be those long legs sticking out behind. :)
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful pictures. What a nice place to visit and see the "wild side" of Indiana!
ReplyDeleteCarol, May Dreams Gardens
I am super happy. Actually, I love all these shots. All the same, all my favourite!!
ReplyDeleteThe butterfly shot with lovely accented colour is too hard to resist!
Sounds like a beautiful place Lisa. I'd also like some native wildflowers in my yard and am contemplating scattering seed all about my tree line in the back. :c)
ReplyDeleteWhat a flawless shot with the butterfly! You should frame that!I hope we are flooded with butterflies soon.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing your birds, Lisa, and learning of new species I'm not familiar with. But most of all, I do love that butterfly photo! Isn't it fun to discover new places to explore? So often there are little "jewels," as you say not far from home. Yesterday I took Sophie to the nearby Forest Preserve--less than 10 min. from our house--for practice in walking in strange places and realized I hadn't been to this place in more than 5 years!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice place to visit. I enjoy walking around and seeing the native plants and wild creatures. Haven't had much time to do that this year. Maybe in autumn.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Sounds like an interesting place to visit. I love the shot of the dicksissle and the butterfly on the coneflower.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you photographed the lotus! They are a beautiful plant! Great photos of the flowers with the seed pods!
ReplyDeleteLove the second shot Lisa, very nice post.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Lisa, its great to discover new places or to rediscover places after many years. Great to see your butterflies too. Thanks, yes, I had a fun visit myself :-D
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, that is a wonderful spot, something for everyone. That is a sad note, the season is progressing and the last of the baby birds will fly the coop. There is a batch of peeping young ones in a bird house that are really keeping the parent house wrens busy. Soon it will be quiet when we walk to the compost bin to toss stuff. Already?
ReplyDeleteFrances
Hi Lisa....the butterfly on the coneflower is such a lovely photograph BUT
ReplyDeletethe last one is like a painting....a soft watercolour.....I love it......
Lisa, I love when you educate me about birds...I've learned so much! The heron is great looking. I wonder when the birthing season ends in the middle south...probably similar to your time frame...but I'll miss them when the yard quiets down. This morning at the nursery, I watched a bee try to get into one of the flowers of a Calibrachoa...too small, but he happily landed on the coneflowers. natives do bring on the critters. gail
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great *new* place for outdoor adventures. I cannot decided whether I like the Great Spangled Fritillary or the Dicksissle photograph best. They are different but both great.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a wonderful place. I drove through IN twice in the last week, along I-70 to/from Colorado Springs. Are there decent gardens in Indianapolis?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I so appreciate visitors centers that make sense of what is going on around us. I love to firm up my soft knowledge of the world around me. Your photos and text are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I love the bees...well, and the birds, and of naturally the butterflies. Dang, I love them all. I will have to add these photos to my collection of reference photos for you. I hope to mail something mid week. I have not been tip-top but close to having my little goodies ready to send out. A bee is buzzing into your future.
ReplyDelete