Naturally, as soon as I walked up to the house, I saw this Eurasian collared dove perched on the roof.

What do they call it? Poetic justice? Irony?

Just tell this dove he better not leave town in the next few weeks.

Now as far as a picture, well this isn’t too great if focus is the object. But hey, this doe wouldn’t stand still. She wanted to move. This captures her moving spirit.

What I wanted to post was a picture of a dove on a wire somewhere. But on the way home from Presley’s Outdoors, I saw five doves. All five flustered off before I could snap a picture.

Hope I see more than five in the morning. And I hope this rain holds off.

Because I need something in focus for my Sept. 1 picture.

Must have earned me some points. And not just in a cosmic sense.

At some point today, in what was a very odd and long day, my wife said, “Do you need a picture?”

Of course.

A leaf emerged. Not just any leaf. A wild-looking leaf. A sign of things to come. Fall is nearing. Hunting is coming. The best time of year? I think so.

So as I sit here hours later, smiling finally, ears still ringing from blasting the 1983 vintage tub (yes, I won), I can’t help but be happy. Some of that is that the boys are asleep, finally, and the music is blaring. Stones. Pavarotti. The Clash. Smashing Some Pumpkins. Budweiser. A good mix.

Beyond that is much more that pleases, at least in retrospect. Lawyer business. Bank business. New projects to come (stay tuned). The weeds mowed today in the dove field (thanks Gordon). A few birds that showed up. The bathroom moves forward, as it must in advance of hunting season. Momentum building. Much to do. Much to enjoy.

But most of all, my wife had a picture for me. A good one, too.

Life is good. It really is.

Anyway, I’ve had a bit of HD mania lately what with football season coming soon. And yes, sometimes I buy into technology. I buy into the idea that we are really figuring things out. That humans can sure make amazing stuff.

Then I walk outside and spend a few minutes with the plants. That’s when I’m reminded that HD TV is a fraud. Sorry to whoever invented it. But it’s not that impressive compared to one stalk of rough blazingstar. Not compared to one monarch chrysalis. Or one acorn, for that matter.

The really amazing stuff is where it has always been. Outside. Ready for us to admire if we’ll only take the time and get out there.

Teal shot last year at Rice Lake, tops among Illinois River public sites. Teal season opens Saturday.

Good goose opener?

If banding results are accurate, local goose hunters should see plenty of honkers when the early season opens Wednesday. Goose reproduction was 12 percent above the five-year average in west-central Illinois. Surveys showed 2.31 immature geese per adult.

Early season runs through Sept. 15. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily bag is five in the North, Northeast and Central zones and two in the South Zone.

Walleye tour schedule

The Illinois Walleye Trail has added a few new venues for its 2011 tournament schedule, but will still focus mainly on the Illinois River. New this year is a Mississippi River event and a tourney out of Ottawa.

No membership is required and the entry fee for events is $200 per team. Learn more at prairielandeyes.com or call Bob Kidd at (309) 527-6328. The IWT is a qualifying circuit for the Cabela’s National Championship and the AIM Walleye Circuit.

Here is this year’s schedule: Oct. 10 — Henry; Oct. 24 — Hennepin; Nov. 7 — Rapid City, Mississippi River; March 6 — Spring Valley; April 9 — Ottawa; April 10 — Spring Valley.

Did you know?

Forbes Magazine ranked the fish hook as the 19th most important tool of all time.

Fishing award winners

Maui Jim of Peoria won a best of show award for its Guy Harvey Collection of sunglasses at this year’s ICAST event in Las Vegas. Other winners at the sportfishing industry’s annual event were Koppers Fishing & Tackle’s Live Target Hollow Body Frog (soft lure), Shimano’s Waxwing Sub-Surface Swimming Jig (hard lure), Frabil’s FXE Stormsuite (apparel), Lowrance’s Elite-5 DSI (electronics), Rapala’s Sufix 832 Advanced Superline (line), Shimano’s Stella FE (freshwater reel), G. Loomis’ NRX (best of show and freshwater rod) and Sebile’s Soft Weight System (terminal tackle).

More friends needed

Friends of Rice Lake hopes to purchase a goose hunting pit or two for Double T this fall. But to make that happen, the new non-profit group needs more members or a few major donations. Visit friendsofricelake.org for a membership application.
Or mail your name, address and check ($25, $50 or $250) to: Friends of Rice Lake, P.O. Box 4004, Bartonville, IL 61607.

Critter corner

In the wilds of Illinois in September ...
Ducks, songbirds, monarch butterflies and bats migrate south.
Muskrats build lodges.
Rabbit breeding finally ends.
Snakes enter winter dormancy.
Swallows stage in large flocks.
Persimmons and hazelnuts ripen.
Acorns fall.
Puffballs and other fall mushrooms appear.
Aster and goldenrod blooms.

This ‘n that

South Dakota’s statewide average increased to 6.45 pheasants per mile, compared to 6.26 last year and the 10-year average of 5.71. Highest counts were near Chamberlain (17 birds per mile), Pierre (13.95) and Mobridge (10.85). The South Dakota season opens Oct. 16. ... In an otherwise difficult time, some encouraging news for Wildlife Prairie State Park is that attendance is up 15 percent this year and Midwest Living Magazine recently cited Prairie Park as one of the best state parks around.

That they are still abundant in this river is a testament to its fertility.

And a reason to fish.

Another reason to fish came to the scales today at the Hamm’s Breading Mix and AAD Custom Boats and Welding catfish tournament out of the Pekin Boat Ramp.

Winning weight for 25 fish was an amazing 156.9 pounds, caught by Mark Farrow of Meredosia and Pete Deeder of Griggsville.

Farrow is a legend on the catfish circuit. As second-place finisher Tim Walsh of Danvers said, “That guy, he could catch fish in a hat.”

But that was the scene this morning at Banner Marsh, where I saw more goldfinches than doves.

Here’s hoping new birds arrive soon. Or we could be in for a slow opener.

X X X

Why hope for rain? Wet, cold weather up north could chase doves our way prior to Wednesday’s season opener. Otherwise things look fairly grim. We’ll have a complete report Sunday, but most dove-watchers in central Illinois say numbers are well below average. ... Then again, in southern Illinois, prospects look much better. Guide Jason Johns noted a recent influx of grey ghosts around Rend Lake. Similar reports are trickling in from elsewhere down south. ... Speaking of migrants, Matt Winks of El Paso spotted numerous warblers at Bloomington’s Ewing Park on Thursday. Shorebirds have also been squeaking down the Illinois River Valley in big numbers. ... One shorebird hotspot was the Wilder Tract of Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge. But a long-delayed wetland improvement started Monday and displaced many birds. Due to construction, the Wilder Tract is also closed during early Canada goose and teal seasons. Hunting will be allowed in the oxbow lakes and on the south end of Forgotten Road. Work should be done by the regular duck season.

X X X

Did anybody else see a porcupine in Peoria County? Journal Star carrier Josh Rudd, 19, swears he saw a porcupine east of Glasford while running his route a few weeks ago. That would be a bigger shock than a cougar sighting behind the Journal Star. Aside from prehistoric remains, there are no historic records of porcupines in Illinois according to Donald Hoffmeister’s book “Mammals of Illinois.” ... The Department of Natural Resources has a new Website called “Living with White-tailed Deer in Illinois.” Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/deer for a comprehensive look at Prairie State deer. ... Rudd’s porcupine sighting came to mind Tuesday when a shaggy brown critter shambled out of a Peoria County ditch. Well, it turned out to be a goat ... a grumpy goat that hustled into the timber after a few pictures. Visit Scattershooting at prairiestateoutdoors.com to see that goat and four months worth of other Pictures of the Day dating to April 5.

X X X

The arrival of cooler weather always makes me think of my old black lab, Buck. As fall approached he got crazier and crazier until he finally got his mouth around the first duck, goose or pheasant of the year. Maddening as that dog was, I miss him. Duck season just isn’t the same. ... Teal? Anybody seeing teal?... Cooler weather has improved the crappie bite. Fish shallow early and then move deeper as the day wears on. Muskie are also much more active of late. Nick Johnson caught and released a 40-incher this week at McMaster Lake in Snakeden Hollow and reported follows by several larger fish. ... Friends of Rice Lake is hoping to bankroll a goose hunting pit or two for Double T this fall. But we need more members or a few major donations to make that happen. Visit friendsofricelake.org for a membership application.

X X X

Duck, goose and upland game hunters are reminded to go online to apply for permits to hunt state ground. Free upland permit applications (dnr.state.il.us/uplandgame) are due by Tuesday. Wednesday is deadline for the first drawing for waterfowl permits (dnr.state.il.us/duck or /goose). ... Chef Todd will cook venison and beef burgers, shark, smoked pig and grilled bananas today at Hooked on Fishing Park in East Peoria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Suggested donation is $10. All proceeds benefit the youth fishing park located next to Dixon’s Fisheries.  ... Size apparently matters to female red-eyed tree frogs. Studies detailed in the journal Herpetologica show larger male tree frogs more readily find mates. Large size apparently proves a frog’s ability to survive and outcompete other males. Needless to say, hefty fellows like Chef Todd and I might enjoy coming back as red-eyed tree frogs should we be granted additional lives.

X X X

The National Sporting Goods Association says participation by female hunters has increased by 75 percent in the past five years. The organization estimates 3 million women now hunt and 5 million shoot regularly. ... Duck details: Mark Werner of Pekin was among the first to sign up for Illinois’ new Ducks Unlimited license plates. While the new plates are not yet listed on the Secretary of State’s Website, Werner said anyone interested can send a request to: Secretary of State; 501 S. Second St., Third Floor, Att.: Carla; Springfield, IL 62756. Plates can only be issued after 1,500 requests. ... Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady will pull a few triggers Sunday at Oak Ridge Sportsman’s Club near Mackinaw for a fund-raising sporting clays shoot. Cost is $125. Register from 8-9 a.m. or call (309) 925-5077 or 538-4550. ... Parting shot: Good news for bird hunters in Knox County is just a few weeks away. Stay tuned.

For two days I’ve driven past the same spot. Two days I’ve seen a flock of birds: gobblers, jakes, hens and little rascals.

With any luck, they’ll migrate a mile north to the spot where I turkey hunt.

FROM Bud Neptun of Peoria:

“Thanks for the article you had Sunday about the trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo. We spent several vacations down there in the 1970’s at Rock-away Beach. Lovely spot.  We caught our share of those trout.  We also went up into Bull Creek (I think that is the name of it) and fished for some nice large bluegills. That article brought back many memories. One of them was, I had my first broken bone ever—my right leg/ankle—stepping from the boat across the dock and went in over my head into the boat stall next to mine.  he residents down there are all wonderful people, really make you feel at home. Branson was NOT the show hub back at that time; so, we didn’t spend much time there except for Shepherd of the Hills and the Amusement Part that was there at that time.

“PS: We fished for the Trout with a very small gold hook baited with Red Balls of Fire salmon eggs. We fished on the bottom much like we do here for Catfish.  It worked just great.  Three of the Red Balls of Fire on that little hook was all it took.”

FROM Bill Neff of Dunlap:

“The hunters, who have our place leased near Victoria, had all their several deer stands stolen. The total value of the stands is about $2,000. The theft occured sometime since May and this weekend. The stands were all attached to big trees by cables. The cables were cut. he police were notified and a report made. The police said that deer stand thefts are becoming a major problem Police think that the deer stands are being turned into and sold as scrap.”

FROM Bill Krautwald of East Peoria:

“With the odds of drawing a duck blind at over a 1000 to 1, whose bright idea was it to let non-resident out of state people also draw for blinds on the state areas. Only the resident/ tax paying citizens of Illinois should be allowed to draw.”

FROM Ken Ingram of Lacon:

“Really enjoyed your two recent Sunday columns concerning our local smallmouth fisheries and the largemouth bass on the Illinois River. The Spoon River photo certainly caught the mood of summer on the creeks. I was surprised to hear of the silver carp well up in the Mackinaw River but not of the brown bass in the feeders. More than 50 years ago I was rattling around Woodford and Tazewell counties in an old Plymouth station wagon stopping virtually anywhere I pleased to sample rivulets and an occasional creek. Usually the smallmouth bass were there though it was some time before I caught a fish over twelve inches.  I had heard of Big Sandy and Crow Creeks; the hot shots were off to the Vermillion River and Big Bureau, but I seemed to want my fish in a pasture. Still have the six and one half foot white glass fly rod I often employed..

“Was no stranger to largemouth bass on the big river by the mid-fifties, often walking from home in Peoria Heights to cast in line spinner baits and small river runts along the narrows. There were still weed beds along that stretch and the summer bass were usually around. However, like bass everywhere, they sometimes could sit there and look back at you.  Have a yarn that sort of spans the subjects of your two stories. By the early seventies I was ice-fishing and hunting ducks with George Britton, now retired to Bull Shoals. George was one of the canniest fishermen to ever launch a boat on Peoria Lake and had discovered the resurgent sauger and walleye population some time before the news filtered down from up-river. He was a rather democratic fisherman however, and could happily bail the drum, catfish, white bass, or largemouth bass usually with his small white marabou jigs or roostertail spinners.

“In those days, on the site where the Bass Pro Shop is to be built, there was a leveed settling pond to service the Cilco power plant just downstream. Draining this pond were two pipes side by side, the largest perhaps twelve inches in diameter. The clear water discharge was into a sort of small harbor surrounded by willows and rip-rap not easily discovered from the main river. George did.  The spot was no good at normal pool, but when the river level was up a few feet the fishing was gangbusters, especially with the small jigs. Over the next few seasons virtually every species of fish in the river was caught there.  Early one morning I discovered that the river level likely too low to make for good results there but beached the boat outside and walked in as sometimes there would be some sight fishing for a few largemouth bass still around. Experience had also shown that any smallmouth bass in there would always be in the current just off the most active of the drain pipes. No go on the largemouth, but as I came near the pipes I flushed a smallish bass and figured that to be the end of things.

“Then I noticed the tail of a fish in one of the culverts just inside the mouth.  I was pretty sure it was a good fish and likely a bass. So what the hey. Dropping down a low as I could, I cranked my spinner to with-in a foot of my rod tip and slid it in the pipe. I felt the spinner start to work and the tail disappeared. I quickly withdrew the rod and found a mighty mad pound and half smallmouth thrashing around on the very short line. Gave the fish some room to do his thing and soon made a release back into water.”

                                           
FROM Don Axt of Peoria:

“I liked your “Bass are Back”  story Sunday. It gave support to an idea that came to me years ago:  I call it the “protoplasmic float”.  It says that in any given body of water there’s a whole huge bunch of fish eggs, one cell stuff, wrigglers lower forms, jelly fish and the like.  You see ‘em as white dots in undersea photographers a mile or more down   Check the recent Gulf oil spill wellhead photos.These things make food for their predators up what we call the food chain. Lake Michigan .. and other lakes around ... got fished out many years back. That didn’t just eliminate the billions or so adult fish, but the float they were a part of (I think). The eggs, the tiny larvae, the wigglers and all the stuff that fed on those things and their eggs and larvae all of which comprise what amounts to the float.

“So, yes, a bunch of game fish are gone ... but so is a great ton of other suff that depends on them growing up. You said the bass are back ... yes ... feeding on the carp eggs and stuff that feeds on the carp eggs and the other things the carp egg feeders are food for ... the carp grow ... so maybe does the entire fish population grow. The carp will escape to the Great Lakes ... no doubt ... but it’s interesting to speculate what their addition to the protasmic float will do for whitefish and all the others. (Yes I know there’s a mud problem ... the effect of that isn’t quite clear yet (No pun intended.)”

Only what I’m hoping now is that not seeing many doves was not a bad sign. Surely a 57-degree night didn’t send them packing. Or did it?

Whatever the case, I didn’t see many doves. Didn’t see one in the field I will hunt opening day. And didn’t see as many as I had been seeing on country roads.

My fears were heightened when I ran into Mike Hitchcock today. He has some nice dove fields out west of Canton near Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area.

One of the first things he asked me was, “Are you seeing many doves? Because I’m not.”

That’s not good. Usually this close to the Sept. 1 opener, that area will be covered in birds.

And with 50 degrees in the forecast for tonight and Thursday night, things look dicey.

But here’s my hope. This cold weather will bring birds to us from the north. They will have a week to get accustomed to the area, to find fields and gravel and water. And then by next Wednesday, we’ll have some hot shooting.

That’s my hope, anyway.

My other hope is that today was just a fluke. That there are doves everywhere else and I just missed them. So tell me, are you seeing many doves lately?

My suspicion is that this is the same hawk I photographed eating a snake last month.

Hunting must have been good in this mowed ditch, because the hawk moved from power pole to power pole as I drove past but did not want to leave.

There, right along the road, was something that at first looked like a dark brown critter of undetermined species.

Well, I was really hoping it would be a bear. Or a dark cougar. But it was just a goat. A shaggy, brown-and-white goat who posed for a few pictures and then walked off into the timber when I started to come too close.

While the goat acted fairly skittish, further review showed he was fitted with an ear tag. So this is obviously someone’s goat. If there’s a reward out there, I’ll gladly take part.

Seeing a goat made me think about the tales I’ve heard in the past of folks canoeing along the Vermilion River. In one stretch of that scenic river, a wild herd of goats was said to live. Whether they’re still there, I don’t know.

But I am sure that this brown goat had better get himself home before shotgun season or he might not see next spring. Remember, a Banner Marsh bowhunter once mistook a mule for a deer. Anything can happen.

Strange that, in light of all that is happening elsewhere in the Midwest. Read on.

Some hunters object to Ind. deer season changes

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Some hunters are objecting to a proposed shortening of Indiana’s deer hunting season in November from 16 to nine days, while state officials say added days for the hunting of antlerless deer will balance out the number of female and male deer killed.

The shorter November season is among the deer hunting changes being considered by the Department of Natural Resources that could be adopted next year.

The proposal calls for two antlerless-only firearms hunting days to be added in numerous counties around the state, along with a statewide eight-day antlerless-only season from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1.

DNR spokesman Phil Bloom said by switching more to antlerless deer in October and December, the hope is to even out the ratio of female to male deer bagged each year. With the new plan, 10 days will be for hunting antlerless deer, with nine days for any deer in November.

“The thinking behind that is in deer hunting, it is a fairly selective type of hunting,” Bloom said. “What deer hunter ‘A’ might shoot, deer hunter ‘B’ might pass up,” Bloom said.

Hunter Daniel Terry of Mitchell said the shorter November season would mean only one weekend would be available for hunters.

“My sons and grandsons all work, and they work five days a week, and they don’t have time to go hunt except on weekends,” Terry told The Herald-Times of Bloomington.

Randy Kieft of Bloomington said he questioned how splitting up the hunting periods so much could result in any more deer being killed.

Terry said the shorter November season could mean more hunters will be in the woods at the same time and increase the risk of bad weather costing hunting dates.

“You’re taking a gamble in buying ... licenses and not getting to use them,” Terry said. “I’ve had a regular hunting license for 64 years, and they’ve done nothing but take away from us all through the years. They don’t own the woods. The taxpaye rs own the woods.”

They have stopped mowing. And everywhere I look lately I’ve been seeing big bluestem (like this pictured above) and Indian grass reaching for the skies.

Little things like that make me smile as a I drive.

So do the tiny flowers on a grass plant. Not showy. But flowers.

“What is that?” the oldest boy asked of this picture?

He couldn’t fathom that grass flowered.

Now he can.

Too many. Today was a perfect example.

Take the sign above. This was repainted on a building north of Elmwood. Lynn Shissler’s family was once in the seed corn business and they sold Funk’s G. So he had the sign repainted. My grandfather also sold Funk’s and every time I pass the sign I think of him.

The reason I passed the sign today was to go shoot guns with The Farmer and a bunch of guys from his church. It was an interesting group.

And there was an interesting array of guns. My favorite part of the day was shooting a couple .410s. You really had to get on the targets to break them with these little pop-guns. But it sure meant more every time you succeeded.

The other highlight of the day was seeing a new shooter break targets. This young man, Jordan, was shooting quite well by afternoon’s end.

Naturally I spent some time today with the macro lens, chasing dragonflies and monarchs and settling for bees and bugs.

When I got home, the fat Eurasian collared dove was perched on our fence. He just sat there and waited. Naturally, the second I got the camera up and focused, he flew up on top of the garage.

Ah well. After that, I kept an eye on the oldest boy as he mowed. Which let me take pictures of bugs, including this butterfly which I am calling J-Lo (because this little flies’ best feature was its rear end).

All those and I picked a toad for Picture of the Day? Maybe I need a better editor.

It’s completely maddening. Every few minutes the dog will run over, get the toad in his mouth, then spit it out in fury. Then the toad will sit there and do nothing while the dog barks. Near as I can tell, all the jostling doesn’t harm the toad, who is content to sit under the outdoor light and eat bugs.

So when it came time to choose a Picture of the Day, I had to use the toad shot from earlier today. This little toad was hopping around trying to get cut into pieces while the oldest boy mowed. Henry has just recently learned to run the mower and still can’t cut a straight line. But he was quick enough to stop mowing and save this toad, which he carried to me.

“Dad, here’s a picture for you.”

Maybe they know I’ve been slumping. Anyway, while the light was wrong, the moment was right. And the yard got mowed. Now about that damned barking dog…

Number of Asian carp Randy Stockam of Havana “caught” to win this year’s Redneck Fishing Tournament on the Illinois River out of Bath.

Flatheads are old

Ponder this the next time you catch a massive flathead catfish and take it home for a fish fry.

Last Tuesday while fishing with Guide Matt Jones on the Rock River, Scott Dean of East Peoria caught a 40-inch, 32-pound flathead catfish. The fish had been tagged by the Department of Natural Resources in 2001 when it was 36 inches long and weighed 22 pounds.

In other words, the fish added just 10 pounds in nine years. Now imagine how long it takes a flathead to reach 50, 60 and 70 pounds.

As for Dean, he was happy to release that fish and a 53-pounder also caught that same day. And he was sure to think his wife, Ann Dean, who bought him the trip as a 14th anniversary present.

You speak

“It was like watching piranhas eating a cow swimming across a river.”
— Darrell “Buster” Culjan, Utica, describing white bass feeding on shad in the Illinois River last week

Carp removal

Not that you will likely notice a difference, but anglers and fun-seekers helped remove thousands of Asian carp from the Illinois River the weekend of Aug. 7-8.

Of those, 3,239 were caught by competitors in the Redneck Fishing Tournament held by Betty DeFord at the Boat Tavern in Bath. “That’s what this event is all about, getting some carp out of the river and raising awareness of how many fish are out there,” said DeFord, who has scheduled next year’s tourney for Aug. 5-6, 2011.

Bowfishermen also did their share at a pair of events in Spring Valley. Top team in an evening shoot bagged 354 fish, well under the winning total of more than 4,000 last year but still a good number of carp.

Did you know?

More than 17,700 students took hunter safety classes in Illinois last year.

EHD outbreak

Residents of Chicago suburb Crete have been finding dead and dying deer that appear to be suffering from EHD, epizootic hemorrhagic disease.

The virus is spread by insects and is more widespread during dry years when deer congregate at remaining waterholes.
Illinois typically has small outbreaks of the disease most years but the last widespread problems came in 2007, when thousands of deer died in 57 counties statewide.

Birding bits

The fall migration of birds and bugs is well underway across Illinois. Ruby-throated hummingbirds and other birds have been passing through since late July and dragonflies and butterflies are following suit.

Here are bird species to watch for in mid- to late-August: nighthawks, warblers, gnatcatchers, blue-winged teal, shovelers, cedar waxwings, various shorebirds, mourning doves, ring-billed gulls, Mississippi kites and grasshopper and song sparrows.

This ‘n that

Thanks to relatively mild winters and good spring moisture, elk populations are in good shape as hunters prepare to head west. Visit rmef.org for in-depth review of elk hunting prospects in the U.S. and Canada. ... Monday is the last day to apply for the second lottery for 2010 Illinois fall shotgun turkey permits at http://www.dnr.state.il.us.

Having slumped for so long in terms of pictures, I eagerly focused on the young deer and snapped off a few pictures before they scampered off.

What? Wood chips? What’s wrong with some wood chips?

Penned deer? Are you crazy?

Oh alright. After a day of watching the boy run a 1-mile and 5-K race and working at the ballyard, I went to Presley’s for their archery sale. There I encountered Chad Hunziker, who had his fawns on site for pictures with kids. So I snapped a picture. Then I took a picture of his son, Chase, with a few fawns. A few of the fawns on hand were just 1 1/2 months old and were fairly nervous about human contact. But bottle-feeding made them all behave.

Hunziker takes his deer all over for festivals and shows and was a hit at last year’s Elmwood All Outdoors Show. Incidentally, he will return to the show again March 5-6 in 2011. So should you. Until then, here’s yet another picture from today’s “walk through nature.”

But hey. Work. Then rush home. Then a ballgame. Then torrential rains. I was lucky to get a snapshot of peanut shells.

Better days are ahead.

To ballplayers. To writers. To parents. And yes, to photographers.

Shaky deer. Out-of-focus squirrels. More rabbit? More butterflies?

Well, how about petunias growing from a crack in the parking lot? Does it speak to the random nature of nature? Does it illustrate beauty in an otherwise ugly setting?

I know. It’s a sure sign of a slump. Plants = slump.

I need to channel some Jim Thome mojo right now. He’s hot. He’s not in a slump.

That’s the goal Friday. To channel some Thome into the camera.

My destination was Bennett’s Terraqueous Gardens Nature Preserve. Seems I’d heard some neat things about this place. So I stopped by. Most nature preserves are worth the visit. At least that’s my motto.

Well, maybe it was the wrong time of year. But there wasn’t much going on in this small area.

So I settled for pictures of a few butterflies, a few stalks of poison ivy and these red berries. After some investigation, I think they belong to an American highbrush cranberry bush. That’s the same plant I’ve got on the west side of my front porch. Good thing I drove to East Peoria today.

How early is anybody’s bet. But while driving home this evening, I passed this field of brown. Not just the end rows, either. There was brown as far as I could see into the field.

No surprise then that just down the road a bit I saw two fellows working on a combine in a shed. Actually, I’ve been seeing lots of combine work lately.

Yep, after a few years of late harvests, the corn is coming out early this year.

Notice, I haven’t said a word about deer. Not yet. That time will come later this year when we review the final numbers. One way or the other, the impact of an early harvest is going to be eye-opening.

He even threatened to take back the 200 macro lens loaned to me by the Journal Star photo department.

Don’t worry, I’ll have a comeback for Zalaznik, whose best nature shot in the past few months was a domesticated chicken carrying a mouse that we have good reason to believe Zalaznik carries in his pocket as a prop.

But enough about that.

When you need to take a picture a day for a year, you are going to shoot some images of bugs. At least I am. And right now there are butterflies all over. Trust me, they won’t be here in December and January when I will be struggling to find worthwhile landscape shots. But for now, there are butterflies. Today’s entry has a huge schnozz. Other than that, I’m not sure what this is. Guess I need a good bug book for Christmas.

Youngest son Boo Boo and I found him this evening on a neighbor’s butterfly bush. And that’s the only place we found butterflies this evening. Hmmm, wonder how that bush got its name?

But plenty of butterflies did. A monarch (including one that Henry release from our aquarium, with many more to come). A few swallowtails. And this little rascal, who was joined by several friends. This is a common buckeye. They all look rather unimpressive as they fly around—right up until they open their wings (as above). Problem is, they didn’t seem very eager to keep their wings spread. They liked being non-descript (as below). So getting the perfect shot just didn’t happen. In truth, this was the backup picture. I knew the hummingbird moth would return. But I was wrong.

A lot of people are very fond of the common buckeye, so maybe I shouldn’t treat this butterfly as a backup. Maybe Monday I’ll just set out to get a better picture of one. And then the hummingbird moth will surely arrive.

Here’s some information on common buckeyes from the Web site ButterfliesandMoths.org.

Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Identification: Upperside is brown. Forewing with 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. Hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. Underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.

Life history: Males perch during the day on low plants or bare ground to watch for females, flying periodically to patrol or to chase other flying insects. Females lay eggs singly on leaf buds or on upperside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary and eat leaves. Caterpillars and adults overwinter but only in the south.

Flight: Two to three broods from May-October, throughout the year in the Deep South.

Wing span: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).

Adult food: Favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, gumweed, knapweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited.

Habitat: Open, sunny areas with low vegetation and some bare ground.

Range: Resident in the southern United States and north along the coasts to central California and North Carolina; south to Bermuda, Cuba, Isle of Pines, and southern Mexico. Adults from the south’s first brood migrate north in late spring and summer to temporarily colonize most of the United States and parts of southern Canada. Comments: The eyespots may be used to scare away predators.