THE TIGER SWALLOW TAIL BUTTERFLY ABOVE AND THIS PRAIRIE LILY ARE JUST A PART OF THE SHOW THAT NATURE IS NOW PUTTING ON.

As our prairies and meadows bloom with wildflowers many butterflies have also emerged.

Great Spangled Frittilary butterflies and many other species of butterflies use milkweed a food source.

Black Swallowtail butterflys are now out.

Bronze Copper butterfly on Early sunflower.

Tenspot dragonflies are now common on our prairies and meadows.

Female Window Skimmer dragonfly.

Tiger swallowtail on canada thistle bloom.

A butterfly from the skipper family on a black-eyed susan.

Milkweed and milkweed bugs are very common now.

Purple prairie clover on west side of Lake Louise St. park.

White prairie clover just west of Lake Louise St. park.

This thunderhead was about 45 miles from our house when I took this photo late one evening in July.

Joepye prefers moist to wet prairie meadows and is now blooming.

Rattlesnakemaster is an almost cactus like plant that is now blooming on local praries.

Butterfly weed is now in bloom on the prairies.

We found this tree frog blending into a milkweed leaf while mowing our ski trails.

Wild Indigo under pollination by a bumblebee.

This is one of several species of hemlock that grow in this area. It is toxic to cattle and is common in wet years like 2011.