Friday 8 July 2022. Dare to Beat the Thunderstorm at Meadowbrook

It was 74 degrees F, cloudy, wind S (8? Not recorded, alas) mph at 5:20 am. Thunderstorms were predicted “in 48 minutes” from the time I was contemplating departure so decided to go for a very quick ride to Meadowbrook Park; there certainly would be no swimming in the outdoor pool this morning. Rode south on Vine Street,

The ash with the bifurcated trunk near Vine Street tree at Blair Park is still alive!

a more direct route to the Freyfogel prairie viewing station. Determined to get a few photos and leave. Of course, as the summer bloom was approaching its summit, it was hard not to linger.

Blooms of yellow coneflower, punctuated with slightly darker-yellow false sunflower, were abundant and widespread; Monarda made contrasting purple-pink strokes in the landscape.

Baptisia alba were widespread in bloom

and also already bore lots of green pods. Also abundantly blooming was rattlesnake master.

Compass plant stood solid and tall, with hairy, flat, finger-like leaves, topped with golden face-like blooms.

Smoother congener rosinweed had smaller but similar flowers

and those evenly arranged, alternating stacks of pointed scoop-shaped leaves. Purple coneflower were present

but somewhat less numerous than I remembered from previous years. Saw Culver’s root

and not-quite-ripe blackberries were striking pops of red.

Looked out briefly from the prairie viewing station for royal catchfly. Didn’t see any, but didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Heard thunder rumble and turned back rather than making the whole loop, but stopped at the particularly full and varied colllection of flowers along Windsor Road near Clark-Lindsey Village.

The thunder rumbles were coming closer together (like labor pains) so headed with due haste back home. Saw a hint of rainbow among the clouds on my way back.

Fortunately, I made it back home, dry and safe.

Thursday 7 July 2022. Bloom Update at the Florida and Orchard Prairielet

It was 77 degrees F, partly sunny, wind E 9 mph at about 8 am. Just wanted to check on the summer bloom at the prairie planting on Florida and Orchard. It’s starting to get colorful!

Rosinweed

Common milkweed, blooms about finished, and Japanese beetles on flowers

Black-eyed Susans

Tick trefoil, Monarda, and rosinweed

Rosinweed

Monarda, yellow coneflower, and false sunflower

Culver’s root

Rattlesnake master

Wild quinine

Purple prairie clover

Purple coneflower

Ironweed

Vervain

Marked edge of the little prairie

Monday 4 July 2022.

Made paper prairie flowers (purple and yellow coneflowers, common milkweed, and blazing star)

to decorate my bike

and joined the contingent from Champaign County Bikes in the Champaign-Urbana Fourth of July Parade!!

It was hot, though not as bad as it could have been, and a little challenging to keep moving on the bike, in circles, while the parade made its stops.

But it was worth it just to see the sheer variety of people lining the streets and to wave to every single one I could make eye contact with. Plus, I was proud to help raise awareness of cycling in our community!

Sunday 3 July 2022. Morning Ride to the Lincoln Bindery Prairie Planting

It was 65 degrees F, clear, wind NE 4 mph at 6:45 am. Rode to Crystal Lake Park, on the way stopping to see a portable stage

across the train tracks from the Silvercreek parking lot. Apparently there is a music festival in town this weekend. Restrained my urge to photograph until I got to the little prairie planting in front of Lincoln Bindery.

Compass plant and false sunflower

Was glad to have been there to see all the purple

and white prairie clover,

as well as the other prairie plants.

Baptisia alba, flowers and pods

Bush clover

Lots of purple prairie clover

Yellow coneflower

Wild quinine

Took one photo (with, alas, a dead oak tree;

there still are some live ones but didn’t catch them) before going down the Busey Woods hill. Whee! Stopped for some flower-watching along Crystal Lake Park, especially yellow coneflower,

blooming cup plant,

mountain mint,

the first Gaura of the season,

and the huge, upright leaves and emerging flower stalk of prairie dock.

Rode through Crystal Lake Park and saw a groundhog (saw one earlier but it was too fast) that stopped long enough for me to photograph,

before heading homeward.

Friday 1 July 2022. Vélo to Meadowbrook, St. Joe, and Homer Lake

It was 73 degrees F, mostly clear, wind SW 7 mph at 5:12 am. Forwent my usual Friday morning swim to get an early start on today’s destination: Homer Lake. I don’t think I got to Homer Lake (by bike) at all last summer.

First did a loop of Meadowbrook Park,

McCullough Creek, pooled at the rabbit-statue bridge

stopping for a few photos of the mostly still-subdued bloom,

Compass plant

Lead plant

Budding purple prairie clover

and also saw a doe with a little fawn, not very concerned as I passed them.

Then headed back north on Race Street to Washington. Intended to ride Washington to Cottonwood, but got startled out of my original plan by the deep, sudden bark of a big dog, entirely too close to me, from behind, so turned north on Lierman and continued east on Main Street. Saw a gaggle (not sure how many that is supposed to be) of geese in front of the ILEAS offices. Looked like this year’s goslings were about grown up.

Noticed that the field across Main Street did not seem to be planted this year. Stopped at Weaver Park, where the bloom was pretty colorful: false sunflower,

yellow coneflower,

Baptisia alba,

mountain mint, Culver’s root, butterfly milkweed, black-eyed Susan were in bloom,

as was cup plant,

common milkweed,

and the first Monarda.

All along the KRT, saw lots of cottontail rabbits. and lots of little ones, at that.

the poison hemlock and wild parsnip had pretty much gone to seed, Canada thistle was conspicuously full of fluffy seed heads.

The rising sun cast a golden light over the landscape.

Soapwort, exotic, but a nice pink touch to the trailside, were freshly blooming.

Noticed circles mounted on square wooden posts, every half mile or so, along the trail.

Presumably they will be some kind of marking of distance on the trail; hoped desperately that they would not contain references to the sandwich business named at the Salt Fork bridge. East of Fulls Siding there were numerous, though not exactly extensive, patches of Monarda in bloom.

At the Salt Fork bridge, could see several large fish in the water.

Continued into St. Joe and had an egg, spinach, and cheese wrap and latté at Geschenk Coffee Haus, sitting outside.

Then made my way to 5th, Peters, and Wiltshire to Homer Lake Road and Homer Lake!

The bloom was subdued at the edge of Homer Lake just west of the park entrance, but did catch some native flowers. And heard the squawk of a great blue heron.

Turned back on Homer Lake Road and stopped at the Lincoln historical marker with its little prairie planting, today featuring yellow coneflower and common and butterfly milkweed. and decided to catch Windsor Road to go east, so I could stop at Country Arbors plant nursery.

On the way crossed the tributary of the Salt Fork when I frequently have seen wood ducks, and there they were.

Wonder if they are managed by humans or if it’s just a great place for wood ducks.

Saw a flattened, dry snake. Alas.

Remembered why I seldom take Windsor back from Homer Lake: it’s hot and straight

and uphill a lot going west (or is it the wind?), and carries a fair amount of traffic. Stopped at Country Arbors,

which had some nice plants.

It was a lovely 20-some mile ride, but by the time I got back to town, was pretty ready to rest.

Tuesday 28 June 2022. Bloom Check at the Florida and Orchard Prairielet

It was 67 degrees F, mostly sunny, wind S (but didn’t record the velocity). Another glorious morning, and though there wasn’t time for a proper ride, wanted not to miss the progression of the summer prairie bloom.

Blackeyed Susan, with poison hemlock behind and between them an unidentified white flower

Newly blooming yellow coneflower

Common milkweed

Moth mullein. Exotic but not unattractive.

Honeybee working a rosinweed flower

False sunflower

Budding Culver’s root

Cinquefoil

Rattlesnake master

Wild quinine

Purple coneflower

Purple prairie clover, about to bloom

Sylphium, with large, upright leaves (like prairie dock), but with “laciniate” edges, like compass plant—a hybrid?

Newly blooming ironweed

Pokeweed. Invasive but native.

Some kind of bunch grass in the middle of the path. Prairie dropseed? Cup plant farther back

Newly blooming Monarda

Joe Pye weed, I think

Mountain mint foliage with late spiderwort

Sunday 26 June 2022. Meadowbrook and Barnhart

It was 71 degrees F, humid but not unpleasantly so, thickly cloudy, wind NW 7 mph at 6:00 am. Rode south on Vine Street to Meadowbrook Park, riding first through the park along McCullough Creek, not seeing much in conspicuous bloom.

Common milkweed was blooming, but many of them looked droopy.

There were false sunflowers and purple coneflowers but not in conspicuous numbers.

At the rabbit-statue bridge

saw a tiny, maybe two inches long, crayfish crossing the path.

When I approached for a closeup, it turned to face me and reared up, front claws lifted for action.

Such fearlessness! I want to remember that brave little crayfish that dared me to fight next time I face a daunting situation.

A little ways along saw the first Monarda

and then a relaxed deer on the south side of the path.

Might be the same unconcerned individual I ran into near this place a couple weeks ago.

The subdued prairie bloom got a little more showy closer to the viewing station, including rattlesnake master,

the first yellow coneflower,

and mountain mint.

Baptisia alba was common, in bloom

and some already with green pods.

Was just thinking that compass plant was uncommon this year, and then, there they were, even starting to bloom.

At the viewing platform, the pointed dark spikes of lead plant flowers caught my eye.

Then rode east on Windsor along the chain link fence and shrubby growth, including a lot of the end of the mulberry drop on the path.

Rode south on Philo Road then east on Curtis to Cottonwood, south to Old Church, and back west. Noticed that much of the corn leaned to the northwest. Some wind effect from last night’s welcome thunderstorm?

Noticed the corn looked pretty good but a lot of the soybeans did not. Stopped at the top of Yankee Ridge and looked out at the lovely view.

Stopped at Barnhart

and admired its many Baptisia, purple coneflower,

and its blooming lead plant.

Saw also dramatic prairie dock leaves,

wild quinine and bloomed-out golden Alexanders,

some last remaining Penstemon

and young foliage of cream gentian.

On the way back the clouds started to break up

but reassembled after I stopped for coffee. It was a satisfying ride!

Friday 24 June 2022. Ride to the Pool, to Work, and Back on Old Church and Race Streets

It was 70 degrees F and mostly sunny, with a meager 2 mph wind, from the SE, I believe, when I headed home from Crystal Lake Pool after swimming this morning. Rode on a smooth, new road through the trees along the Saline Branch and imagined I was deep in a forest.

Such a gorgeous summer morning! Then made a quick stop at home to catch the first climbing wild roses (Rosa setigera) in the back yard,

coffee at Caffe Paradiso, then on to work in Savoy. It was 89 degrees F on the way back at 1 pm. Saw the corn feeling the stress of the recent hot, dry spell.

It was an easy way to put in 12.5 miles.