“Prairie View School Native Garden1” by Dawn Marie Staccia

Plant(s): Lavender Hyssop, Butterfly Weed, Wild Bergamot, Yellow Coneflower, Stiff Goldenrod, Purple Coneflower, Golden Alexander, Whorled Milkweed to name a few.
Photo Story: Led by teacher Melissa Barton, a group of nine fourth graders at Prairie View Elementary School in North Prairie designed and planted a butterfly garden in June, 2022. This project was inspired by the garden planted at Prairie Village Park by the Friends of North Prairie Native Gardens. Fourth graders in the Advanced Learning Program, along with some adult volunteers, planted a butterfly garden at the school with plants purchased through the Kettle Moraine Wild Ones Chapter plant sale. All together they planted 192 plants – 16 different types of flowers and grasses. There are a total of 4 photos of the school’s garden.
Equipment: Apple iPhone 13
Photo ID: 32877

“But Yet She Persisted” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Liatris Ligulistylis with monarch
Photo Story: Photo taken in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32881

“Atop the Esker” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Oaks (red, white, bur, swamp white)
Photo Story: Oak forests straddle both sides of a glacial esker in Cap Sauer’s Holding forest preserve in Palos Park, Illinois.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/2132
4.44mm
ISO45
Photo ID: 32882

“Bluebell Exuberance” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Photo Story: Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) happily seed themselves among the pavers of the walkway.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/443
4.44mm
ISO46
Photo ID: 32883

“Fiery Skipper on Boneset” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) on tall boneset (Eupatorium altissimum)
Photo Story: Bright-eyed Fiery Skipper butterfly resting on Tall Boneset (Eupatorium altissimum).
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/2132
4.44mm
ISO52
Photo ID: 32884

“Rue Anemone” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides)
Photo Story: I came across a colony of dainty white Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) sparkling on a hillside along a forest preserve trail.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/60
4.44mm
ISO86
Photo ID: 32885

“Starry Seeds” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum)
Photo Story: The colorful seed pods of Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) are even more wonderful than their starry white flowers.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/60
4.44mm
ISO57
Photo ID: 32886

“Summer Ornament” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
Photo Story: After a summer shower, blue fruits dangle and sparkle like Christmas ornaments along the graceful arching stems of Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum).
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/120
4.44mm
ISO83
Photo ID: 32887

“Wasp on Monarda” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) on wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Photo Story: The radiantly colorful Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) pops against the soft lavender hue of the wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
ƒ/1.8
1/2132
4.44mm
ISO53
Photo ID: 32888

“Native Border Second Year” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): Spiderwort (unknown Tradescantia cultivar), Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), Brown Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), Grey Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Photo Story: Second season for a native plant border that includes Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, Brown Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), and Gray Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata).
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
Photo ID: 32889

“Web in Woods” by Laurie Martin

Plant(s): none of the plants are identifiable in this photo, which was taken in a forest preserve that is home to many native trees and forbs.
Photo Story: The full circle of a large spider web sparkles in the early morning sun of a forest preserve in Palos Park, Illinois.
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a XL
Photo ID: 32890

“Milkweed Sunset” by Barbara DeGraves

Plant(s): Butterfly-Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Viburnum Shrub, Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Photo Story: One of our Butterfly-weed plants was at its peak in June and I knew I had to try to capture the beauty of the glowing orange blossoms at sunset. Using my wide-angle lens, I sat on the ground close to the plant and angled my camera toward the setting sun at the back of our yard. Smoke had been blowing down to our area all week from the fires in Canada, so the western horizon was an unusual hazy mauve color. No filters or special effects were used in editing this image.
Equipment: Canon 90D, 1/320 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 1250, Canon Lens EF-S 10-22 mm
Adobe Lightroom
Photo ID: 32891

“Trumpet Honeysuckle with Hummer” by Barbara DeGraves

Plant(s): Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) & Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Photo Story: A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been a regular visitor to our yard all summer. Several mornings, I sat patiently and still with my camera ready to photograph the tiny bird in action nectaring from the tubular honeysuckle flowers. When I am out gardening in our yard, the inquisitive hummingbird often swooshes by making sure I don’t get too close to her nectar sources.
Equipment: Canon 90D, 1/1250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 1600, Sigma Lens 100-400 mm
Adobe Lightroom
Photo ID: 32892

“Welcomed Guest” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Purple coneflower, Black-eyed susan, monarch
Photo Story: Captured in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32894

“Prepare for Landing” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Coneflower
Photo Story: Taken in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32895

“PeekaBoo” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Oak in background
Photo Story: Luminary walk
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32897

“Shivers” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Common milkweed
Photo Story: captured in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32898

“Bittersweet” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Sugar Maple
Photo Story: captured in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32899

“Bath Time” by Laura Stellmacher

Plant(s): Common milkweed
Photo Story: captured in backyard
Equipment: iphone
Photo ID: 32900

“Enjoying Alpine Wildflowers” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.) and others.
Photo Story: On a backpacking trip in southwestern Montana, bad weather prevented us from visiting the high peaks that we were aiming for, but the upside was many hours spent in colorful alpine meadows.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 24-70 mm lens.
Photo ID: 32901

“Walking on the Edge” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).
Photo Story: Though one of the most common insects in my milkweed patch in July, I never tire of photographing the red milkweed beetle. This one is teetering along the edge of a milkweed leaf.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 100 mm macro lens.
Photo ID: 32902

“Hedgehog Cactus” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)
Photo Story: I always admire the contrast between the delicate, brightly colored flowers and the starkness of the spines.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV with 24-70 mm zoom llens.
Photo ID: 32903

“Lupine Raindrops” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Lupine (Lupinus sp.)
Photo Story: After a rain, the water collects on the leaves of the lupine, beading up on the woolly hairs of the leaves and leaving the rest of the leaf dry.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 24-70 mm lens
Photo ID: 32904

“Skunk Cabbage” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Photo Story: I’ve always found the color and shape of skunk cabbage to be fascinating, but been discouraged from photographing it by the need to get down to ground level in the wet, swampy places where it grows. This spring I finally steeled myself to get my feet, knees, and elbows wet and crouched down to look the skunk cabbage in the eye.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 100 mm macro lens
Photo ID: 32905

“Wintergreen Detail” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata)
Photo Story: I love taking pictures of the inner workings of flowers, and spotted wintergreen is one of my favorites. The anthers look like pants on a drying rack blowing in the wind or a circle of synchronized swimmers diving into a pool.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 65 mm macro lens, ringlite flash.
Photo ID: 32906

“Gray Hairstreak” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Gray Hairstreak Butterfly on Mountain Mint flower (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Photo Story: The mountain mint in our garden attracts the most diverse collection of insects of any flower we have, but this is the only hairstreak that I have seen there in 10 years.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 100 mm macro lens.
Photo ID: 32907

“Great Golden Digger Wasp” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) on Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Photo Story: Although intimidating looking, the Great Golden Digger Wasp is not aggressive, and is one of the more spectacular looking insects frequenting our garden.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 100 mm macro lens.
Photo ID: 32908

“Alpine Meadow” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): paintbrush (castilleja sp.), alpine bistort (Bistorta vivipara), alpine bluebells (mertensia alpina), and others.
Photo Story: Alpine meadows offer one of the most concentrated displays of wildflowers anywhere. The short growing season in the mountains forces everything to bloom at the same time.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 24-70 mm lens
Photo ID: 32909

“Desert Wash” by David Silsbee

Plant(s): Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), chuparosa (Justicia californica), Brittlebrush (Encelia farinosa), and many others.
Photo Story: Poking around in the desert during spring wildflower season, you never know what you will find. Here several common species come together in a colorful display.
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark IV, 24-70 mm lens
Photo ID: 32910

“Native garden at Nancy Kimball Cobblestone House” by Deborah Rees

Plant(s): Parkway planting of Prairie dropseed, Liatris aspera and Monarda bradburnia
Photo Story: I visited this site on a garden walk hosted by the Greater Kane County Wild Ones. They collaborated with the museum to establish this native garden that preserves sight lines on a busy street.
Equipment: Nikon D3100
Photo ID: 32911