Echinacea's early inflorescence.

Curbing enthusiasm.

Let's take a closer look at those ducks on a roof.

 (All photos by the Duckarazzo.)

Backyard Red-Tail.

Zeus is on vacation. (UPDATED)

How about a family of Trumpeter swans? Out on Lake Mendota today. Come on... swans are people too. ADDED: "The Truth About Swans"

Peak fall color Wisconsin White Oaks.

New England Aster on the Wisconsin prairie.

Our backyard.

The pink flower is Impatiens balfourii:

It is native to the Himalayas, particularly Kashmir and surrounding areas, where it grows in mountains of 5,000 to 6,000 feet. It was brought back to England and many other European countries as a garden plant, and then it became popular in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of the United States. It can now be found growing wild as a garden escapee in Europe, on the US Pacific Coast, and in Wisconsin, where it is well adapted to cool, wet sites.

A few years ago, a friend sent me seeds from his garden in Minnesota. I sowed them and the plant colonized. Email me if you'd like a few seeds.

Pink Zinnia.

Your morning Sandhill Crane report.

Friendly dogs we met on the trail in Boulder, Colorado (Part 2).

Alright — not really dogs... and not really "friendly"... but they were in Boulder and they were on the trail.

Do you like turtles?

Because turtles might like you.

DUCK!

Whew. That was close!

Microclimate change.