Just a few days after the equinox, and already you can see that the sun is rising north of due east.

I took Ashley out just a little earlier than usual, because the dawn sky was so pretty. And good that I did, because now it’s pretty much just grey out there.


I dragged the dog to the prairie (right next to Winfield Village), so I could get this picture of the dawn sky. (She had her own opinion of where we should go for our dawn walk, but did indulge me when I insisted.)

Prairie grass is growing like a weed where they did the burn a couple of weeks ago.
It’s not visible in the picture, but I saw a Yellow-shafted Flicker fly up ahead of me. They’re showy birds, always fun to see.

This morning Ashley was demonstrating good skills at hiding in the prairie grasses. Even though she’s black rather than brown, she was pretty well hidden when she crouched in the grass.


Seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata), observed in our local prairie.