iNat 7 Observations

The Black Swallowtail or Papilio polyxenes, can be found throughout most of the U.S. The male and female black swallowtail can be told apart based on the color of the band on the hindwing. According to butterfliesandmoths.org, "Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band." One thing I find interesting about the Black Swallowtail, is that while a caterpillar they love to eat herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill. I found a group of them devouring the cilantro plant on my deck.

Source: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-polyxenes

The Common Reed or Phragmites australis, can be found along bodies of water. This group of them was found at Birky Pond, near Heartland Community College. The Common Reed beds could be a great foundation species, as a lot of animals like birds, bugs, and small fish, could take shelter within them. The common reed drew my attention is the purple flowers atop the reed.

Source: https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/common-reed/

This Goldenrod Soldier Beetle was found on a cutleaf teasel at Birky Pond. The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle is a very common species of soldier beetle in the Midwest, and is native to North America. The adult Goldenrod Soldier Beetle mainly eats pollen and nectar from flowers, which I assume it is doing here in this picture.

Source: https://wimastergardener.org/article/goldenrod-soldier-beetle/

This Asteroid Moth in it's caterpillar form was found at Birky Pond, eating some Asters. When it transforms into its moth form, it takes on an interesting color pattern of almost a bark like look. This is probably a form of camouflage that the moth has evolved to have in order to evade predators. The Asteroid Moth can be found throughout the north east and in parts of the midwest.

Source: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Cucullia-asteroides

This clump of Cattails was found at Schroeder Nature Preserve. Cattails get their name from their seed head, which reminded people of a cat's tail. This particular cattail is the broad leaf version, so it has leaves that are about an inch wide. One thing I found interesting, is that there is a possible relationship between cattails and muskrats. The National Park Service says on their website that, "There may be a relationship between the abundance of cattails and the size of muskrat populations with populations cycles of each tied to the other. In years when there are many cattails the muskrat populations boom. But as they feed on the cattail rhizomes, the cattails stands begin to open up and ponds of open water appear." Muskrats eat the cattails and use them to build with, so it makes sense that there may be a correlation of population between the two.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/cattails.htm

This Prairie Dock was found at Birky Pond in a section of Prairie. Prairie Dock is also a native Illinois plant. The Prairie Dock has large basal leaves in a spade shape. When the leaves are young, they are smooth and shiny. However, as they get older, they become rough and duller.

Source: https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/pr_dockx.htm

This Hairy White Oldfield Aster was found at Birky Pond. I also found an Asteroid Moth caterpillar on it. The Hairy white Oldfield Aster is indeed hairy, as it has small white hairs on the stems and branches. The flowers grow on the upper part of the plant, and look a lot like a daisy.

Source: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYPIP3