“Solomon’s Seal” by Kari Carter

Plant(s): Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum biflorum
Photo Story: I saw the morning sun shining through the only Solomon’s Seal on our property and snapped this photo.
Equipment: Google Pixel 6 Pro
Photo ID: 33314

“Butterfly Walk at Chipman Preserve” by Quyen Edwards

Plant(s): butterfly weed, sassafras sapling, sumac
Photo Story: A group went on a hike through Chipman Preserve looking for butterflies in August 2023. We found 17 species that day including monarch, viceroy, red-spotted purple, American copper, grey hairstreak, and eastern tailed blue butterflies.
Equipment: Nikon D3300
Photo ID: 33316

“Monarch on Poke” by Patricia Pflaumer

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly and pokeweed
Photo Story: Monarchs visit the milkweed in a garden I maintain around the street-side telephone pole between my driveway and the neighbors.
Equipment: IPhone XR 16.1.1
Photo ID: 33317

“Sunshine and Pollinators” by Stephanie Chapman

Plant(s): The beautiful monarch butterfly sits in the Cup Plant. Also called Silphium Perfoliatum
Photo Story: Stephanie Chapman
In my backyard I enjoy the quiet stillness of pollinators and sunshine and wind and all elements of weather in a variety of plant settings.
Equipment: My iPhone took the photo. I planted cup plant in our backyard.
Photo ID: 33318

“PDL Monarch Waystation” by Quyen Edwards

Plant(s): purple coneflower, false sunflower, joe pye weed, grey-headed coneflower, native grasses and sedges
Photo Story: This is the Monarch Waystation at the Portage District Library. We use it as an opportunity to teach the community about the importance of native plants.
Equipment: Google Pixel 6a
Photo ID: 33319

“Monarchs On Meadow Blazing Stars” by David Misterek

Plant(s): Meadow Blazing Star
Photo Story: My garden
Equipment: Cell phone
Photo ID: 33323

“Blue Wild Indigo at the PDL Monarch Waystation” by Quyen Edwards

Plant(s): Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Photo Story: This plant is one of the first to appear the the Portage District Library’s Monarch Waystation each spring. It looks so lovely with the the library’s unique architecture in the background.
Equipment: Nikon D3300
Photo ID: 33324

“Sweet Joe Pye Weed” by Lawrence Miller

Plant(s): Sweet Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
Photo Story: Our native plant landscaping includes a few species of tall flowering plants. The Sweet Joe Pye Weed attracts many pollinators and also hummingbirds. Lawrence Miller
Equipment: iPhone 13 Pro Max
Photo ID: 33325

“Sound Asleep” by Lewell Troast

Plant(s): Bumblee Bee and Wild bergamot
Photo Story: The bumblee bee’s like to sleep in my wild bergamot
Equipment: Cannon Rebel t7i 75-300mm
Photo ID: 33326

“Bumble Bee in Butterfly Weed” by Stephanie Tsoris

Plant(s): Butterfly weed, sweet potato vine
Photo Story: This butterfly weed was planted in a pot along with some annuals near the entrance of my house.
Equipment: Iphone 14
Photo ID: 33329

“Bees Like Butterfly Weed Too” by Stephanie Tsoris

Plant(s): butterfly weed, sweet potato vine
Photo Story: This butterfly weed was planted in a pot with annuals. It will be planted in the ground once the season is over.
Equipment: iPhone 14
Photo ID: 33330

“Red-spotted purple butterfly” by Woody Brown

Plant(s): Red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis)
Photo Story: A resident of the southeastern US, they can be found near aspens, poplars, cottonwoods, hawthorn, birches, black oak, and serviceberry. They tend to perch up high in trees, but come down to the forest floor for water.
Equipment: iPhone
Photo ID: 33333

“Stop and wonder” by Judith Koch

Plant(s): Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) with little black ant (Monomorium minimum)
Photo Story: I was trying to capture a monarch butterfly visiting the common milkweed in my yard, but it moved quite a lot so I couldn’t get a good shot. So I decided to just focus on the milkweed when I noticed a small ant. I followed it and caught the moment it looked up and seemingly just stopped to smell the flower.
Equipment: Nikon D40 with an AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm lens and an ultraviolet filter
Photo ID: 33334

“Beeyond Milkweed” by Eric Manges

Plant(s): Broad-handed Leafcutter Bee on Swamp Milkweed
Photo Story: This year I’ve been focusing on insects instead of just birds and flowers. This photo is great example of the amazing diversity of life our flora can attract. This was just outside my front door and in no other place have I see a Broad-handed Leafcutter Bee. Is it even that rare? Probably not but man does it look cool.
Equipment: Nikon D3400 with a 18-55mm lens
Photo ID: 33335

“Rule of Thirds” by Jean DerGurahian

Plant(s): Asclepias Tuberosa (Butterfly weed)
Photo Story: Rule of thirds is a photography term, but it’s one that can apply to several creative areas. For me, keeping in mind the rule of thirds has helped me practice patience while I wait for the native wildlife to return to my parcel of suburbia. It was three years ago that I first became committed to restoring habitat, and as my first few packages of native seeds promised, it would take three years before plants began blooming. I now have three kinds of milkweed, three garden beds serving as a pollinator sanctuary, and three years of dedicated learning how to garden under my belt. And so finally, this summer, I was rewarded by the sight of this monarch playing in my yard. I could not be more thrilled, and I can’t wait to see what else I learn and what future seasons will bring. If you build it, they will come!
Equipment: Canon 5Dmark III, 300 mm lens, handheld
Photo ID: 33337

“Soft As A Prickly Pear” by Eric Manges

Plant(s): Eastern Prickly Pear
Photo Story: Eastern Prickly Pear makes you question a lot about what was here before settlement. Cactus life can thrive even in Wisconsin with one of the most stunning flowers I know of in the state other than orchids. This plant does well on a rocky windowsill at my friend’s home.
Equipment: Nikon D3400 with a 18-55mm lens
Photo ID: 33338

“Bumblebee Heaven” by Eric Manges

Plant(s): White Indigo dominating the Curtis Prairie
Photo Story: I’ve been to the Curtis Prairie many times but this was my first in early June. Every 10 feet there seemed to be a Black & Gold Bumblebee (Wisconsin’s largest bee) pollinating an indigo. To see it as far as the eye could see was truly special. No photo could do justice just how many flowering plants and bees there were.
Equipment: Nikon D3400 with a 18-55mm lens
Photo ID: 33340

“Brood Parasitism” by Melanie Moser

Plant(s): Brown-headed Cowbird egg
Photo Story: The Brown-Headed Cowbird lays her egg in an established nest of a bird of another species. This is called Brood Parasitism. This nest was found 2 feet from our front door near many native plantings. Melanie Moser
Equipment: Google Pixel 3a
Photo ID: 33341

“Newly emerged monarch” by Chris Pistorius

Plant(s): Monarch butterfly; purple coneflower (leaves only)
Photo Story: A monarch butterfly was spotted just after it emerged from the chrysalis, and was stretching its wings in the morning sunlight. We have planted several milkweeds in our back yard, and were very happy to see this result.
Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Photo ID: 33342

“Night Shift” by Kelly Konieczki

Plant(s): Garden Orbweaver on Northern Blazing Star, Liatris novae-angliae
Photo Story: By day, this Liatris is buzzing with pollinators. Then the night shift takes over! Walking around our garden with a flashlight, we discover many orbweavers and webs on Summer nights. The work of ecosystem services in a pollinator garden is never over –even after dark!
Equipment: iPhone 12 Pro Max, Flashlight
Photo ID: 33345

“”… Just Right “” by Cheryl Lloyd

Plant(s): Cornus alternifolia (Alternate-leaf or Pagoda Dogwood) / Tyrannus tyrannus (Eastern Kingbird)
Photo Story: I’d been watching as our Pagoda berries gradually ripened to see who might visit. It’s always a challenging capture as the berries go fast once they mature. Seems they appeal to several Flycatchers as well as berry lovers.
Equipment: Nikon D750 with 500mm lens.
Photo ID: 33347

“Bee on Orange Milkweed” by Patricia Dwyer-Hallquist

Plant(s): Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) with bee (possibly bumble bee)
Photo Story: Last summer, I planted a few native plants in a small front yard garden. This summer, we dugout lily of the valley from this garden to make room for more native plants, including the butterfly milkweed, New England asters, pale purple coneflower, great blue lobelia penstemon, and blazing star. The butterfly weed and great lobelia are blooming, and the New England asters have buds. I am hoping for more blooms next summer.
Equipment: PHONE: Galaxy S21 5G model SM-G991U
Photo ID: 33349

“Monarch Caterpillar on Butterfly Milkweed” by Patricia Dwyer-Hallquist

Plant(s): Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) with Monarch Caterpillar (Danaus Plexippus)
Photo Story: Last summer, I planted a few native plants in a small front yard garden. This summer, we dugout lily of the valley from this garden to make room for more native plants, including the butterfly milkweed, asters, pale purple coneflower, great blue lobelia penstemon, and blazing star. I was so happy to see this caterpillar and a second smaller one, since I had not seen the eggs yet this summer. I check often to see if both caterpillars are still there, and if a chrysalis has formed.
Equipment: PHONE: Galaxy S21 5G Model SM-G991U
Photo ID: 33352

“Evening Primrose” by Sheila Walters

Plant(s): Evening Primrose
Photo Story: Taken at my Wildlife Habitat by the Pond in my yard.
Equipment: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Photo ID: 33356

“Tallest One” by Laura Weir

Plant(s): Goldenrod, Genus Solidago unknown species
Photo Story: In the lovely Pheasant Branch Conservancy, where people, pollinators, and sandhill cranes all interact peacefully, vast fields of the keystone species goldenrod may be seen.
Equipment: Sony A6000
Photo ID: 33361

“WildflowerGardenFarmingtonHills” by Sheila Walters

Plant(s): Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Common Milkweed, Cut-leaf Coneflower, Carrot, False Indigo, Shasta Daisy
Photo Story: Dr Peggi Tabor owned this property before we purchased it. She lived here for over 30 years and established a designated nature habitat here. I am a new member. The property has a natural artesian spring-fed pond as well as backing to a tributary of the rouge river called Pebble Creek. No chemicals have been used such as fertilizers and the plants are fed with well water which is high in Iron.
Equipment: iPhone 15 Pro Max
Photo ID: 33362

“Resting Survivor” by Laura Weir

Plant(s): Monarch Butterfly on Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Photo Story: In the managed prairie of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, this tattered, but surviving Monarch can be seen rejuvenating on a Common Boneset.
Equipment: Sony Alpha6000
Photo ID: 33363

“Keep Looking Up” by Laura Weir

Plant(s): Yucca (yucca filamentosa), unknown insect
Photo Story: In Huntsville’s historic Maple Hill Cemetery this Yucca flourishes. As horticulturalist Felder Rushing says, “this is a plant that even dead people can grow.”
Equipment: Sony Alpha a6000
Photo ID: 33365

“Backyard Paradise” by Sheila Walters

Plant(s): Evening Primrose, Carrot, White Fringetree, Siberian Iris, Blue Flag. White Mulberry
Photo Story: View Behind my home
Equipment: iPhone 15 Pro Max
Photo ID: 33366

“Joe Pye Bee” by Melissa Wolfe

Plant(s): Dwarf Joe pye weed with visitor, in back cardinal flowers and black eyed Susan’s
Photo Story: Slowly working on removing grass in our yard in Asheville NC and replacing with native plants and habitat. We have struggled to find shade friendly native plants so this patch is still a work in progress but brings me a smile to see the bees don’t mind the work in progress.
Equipment: iPhone 11 ( which will not allow me to rename my photo below). Happy to email one if needed, let me know
Photo ID: 33367