Nature Happenings

• Preying Mantis are most visible now while they're searching for mates.

• First dogwood fruits ripen. Flowering dogwood fruits (and twigs!) are important food sources for many species of song and game birds, as well as for some mammals. Roughleaf Dogwood fruits are eaten by songbirds, as well as by Prairie Chickens, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite.

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Ruffed Grouse

 

• Turkey and Ring-necked Pheasant.

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Ring-necked Pheasant

• Orioles are usually gone by Labor Day.

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Baltimore Oriole

• Large flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds can be seen.

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Red Winged Blackbird

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Common Grackle

• Most hummingbirds depart by the end of the month.

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Ruby Throated Hummingbird

• Robins are in large flocks, feeding on crab apples.

  

American Robin

 

• First juncos and White-throated Sparrows can appear by the end of this month.

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Junco

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White Throated Sparrow