Category: Bailly Calumet Trail

Cicada’s

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

This is an unusual year for Periodical Cicada’s. In Illinois we are expecting both a 17 year cycle brood and a 13 year cycle brood. So it should be a very active season. I don’t know if the Indiana Dunes are supposed to see both broods, but the Bailly Calumet trail was certainly quite full of them.

Fairly typical level of activity out in the open once the sun got overhead. They were notably subdued in within the shaded canopy of the trees.
This was fairly typical coverage throughout the forested portions of the trail. Lots of newly emerged adults hanging around lethargically, waiting for their exoskeletons to finish hardening before taking off and looking for a mate.
The deep red eye’s and oranges provide a nice complement to the green hues in the shade.
This one appears to be playing peek-a-boo. Though actually all it really wants is to avoid being eaten for long enough to find a mate and procreate. Regardless of whether or not they get eaten by something else, adult Cicada’s only live for a few weeks.
Another shy one, trying to hide behind a thin stem is just not working.
Is it a stare down, “This leaf ain’t big enough for the both of us!”? Or is it future mating pair, gazing longingly into each others eyes?

#52

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

At the start of 2023 I set a goal to make it out to the park an average of once per week. I hit visit #52 with two weeks to spare!

This visit was to the Bailly Calumet trail. The lack of winter around here is getting pretty annoying, but by going out a bit early I was able to catch some of the lingering morning frost, hidden in the deeper shadows. Ice is nice, just wish we had more of it.

This time of year the ground is covered with a bed of dry leaves. But the ground underneath is usually nice and moist, so it really pays to turn over logs and rocks. You never know what will come crawling out, or what might be sticking to the bottom.
By the time I get out to the trails the early morning frost is usually long gone. But if you look in the shadows you can still find remnants. Click on the image to view it full size, the details of the ice crystal growth are simply amazing. The way they grow off of the edges of the leaves really highlights the incredible amount of detail in the undergrowth.
This time of year the fallen leaves are still nice and crisp. So they provide a nice foundation for crystal growth.