Frogs & toads of Lost Lake

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie 2 Comments

Submitted by Howard Fenton (he/him), Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Sunday Assembly. The photo accompanying this article shows a grey tree frog, one of six frog and toad species that use Lost Lake as a breeding site during the spring and summer. While I believe it is a grey tree frog, I am not completely certain. It could potentially be a Cope’s grey tree frog, which is a distinct species but nearly impossible to differentiate from the grey tree frog by sight alone, even upon close examination. You might be wondering, “How can you tell them apart if they look so …

Wisdom Prairie: Notes on prairies and connections

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Submitted by David Kelly (he/him), Friends of Wisdom Prairie. When I write about prairies, I’m torn. Either I’m penning an elegy – prairies in Wisconsin are a mere hint of their pre-settlement vastness – or I’m composing an ode to a place that defies awe. To enter a prairie is to enter the past, a time when prairies covered the land. If you go deep enough in today’s prairie, you get a taste of a prairies’ long-ago grandeur. I suppose this writing is some combination. To appreciate a prairie’s beauty is also to mourn its loss. The early morning air …

October phenology

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Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. October phenology “Now is the time of the illuminated woods. They have a sense of sunshine even on a …

New England aster with rigid leaf goldenrod

September phenology

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by Sylvia Marek Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. September Phenology “The tint of autumn – mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of an enchanter …

Argiope spider

August phenology

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Phenology 2 Comments

By Sylvia Marek Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. August Phenology “…the time of flowers from now until autumn…there would be every few days and …

July phenology

Holy Wisdom MonasteryCare for the Earth, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, Phenology 1 Comment

By Sylvia Marek Phenology is a science focused on observing and recording biological events from year to year and their relationships to the change of seasons and climate. These are the “normal” phenology events we expect to see here and in the Madison area this month. We would love to hear about what you are seeing on the grounds of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Please comment on this post with what you are observing, where at Holy Wisdom and the date you observed the event. July Phenology “The tall grass prairie…. from the first greening of spring to the full ripening …