Douglas County creatively hired some goats to eat down the ragweed on a very steep slope that has been planted back to prairie at Wells Overlook Park. They should have the offending weeds eaten down in 4-7 days.

These sweet coneflowers, Rudbeckia subtomentosa, attest to the ongoing unfolding of yellow perennial flowers which will increase in numbers well into September.

As July moves into August, many warm season grasses and wildflowers have shot up their seedheads, as captured in this sunset silhouette shot.

This colorful and dangerous looking wasp is the great gold digger wasp, Sphex ichneumoneus. It’s a rather harmless nectar eating wasp, as shown here on some rattlesnakemaster that is just beginning to bloom.

The compassplant shoots its stalks 6 or more feet into the air, and many insects, like this bumblebee, are loving it.