UP IN THE TREE TOPS A WOODPECKER GOES WILDLIFE Cattails are a common wetland

Cattails are a common wetland plant here at Wildflower Park in Northern Illinois

A hot air balloon gracefully moves across the blue summer sky that is being illuminated by the morning sunlight which brings out its colors on this august day at Wildflower Park

Another prairie plant

The sun began to peek through the clouds with some color showing behind the box elder trees that line Eakin Creek West while noticing this beautiful looking cup plant (silphium perfoliatum) along the trail

I stopped by the bridge that crosses over the South Fork Kishwaukee River and photographed the bridge during the blue hour as I had plenty of time to reach the lake before the sun would rise

UP IN THE TREE TOPS A WOODPECKER GOES WILDLIFE Cattails are a common wetlandThe smallest of North Americas woodpeckers, the downy woodpeckers are wide spread and common throughout their range however, they avoid the arid southwest. They are typically very active moving quickly on the branches and through the tree looking for insects. The downy and hairy woodpeckers are almost identical in plumage. The downy can be distinguished from the hairy by its smaller size and by the black dots on its white tail feathers. (523 88)