Spring progresses

I haven't had a lot of time for hikes lately, but I've squeezed in a few here and there.  I'll share a few photos from the last couple weeks.

Trillium

 Phlox

A Chicago garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus) as found in situ.

 A little closer

Portrait

 A Northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) in a roadside pond.

Tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)

Be creative...

Some oak seedlings seen in a sandy black oak dune ecosystem in Will County.  Taking this photo meant halting my quick pace through mosquito- and tick-infested woods and resulted in several mosquito bites on the back of my neck and perhaps a tick or two on the cuffs of my pants, even though I had previously applied permethrin and DEET to them.  Blood-sucking bugs south of I-80 seem unaffected by these deterrents...

 Dragonfly 

 Wild blackberry growing in sandy soil

 

Cleft phlox (Phlox bifida) growing in the sand prairie 

Argghh!!  A stinkin' lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) in situ.  You know the tick situation is bad when I find them scheming on individual blades of grass.  I leave with a blurry photo of a tick because not everything in the life of a naturalist is copacetic.  Depending on where they are and the time of year, ticks can really be a pain.  Especially ones like this that can spread diseases.