Midwest Roadtrip 2016 - Part VI

The week had crawled by, which was perfect for being on holidays.  With a big drive to Indianapolis we set out early to get one more prairie in.  I had flagged a group of prairies (Paint Brush, Drovers and Friendly) to the northwest and had planned to stop in on our way home.

We stopped at a lookout near Osceola and enjoyed this view of the Osage River.

I wish I had seen this guy under better circumstances.  One of a few Nine-banded Armadillos we saw in Missouri.

By mid-morning we arrived at Paint Brush Prairie.  Stepping out of the vehicle a Northern Bobwhite was calling from near the forest edge.  Immediately I was struck by the short stature of the vegetation at this site, with very little growing higher than the knee it had the feel of a short grass prairie like what you might see in south Saskatchewan.

Some of my favourites were quickly located including Purple Milkwort (Polygala sanguinea).

Mystery seed pod kind of resembling a Shootingstar (Dodecatheon sp.)

Rough Buttonweed (Diodia teres)

White forms of Blazingstar (Liatris spp.) are fairly uncommon and Paint Brush had a small patch of a haf dozen or so stems.

The first Coreopsis seen since Mnoke Prairie in Indiana.  My Essex County instinct wants to say Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris).  Missouri has a few species in the genus, but Tall seems to fit the bill.

A Robber Fly and some unlucky prey.

...and a behemoth Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)

What a great trip.  I learned alot, built up my heat tolerance (sweated off a pound or two), and saw a handful of some of North America's best prairie.