It's time to visit the farm for this #wednesdaywalk by
Fall is starting, you can always tell by the milkweed bugs collecting on the milkweed seed pods. By the time these nymphs have wings the leaves will be turning colors.
This farm we visit has some nice forest preserve trails on it that feature lots of trees and mowed pathways. Great for nature and wildlife spotting.
You can even walk through their gardens. Here is a nice blue amanita muscaria next to some jewel weed I think. Perhaps it used to be a tomato garden.
Most of the chickens on this farm have moved way out in the field on rotation. It's nice when you can actually get close to them but this time we were out of luck.
We did get to see a nice batch of squashes no doubt fertilized by where the chickens were located before lol.
Soon the pumpkin patches will feature large pumpkins. For now its just smaller yellow squashes and butternut, with a few ufo squashes.
There is also the Fox River nearby where we saw this huge snapper. Just last Wednesday I rescued a baby snapper my wife noticed in the middle of the road. I later read that baby snappers hatch in the fall so who knows if I'll see a few more in the road. This monster is probably one who laid a bunch of eggs somewhere near a highway lol.
Most of the polywogs are now small frogs. This thing will probably turn into a huge bullfrog eventually if the snapper doesn't eat him.
There's always a squirrel or a chipmunk to see in the trees and bushes around here too. I'm not sure how the farmer keeps them from nibbling on the squashes. I have seen plenty of hawk around here so maybe those scare them away.
Now for a nice swallowtail and some thistles. This black swallowtail will probably be laying eggs in some prairie grass stalks before it kicks the bucket. I'll keep an eye out for the larva and cocoons next spring. Perhaps it will be a good project for my daughter to watch one eventually hatch. You just have to look around the base of dead thistles for the larvae.
That's all for now, thanks for looking :-)