Making Exceptions

Prairie blooms of Killdeer Plains

It brought a chuckle from the listeners—
a small group gathered for a workshop at Killdeer Plains, where experts in the field shared their knowledge of birds, plants, dragonflies and butterflies.

The basic rules to remember
to distinguish moths from butterflies,
when you stumble upon them in the field:

Moths usually fly at night; except when they don’t,
and usually have feathery antennae; except when they don’t,
and tend to rest with their wings held flat; except when they don’t,
and are of duller, drabber color; except when they’re not.

But within that lesson, a greater truth--
that the one who makes the rules, may break them.
Exceptions become the rule.

pink morph Bush Katydid,
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, north central Ohio,
7/19/09

Katydid (from Encyclopedia Britannica)
"Any of numerous, predominantly nocturnal insects related to crickets and grasshoppers, noted for their loud mating calls. Katydids have large hind legs and are distinguished by their extremely long, threadlike antennae and the thick, upwardly curved ovipositor (egg-laying structure) of the females.
Often large and green," ...(except when they're not!)... "many katydids have long wings, but some common species are nearly wingless. Katydids are most abundant in the tropics—the Amazon rainforest is home to about 2,000 species—but katydids are also found in cooler and drier regions throughout the world; the United States is home to over 100 species."

Dr. David Horn of The Ohio State University Department of Entomology led a session about butterflies and moths for the Killdeer Plains workshop. It was followed by afternoon field trips for butterflies and a nighttime hike to see moths.
The pink katydid was discovered by Jan Kennedy, a participant, on Saturday, July 18, at Killdeer Plains.
More about its discovery at Jim McCormac's site here.
And the great moth display here!

The Child Inside

Tree Frog

The decal on the front door said it clearly.
The child inside waits for Ranger Rick.


Every month, through its glossy pages, to explore the natural world, from a cozy armchair or a corner of her bedroom. The young girl saw many things, and fell in love with the world beyond her door.



Raggedy Ann and Andy, button eyes and hand-stitched faces, watched from the doll bed across the room, their floppy bodies propped against the rough, sand-painted walls. While toads or snails in glass boxes—playmates for rainy days indoors, otherwise alone, looked on.




Perhaps the mailman would also bring her Highlights.
And the hidden pictures within.
Amusement page by page, in the simplest of black line drawings.



Is it any wonder, she still takes long walks, looking?
When there are always hidden treasures to find.

Katydid on Goldenrod

A visit to the oak tree

Sunset from beneath Old Oak

I measure each season by its sounds.
The barred owls calling on a frozen, late winter's night--the hardest is behind us, ...soon spring.
The first few, brave, hardy peepers of an early evening--heralds of the warming days and thawing earth.
The birdsong on a fresh, crisp morning--waking us to the frenzy of new life,...so much ahead.
The sharp rasp of a tree frog on a humid afternoon--the woods are thick with leaves and air, heavy.
The cicadas ringing high in the branches above--the peak of summer swelter is here.
Tonight the katydids sing--this is the final act of summer.

I always associate the sounds of the katydids with the last evenings of summer. It was their singing I'd hear, sitting on the porch swing, talking with my girls, recapping our summer's adventures as they prepared to start the next school year.
Summer was our "family time"--and I hated to see it pass as quickly as it always did.

Theirs is the song of a summer's end.