“Rattlesnake Root with visitor” by Nancy Shevel

Plant(s): Rattlesnake Root – Nabalus albus.
Photo Story: Cleared a small patch of land in the yard and this came up – nice surprise ! Bees love it .
Equipment: iPhone SE
Photo ID: 33596

“Ntives Down The Driveway” by Nancy Shevel

Plant(s): Tall Goldenrod ( Solidago canadensis ) & Spotted Joe-Pye weed ( Eutrochium maculatum ) – Purple Coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea).
Photo Story: A beautiful long driveway thru woods with many native.
Equipment: iPhone SE
Photo ID: 33597

“Bluet Damselfly love while serenaded by flutist at Birchwood Park habitat” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Bluet Damselfly, grey headed coneflower, mixed natives.
Photo Story: Birchwood Park shoreline was planted with native habitat a few years back. It has seen a resurgence of native birds, insects, and other wildlife return. Humans have also returned. We stop at this spot to observe wildlife and record on iNaturalist after our bike rides. This Sunday a flutist walked up and started playing under a shady tree nearby. I spied many damselflies but then noticed these two. I have video of them creating their love wheel and finally silently and still they perched and I was able to get this shot. It was magical with the music in the background!
Equipment: Samsung S22
Photo ID: 33605

“Bioblitzing selfie” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Native mixture of Blue Vervain Verbena hastata and Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta in the background.
Photo Story: DuPage Monarch Project Pollinators of DuPage County Bioblitz 2022. I spent hours observing and loading info into iNaturalist during this bioblitz. DMP asked me for a selfie that week so I shot a few of those too! This one was shot at Holly Park.
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33606

“Spiderwort and friend” by Janet Beimborn

Plant(s): Tradescantia ohiensis, commonly known as Ohio spiderwort.
Photo Story: Spiderwort bloom every day in late July/early August in the morning and close up about noon. The blue-violet flowers are about the size of a half dollar. Here a tiny wasp is inspecting the pollen. Small flowers like spiderwort provide food to small insects.
Equipment: Cannon SX40
Photo ID: 33607

“monarch on Joe Pye Weed” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Monarch, Joe Pye Weed Eutrochium purpureum.
Photo Story: Lovely stop at the Joe Pye at St. John Lutheran Butterfly Garden is maintained by our garden club. The habitat is a parking lot island!
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33608

“Gathering storm” by Edward Beimborn

Plant(s): Mixed prairie plants – Yellow coneflower, purple coneflower, Switchgrass, Indian grass, Canadian Goldenrod.
Photo Story: One afternoon, clouds began to increase eventually resulting in rain. the photo shows the diversity of plants on a prairie planting in early August.
Equipment: Cannon SX40
Photo ID: 33609

“monarch on a cup plant” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Monarch, cup plant silphium perfoliatum.
Photo Story: LOVE my cup plant in the rain garden for attracting all types of pollinators.
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33611

“home rain garden” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Cup plant, rudbeckia, nodding onion.
Photo Story: LOVE my rain garden in bloom.
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33614

“Wild Senna” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Wild Senna
Senna hebecarpa
Photo Story: Best bee magnet and cutest blooms, to me they look like a white bearded man.
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33616

“common milkweed bloom” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Common milkweed bloom, Asclepias syriaca.
Photo Story: Late bloomer this year due to dry conditions…but still plenty of nectar and pollinators enjoying this one.
Equipment: galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33617

“Morton Arboretum Fall” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Native prairie and woodland behind at Morton Arboretum
Photo Story: Taken from the tram!
Equipment: Galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33618

“Prairie Doc” by Janet Beimborn

Plant(s): Prairie dock Silphium terebinthinaceum
Photo Story: Prairie Dock is one of the sylphium the does well on our clay soil. It takes 5-10 years for the plant to mature enough to produce flowers and seed. Here is a close up of one of the leaves. the leaves are large, 12-15″ long
Equipment: Cannon SX40
Photo ID: 33619

“Birchwood Park fall” by Cathy Streett

Plant(s): Habitat gone to sleep last fall – includes grey headed coneflower, purple coneflower, aster, and many more.
Photo Story: Great re-do of shoreline at Birchwood Park – native habitat
Equipment: galaxy S22
Photo ID: 33621

“Mea Culpa” by Bette Kauffman

Plant(s): Spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.)
Photo Story: If I have done my love wrong, I will apologize with a sprig of passionate purple spiderwort flowers. This was a late day shot and these were in a ditch, as is often the case in Louisiana. The low light enabled a dark background to show off the color.
Equipment: Pentax k-3 with a macro lens.
Photo ID: 33623

“Drone fly resting on sunflower” by Mary Urban

Plant(s): Bee Mimic (Drone Fly) (Eristalis)
Photo Story: After seeing a profusion of pollinators this year, I started photographing them, and am seeing and learning about pollinators I’ve never seen before. Photography makes you aware of how many different kinds of pollinators there are! It’s also a practice in patience!
Equipment: SLR Nikon with macro lens
Photo ID: 33624

“Monarch Peaking” by Karen Eckman

Plant(s): Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris Lingulistylis)
Photo Story: The perfect light, along with a unique angle, came together to take this Monarch/Liatris shot in my rain garden.
Meadow Blazing Star is a magnet for lots of pollinators, especially Monarchs.
Equipment: iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 33625

“Palm Psalm” by Bette Kauffman

Plant(s): Cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto)
Photo Story: These trees grow just tall enough for the photographer to get under them to photograph the early morning light enhancing the curves of the blades.
Equipment: Pentax k-3 with wide angle lens.
Photo ID: 33626

“Perfection” by Bette Kauffman

Plant(s): Louisiana Iris (Iris giganticaerulea)
Photo Story: Standing tall against dark green blades, the freshly opened Louisiana blue iris is queen of the wildflowers.
Equipment: Pentax k-3 with macro lens.
Photo ID: 33627

“Sue-Diamantoni-Coneflower-Monarch-2023” by SUE DIAMANTONI

Plant(s): Purple Coneflower, (Echinacea purpurea)
& Monarch Butterfly
Photo Story: Captured the picture of the purple coneflower, and the monarch butterfly in my new garden by my driveway. The purple coneflower was given to me by my daughter. She grew the purple coneflower from seed that had been planted in a milk jug and cold stratified outside over winter – using the winter sow method.
Equipment: iphone 13
Photo ID: 33629

“The Way of Grass 3” by Bette Kauffman

Plant(s): Bluestem grass (Andropogon sp.)
Photo Story: An out-of-focus background of autumn foliage enables a single stem of grass to show off its red-gold curves and feathered seeds ready to fly with the slightest breeze.
Equipment: Pentax k-3 with telephoto lens
Photo ID: 33630

“Backyard Landscape” by Karen Eckman

Plant(s): Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle shrub, Joe Pye weed, Butterfly weed, Tamarac trees, Purple coneflower, Prairie Blazing Star, Elderberry shrub, Compass plant, Cup plant, Black-eyed Susan, Swamp milkweed, and Wild Strawberry. There are many other native plants that are not blooming or not easy-to-see in this photo.
That includes Wild Petunia, Figwort, Sneeze weed, Nodding onion, Yellow-headed coneflower, Yarrow and several species of Asters and Goldenrod.
Photo Story: My landscaping goal is 80% gardens and 20% lawn for my 85′ x 135′ suburban property (minus an 1100 sq’ house with deck and double attached garage with cement driveway). If you count my double front yard rain garden and 24′ dry creek bed between my house and the neighbor’s, I think I am getting close.
Equipment: iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 33631

“Sue-Diamantoni-Joe-Pye-and-Swallowtale-2023” by SUE DIAMANTONI

Plant(s): Sweet Joe Pye,
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Photo Story: I had been trying to get a picture of a butterfly in my new pollinator garden ‘West Wing’ for several days. Finally, I was able to capture this picture of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the Sweet Joe Pye. I loved the look of this butterfly, but had to lookup the name. I continue to see more of them! I have found that I have their host trees in my yard. I love the learning experience that was involved in capturing this photo!
Equipment: iphone 13
Photo ID: 33632

“Frog and Wasp” by Karen Eckman

Plant(s): Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia)
Cope’s Grey treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Wasp species unknown
Photo Story: I was taking photos of the treefrog sunning itself on the Hyssop leaf in my garden, when a wasp landed on the frog’s backside. Apparently the wasp did not sting the frog because the frog did not move while the wasp was there.
Equipment: iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 33633

“Easy Pickins” by Bette Kauffman

Plant(s): Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) eating poison ivy berries(Toxicodendron radicans)
Photo Story: The stout horizontal branches of poison ivy make the berries easy pickins for a red-headed woodpecker on a sunny winter day. (Please note that although birds can be pollinators, this bird is definitely not functioning as a pollinator in this photo.)
Equipment: Pentax k-3 with telephoto lens
Photo ID: 33634

“Snowberry Clearwing” by Karen Eckman

Plant(s): Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)
Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hermaris diffinis)
Photo Story: I was working in our chapter service project School Pollinator Garden when I discovered this Clearwing moth darting around the Meadow Blazing Star blossoms. It is so small it was not much bigger than the Bumble Bees on the same plant. I have seen this moth before, but NOT when I had my cell phone handy.
Equipment: iPhone 13 Pro
Photo ID: 33635

“Sweat bee on ironweed” by Jenn Pipp

Plant(s): Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens) on New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis).
Photo Story: This sweat bee was seen in the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary pollinator garden.
Equipment: Canon RC5 camera, 100 mm macro lens, and lightroom.
Photo ID: 33636

“Next Generation” by Michael Nofz

Plant(s): Basswood, mayapple, and maple seedlimgss growing around a decaying stump.
Photo Story: This photo was taken on a Natural Resources Foundation field trip to Lizard Mound State Park. As we followed our tour guide into a wooded area, the stump and seedlings with dappled light came into view.
Equipment: Canon Rebel Tsi6 with Sigma 100-600 mm lens.
Photo ID: 33637

“Baltimore Oriole’s Sweet Treat” by Lana Pedersen

Plant(s): Male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
Ohio Buckeye tree (Aesculus glabra)
Photo Story: The Ohio Buckeye tree is a magnet for songbirds, warblers, hummingbirds, and bees in the spring; its flowers are rich in nectar. I’m always thrilled to see a flash of bright orange in the tree, which signals the return of the Baltimore Orioles. The female builds an amazing hanging pouch nest, and the birds stop by frequently to probe the buckeye flowers for nectar. Wonderful entertainment in the spring!
Equipment: Nikon D800E with 80-400 mm lens
Photo ID: 33638

“Cedar Treat” by Michael Nofz

Plant(s): Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Red Cedar Tree
Photo Story: A group of cedar waxwings arrived at our property, and promptly began feasting on the berries of some cedar trees. This one was caught with a berry in its beak.
Equipment: Canon Rebel TSi6 and Sigma 100-600mm lens.
Photo ID: 33640