To the left is one of the many beautiful photos of the Tandy Hills that you will find in Prairie Notes #59: Metamorphosis on the Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area website.
On the FOTHNA website you will learn that "Prairie Notes are monthly photo/journal observations from Tandy Hills Natural Area by Founder/Director, Don Young. They include field reports, flora and fauna sightings, and more, mixed with a scoop of dry humor and a bit of philosophy."
Below is a sample of this month's photo/journal observations....
October brought a welcome change to Tandy Hills Natural Area. It seems like Mother Nature's odometer passed a milestone. Day after day of Indian Summer weather provided perfect temps for hiking and discovering hidden treasures. Add a couple of nicely spaced rain showers and prairie metamorphosis is under way.
There are signs of life where none were present just a few weeks ago. Flying insects have reappeared in swarms, perennial wildflowers have new growth, even the grasses have produced a touch of green. Overall, there's a very limited palette of color to be found after the blistering drought but, there are notable exceptions.
The day after an October 'norther blew in, a steady succession of Monarch butterflies fluttered unwaveringly over the Autumn hills and a date with metamorphic destiny. Their orange-black wings contrasted sharply against the jet-blue prairie sky. Days later, crusty pods of Milkweed, their larval host plant, began spewing ballerina-like seeds skyward, as if welcoming the Monarch's return.
All of nature is submitting to transformation of one kind or another. Even us bipeds, far removed from the natural world, feel the tug of change coming on as Summer inevitably fades and we look ahead to Winter. Some of us grow more hairy or fat while some prepare for hibernation. According to doctors, the very composition of our blood changes in Fall and Spring, whether we know it or not.
After the Great Drought of '11, a metamorphosis is just the ticket. Shed your chrysalis and migrate over to Tandy Hills. Your host plants are waiting.
DY
Prairie Notes #59: Metamorphosis
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