Monarch butterfly tree, Lake Louise St. Park, Leroy Mn.  The tree line east of the prairie had about 200-300 monarch on it by 7 PM last evening.  As more butterflies would come in the Monarchs already there would open their wings and show there colors. A "don't stop here" signal?????

Lake Louise State Park, LeRoy Mn has many Blazing Stars blooming and therefore has a large number of Monarchs right now.

Bobbie, Elise, and I saw this on Monday-For now I am speechless. 

Garden Spider web.

Garden Spider eating a Katydid.

Great Blue Heron.

Pelicans soaring high over the Mississippi backwaters last weekend. 

Monarch on Swamp Milkweed.

Bobbie got a better photo of a fresh Giant Swallowtail on Swamp Milkweed.

Giant Swallowtail butterfly.  An uncommon/rare species in Minnesota, but we have had some show up here in August for the last few years.

Fly on Mt. Mint.  The Mt. Mint seems to be the preferred pollen flower on our prairie this week.  Click on this photo once or twice to blow it up and see the amazing detail of this fly.

Honey Bee on Mt. Mint

Bumble Bee on Mt. Mint

Bumble Bee on Purple Coneflower.

Young male dropping in to feed.

The hummers were more interested in the Zinnas than the lilies today.

Notice that this young male is balancing on the filament of the lily.

Hummingbird on our Tiger Lily.

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly on Tiger Lily.

Anybody home??

The nest above is a Bald-faced hornets nest.  That nest was actually two years old and not occupied anymore.

Pearl Crescent butterfly.  Caterpillars feed on several species of asters, and we have an abundance of at least 6 aster species -asters bloom late in the summer and have not yet bloom here.