Middle Season #26 - 2026

 

Friday Sept 12

1. Science teachers crouched over praying mantis. Folded up like praying mantises. 
2. 80/58. Overlapping cicadas in the hot September afternoon, sun.  Big blunt bird flaps low over overhead. Is it a hawk? Is it an owl?  Lots of low yellow flowers on plants with small cut leaves pink leaves almost
3. Wishing to see that big bird again. Then I see these little birds, a little bit bigger than hummingbirds, but petite beaks and they’re chattering in a buckeye tree. Across the prairie, you can see bird after Birch bird flying up into a tall tree and then flying others out again. grasshoppers and monarchs and lots of cicadas in the high trees.  The creek in the sun, sparkling with midges or some small bugs on the top of the water easiest to see so sparkling in the sun.
4. 10 days on retirement finances. 10 days on autoimmune disease diseases. something big and raptor making slow crunchy shrieks but then stops before I get underneath.  Shrike out breaths. no more cardinal flowers in the lowlands by the South Creek. Snowy egret, bent over intend watching the water. No herons today. 
5. Whole forest floor with black eyes Susa s. Lobelia puberula Common Name(s): Blue LobeliaDowny Lobelia
6. Pair of Canada geese, muttering to each other as they slowly make their way upstream meander upstream
7. What is nature like with nature seeing me?

Sat Sept 12

1. Oak leaf hydrangea petals are brown. I’ve missed the transition from red. 
2. Winter, "Hide-A-Lullaby," Adult Romantix, Winspear, 2025
3. Deafheaven, "Sunbather," Sunbather, Deathwish, 2013
4. Slow Crush, "Cherry," Thirst, Pure Noise, 2025

Sunday.  Emus. Bemis. 

1. Overcast at last A field of Canada geese. A field of robins. 
2. Big Osage orange things on the path that I turned my ankle on. Black walnuts probably. These are later on trail under big tree.  The sound of an acorn falling through the leaves, then exploding as it hits the asphalt.
3. A little bit of light rain has emptied the forest preserve. The last several times I’ve been here it’s been just packed and now just about nobody.
4. Single gray blue heron spooked by me as I crossed the bridge and he heads up to up the river
5. Lots of birds in this area, the forest with white butts buff colored tops may be a little gray. Bird identify air says that they’re red bellied woodpeckers or Downey woodpeckers.Sounds racheter cheep cheep. 
6. Squirrels racing around and a couple trees, like those little magnet cars, matchbox cars, chasing squeaking, perturbed, wagging their tails angrily
7. Beneath the Buroak dozens and dozens maybe hundreds of acorns almost completely covered in acorn Schell just a little brown peeking out of the bottom

Friday Fbw

1. There are some dry leaves in the gutter
2. The smell of fall in the air
3. Goldenrod is the predominant flower that are more Astors than last time very pretty purple Perwinkle color. Still lots of yellow flowers small black-eyed Susans saw a black swallowtail butterfly.  the prairie grasses turning brown each week.
4. More brown skeletons of tall flowers that are brown have little brown balls at the top
5. 70/58
6. Cormorant not black, but Gray back in his normal place overlooking the water. 
7. Drying echinacea drying Rudbeckia
8. Tiny last sprig of Cardinal flower
9. Little Lauren sized bird back where the damn used to be greenish yellowish small
10. Factory specs
11. High-end manufactured housing. Modular housing.
12. Beast mode T-shirt, long sleeved with the Nutter butter character on it who’s running
13. Was that.a hummingbird that flew by?

Saturday Sept 19

1. HB feeder is pretty full after a week. Have they been drinking? Are they gone?

Sunday

1. Birch dropping leaves. 
2. Sidewalks covered with water from sumps