Nature At The Center

After leading a hike out on the the prairie, I often tell visitors that, before we end our hike, I have just a couple of more things that I'd like to share with them. 

I explain that, while it's easy to see the big things out on the prairie...the grasses, the flowers, the bison...there is a lot of nature taking place right there at the nature center that people often miss. 

Then I proceed to take them on a little tour of some of my favorite things...

It might be a garden spider, like this one. I discovered this garden spider under the eaves of the back porch on the north side of the building. A couple of years ago we had a garden spider that had made its web under the eaves of the front porch, and we watched that spider all summer long and into the fall. She didn't survive the first cold spell, but she did leave gifts. Four of them, in fact! Our resident garden spider left four, big, round egg sacs to ensure that her beautiful black and yellow species would continue. Perhaps this spider is one of her grandchildren. 

This nest sits above the door on the north side of the building and it belongs to a phoebe. Every year mother phoebe returns to the same place to lay her eggs and raise her little brood.

This den belongs to our resident armadillo. It is well-concealed within our wildflower garden.

This nest belongs to a swallow. Every year the swallows return and reuse (or rebuild) the
four nests that are found, one on each of the outside walls, of the nature center. This one is on the front side of the nature center facing west.

And this one is on the south side. This is the deepest swallow nest I've ever seen.

This nest belongs to a paper wasp. Several of these nests can be found up under the eaves on the east side of the nature center.

I found this spider web on the ceiling of the front porch of the nature center. I'm not sure what kind of spider made it, but it sure has an interesting shape! 

This nest was built by robins in the spring. We watched the mother robin sit on her three, tiny, blue eggs until they hatched. Then we observed the parent robins feed and take care of their three robin babies, until they were old enough to fly away and be on their own.

These are just a few signs of the many kinds of wildlife that live life on, or very near, the nature center at Prairie State Park and it just proves that wildlife is everywhere!

What about you? What kind of wild life lives on the edges of your home or place of business?

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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