Kip’s Comments - August 21, 2025
My Day in Segments, My Day in Pictures
As the title suggests, the activities of my day varied from one theme to another. I’ll do my best to provide concise descriptions by topics.
Morning Prairie Plants
Kristy asked that I try to document the prairie plants near our mailbox. These are what I found. Considering how “busy” the area is, they are not too bad.
Big Bluestem - Image 1015538
Gray-headed Coneflower - Image 1015739
Gray-headed Coneflower - Image 1015774
An Afternoon With My Grandson
Once again I spent a number of hours fishing and exploring the outdoors with my grandson. As we were fishing I paused a few times when photo opportunities presented themselves. Following are some of those images.
Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly - Image 1015784
Eastern Forktail Damselfly - Image 1015805
Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly - Image 1015818
Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly - Image 1015863
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly - Image 1015890
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly - Image 1015946
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly - Image 1015956
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly - Image 1016159
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly - Image 1016182
Monarch Butterfly on Field Thistle - Image 1016250
Monarch Butterfly on Field Thistle - Image 1016261
Monarch Butterfly on Field Thistle - Image 1016274
Monarch Butterfly on Field Thistle - Image 1016294
Plain (Pale) Gentian - Image 1016307
Plain (Pale) Gentian - Image 1016341
Widow Skimmer Dragonfly - Image 1016350
Chimney Swifts at Dusk
Tonight Kristy and I did what I was not able to do last night with the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society. We watched chimney swifts dart around in the sky before dropping into a chimney in a town nearby. We were joined by Wendy who says she will never look at the chimney from her business the same way! By the way, the sun had nearly dropped below the horizon as the swifts dropped into the chimney. As a result, none of the images had the birds completely sharp. There simply was not enough light. But, the blurred images did capture the movement of the fast little birds. An interesting fact about chimney swifts is these little birds cannot walk. They are designed to perch and cling to surfaces.
Chimney Swift - Image 1016423
Chimney Swift - Image 1016432
Chimney Swift - Image 1016478
Chimney Swift - Image 1016497
Chimney Swift - Image 1016517
Chimney Swift - Image 1016521
