Kaw Valley Almanac

Clear skies and trees cleared of their leaves after recent rains make it easier to spot migratory geese and other birds either passing through or leaving. Strong southerly winds may back them up as they wait for north winds to carry them south with less energy expended.

With most bodies of water well below normal, shorelines have become pathways well worth exploring.

With the continuing drought, tree colors seem muted as is evidenced by the trees in the background; however, the sumac at Prairie Park Nature Center didn’t get the memo! Colors or not, this coming weekend is Baldwin City’s Maple Leaf Festival — check it out and take a walk with a friend, too.

Some goldenrods are still blooming, attracting a northern paper wasp on the right. These wasps are omnivores and this one clearly likes carbohydrates!

Asters of many color have begun to bloom across the state, including these purple New England asters, which also bloom as far west as the Plains states and as far south as Mississippi.

Monarch migration is in full swing, though south winds this past week have made it difficult to move ahead. This monarch was finding refuge in some goldenrod.

Ashy sunflowers continue blooming this week. They are shorter perennial sunflowers with lighter green leaves than many other sunflowers.

Walking sticks are around and about, as are praying mantises, which are superficially similar. Praying mantises blend in to the vegetation to catch unsuspecting prey, while walking sticks blend in so they don’t become prey.

Pitcher’s sage, also known as blue sage or Salvia azurea, has begun to bloom in some northeast Kansas prairies and will continue to grace late summer prairies for the next month or so.