As one would expect, I saw much more than just Cicada’s out on the Bailly-Calumet trail this weekend. The initial spring wild flower bloom has largely passed by the time you get to late May. But things are still growing, and even better various insects are becoming more numerous and active.
(As always, clicking on an image will bring it up full size.)
Damselflies are abundant. These Ebony Bluewings are a common sight along this trail. Similar to, but considerably smaller than Dragonflies they can be more challenging to photograph. I have noticed that when they are resting on the foliage Damselflies fold their wings back against their bodies. Dragonflies tend to leave their wings splayed out.Among the spiders, Orb Weavers are the masters of the classic spider web. They systematically tear down and rebuild their webs each day, which keeps them relatively clean and neat. These are very patient creatures whose success in staying well fed depends on what happens to get caught in their web. Successful Orb Weavers build their webs in locations where they capture enough prey to survive, but are not so exposed that they become a snack for a passing bird.Daddy Long Legs are strikingly different from Orb Weavers. FIrst of all, while they are Arachnids, they are not spiders. Despite their rather delicate appearance, they are hunters who subdue their prey with venom. Their venom however is harmless to humans.As far as I am concerned you do not need flashy flowers or insects to see beauty in the foliage. We most often view forest undergrowth from the vantage point of 5 feet above the ground, i.e. eye level while standing. But when you get down low, within a few inches of the ground you can experience a completely different perspective on what otherwise appears like a chaotic mix of stems and leaves.Take a close look at those blades of grass however and you will almost always find some interesting creature, like this Cranefly. Although it looks like a giant mosquito, it is actually a member of the Fly family which has been around for at least 275 million years. Interestingly, Craneflies do not eat. They typically live for 12 days or so.Not everything is green of course. I advise looking down at the soil from time to time. There you will find many interesting things, such as this pristine snail making its way across the trail. The symmetries and patterns in the shell are simply stunning.Water Skeeters. In a slow moving part of the Little Calumet river I spotted these guys. Their legs distribute their weight so evenly that they do not break the surface tension of the water. This lets allows them to scoot around atop the river water like ice skaters.
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?
