Homer Lake Wetland Blog

Male Comet Darner, Homer Lake Wetland, May 26, 2021 On Thursday and Friday May 20 and 21st I was at the wetland early to mid mornings and saw the same dragonflies as have been there so far this season: common green darners and Carolina saddlebags, both migratory species that have arrived from the south--common green darners were there by March 22nd and Carolina saddlebags by April 9th. Then I was out of town for four days and when I got back to the wetland on Wednesday May 26th, five days after my previous visit, there were four more species present, two of them in abundance. There is no evidence, nor any likelihood given that the wetland was dry three to four months at the end of last year, that these dragonflies came from the wetland itself. Dragonflies are strong fliers and leave the waters they emerge from until they reach sexual maturity. This takes a few days and then they search out suitable waters, preferences varying by species, to take on the challenge of reproduction. It is ...

Blue Flag Iris, Homer Lake Wetland, May 27, 2021 Not everyone likes spiders or snakes... nor do they even necessarily appreciate isopods or amphibians. My mother-in-law, for example, I know has strong feelings about snakes though I'm not sure how she feels about isopods.  That said, I do know that irises are her favorite flower, so when I saw a stand of blue-flag irises in bloom at the wetland this morning, I of course thought of her. This one's for you Mom! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there is something for everyone at the wetland.

Six-Spotted Fishing Spider at the Wetland, May 20, 2021 Six-spotted fishing spiders are quite common on and around the water at the wetland. And probably under the water as well. Like many of the aquatic insects, these spiders have water-repellent hairs on their body that trap air and allow them to remain underwater for perhaps as long as 30 to 45 minutes or maybe even longer. I got too close to one for its comfort earlier this week and it disappeared under the water in a blink of an eye.  They don't just dive under though to avoid danger -- they are also able to hunt under water and will eat tadpoles, aquatic insects and small fish (though not at the wetland -- fish are not on the menu there because there are no fish!)  In the photo at the bottom of this post is another six-spotted fishing spider. Notice how it is resting on a leaf, but has its front four legs extended onto the water. This is because these spiders are sensitive to vibrations in the water just as other spiders...

I was checking a small pond near the main wetland for signs of life yesterday— it had been nearly dry a couple weeks ago, but new rain had given the tadpoles and other aquatic animals there a fresh chance. I was traveling last week and wondered what the status was now. There was water but not much moving around in it— maybe it had gone completely dry last week before more recent rain filled it again? Then I saw thIs beautiful little painted turtle hatchling (Chrysemys picta) surface for air. It spotted me the same time I spotted it and dove to the bottom and scurried into the mud. The water, however, was not deep and I easily found it for a brief photoshoot.*  I was on my way with It to take pictures when I noticed at the edge of the same pond the lovely little common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) pictured below. The shell of the painted turtle was just a bit larger than a quarter, clearly one that had emerged from its nest only recently. (I don’t know if the mud residue on his sh...

Three Blanchard's Cricket Frogs at the Homer Lake Wetland, May 10, 2021 As in the photo above, the Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) can occur in abundance in a favorable habitat.  At less than an inch to an inch and a half in size and with a lifespan of under two years -- rarely does an individual Blanchard's cricket frog see more than one breeding season -- this is quite an accomplishment. Although seemingly abundant in Central Illinois, further north there has been concern over a steep decline in their populations. This year the cricket frogs began appearing at the wetland by April 6 and could be heard occasionally calling soon thereafter, but calling in earnest has been more recent. If you've ever been walking along a lake, pond or river and noticed small frogs jumping into the water and immediately jumping or swimming straight back to shore, those would be these guys. Unlike many of the frogs that breed at the wetland, Blanchard's cricket frogs will b...

  Assorted Tadpoles, May 10, 2021 Not too surprisingly given all the frog/toad reproductive activity that's been going on at the wetland over the past month and a half or so, a look under the water reveals tadpoles of many sizes along with some subtler differences in coloration and body detail. It will become easier to distinguish at least some of the species as they grow older and larger, but the photo above shows most of the tadpoles captured in one sweep of a 10" aquarium-style fishnet.The two small black ones in the top left of the photo are almost certainly American toad "toadpoles." The three or four that are similarly sized but not solidly black are likely another species and the larger ones with mottled coloring are likely one of the leopard frog species. No guarantees though on any of my ids at this point, however. Just speculation. The smallest of them is about half a centimeter long while the largest there is 8x its length at 4cm. Above is a closer look at...

The video below consists of two brief clips captured about 30 minutes apart on May 1. The first clip is focused on eastern gray tree frogs calling from the trees surrounding the wetland area, but the familiar peeping of spring peepers and the (new) clacking of cricket frogs (sounds like two rocks or marbles being struck together) can be heard in the background. There are no frogs visible in this clip but the most prominent eastern gray tree frog is calling from somewhere in the tree directly over the camera. The second clip, approximately 30 minutes after sunset, overlooks the pond. The eastern gray tree frogs and the spring peepers are much more prominent and numerous at this time but with careful listening (may require headphones or earbuds) the clacking of the cricket frogs can also be discerned in the background. Also present at this time are the soft “chuck chuck chuck” and squealing sounds of plains leopard frogs and a couple of calls of a green frog, which sound rather like the ...

Marsh Wren Bathing at the Homer Lake Wetland, April 30, 2021 Marsh Wren In addition to the cute little bird getting cleaned up, the video above includes accompaniment by a green frog, an American toad and some eastern gray tree frogs along with red-winged blackbirds and other birds. I was sitting in the underbrush by this bush growing at the edge of the wetland videoing something else when this little guy arrived intent on getting clean and starring in his own feature film. American Bittern There was an American bittern present in the wetland yesterday morning. It was flushed by a couple of birders and took off, but then returned into the cattails at the west edge of the wetland. However, when I approached the wetland hoping to get a look, it flushed again and took off over the surrounding woods. Hopefully it shows up again -- for me and the several birders who showed up while I was still there hoping also to get a look. Sora My post of April 12th included a p...