Banner Marsh-East Access

Once more, Scott and I drove down to Banner Marsh, stopping at the northeastern most access area. We found many butterflies and bees around the youth pond, as well as a large assortment of frogs! Birds were rather scarce. We found Mute Swans, Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese, Killdeer, Catbird, Blue Jay, Starlings, and a Green Heron.

Mute Swan

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Monarch

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Mallard

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Sulphur Butterfly

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Viceroy

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Bumblebee on Pink Knotweed

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Gladiator Katydid

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Canada Geese Flying Over

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Painted Lady Butterfly in Bushy Asters

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Honeybee in Bushy Asters

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Frogs at the Youth Pond

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Click Here for Posts about the Banner Marsh/Rice Lake Area

Click on the title or click here to go to search results about the Banner Marsh/Rice Lake area on my website. Then click the Previous link at the bottom of each page to keep going back in time.

If you scroll through all the pages in this collection, you will see that I have been watching the Banner Marsh/Copperas Creek/Rice Lake area for a very long time. This part of the Illinois River migratory bird flyway is very dear to my heart. My advocacy to prevent mining on the proposed site between Banner Marsh and Rice Lake comes from my love for the natural wonder called a river system. Illinois citizens have so few natural areas to enjoy. Why destroy one of the most beautiful areas along the Illinois River? Coal mining will disrupt much of the beauty of this unique area and frighten away some of the most rare and precious forms of life living in the area. Reclamation of the proposed mine site will never remake it into what it is right now, and it will take 30 years and millions of dollars to get it to a state similar to the state Banner Marsh is in now, and Banner Marsh, as beautiful as it is, has a long way to go; it is an ongoing project.






Click here for additional posts about the Banner Marsh/Rice Lake Area

On Thompson Lake: Emiquon in September

Ed and I had the opportunity to go out on Thompson Lake in one of the Nature Conservancy's canoes. The view from the lake is wonderful. Lots of clouds that day, making for some interesting photographs.

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This heron was flying with such a straight neck that I thought it was a crane! As it prepared to land on the beaver lodge on Thompson Lake, it pulled its neck back in and regained its heron composure.

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Mendenhall Road and Banner Marsh East Access

Last Wednesday Scott and I drove to Mendenhall Road and found many Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets in the ponds on the north side of the road. We also found two Green Herons! We drove on down to Banner Marsh, East Access (Peoria County) and found some more lovely creatures.

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Bumblebees were buzzing.

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These Mute Swans were banded by the State Fish & Wildlife people. The neck bands look a little tight to me!

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A couple of Pied-billed Grebes would poke their heads up now and then before disappearing in the water.

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A Belted Kingfisher was busy fishing the ponds.

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A Yellow Warbler was one of many birds peaking out of the shrubs by the Youth Pond.

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Egrets in the ponds north of Mendenhall Road:

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This Green Heron really blends in with the surroundings!

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This Great Blue Heron croaked at me as he flew to a nearby tree:

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Field of Asters -- Prairie Lane Road

More flowers, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies found in the blooming meadow off Prairie Lane Road.

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Eastern Comma Butterfly

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Jerusalem Artichokes

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Marbled Orb Weaver

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Hops

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Hidden Mantis

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Carolina Saddlebags--I love the pattern in the wing.

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Painted Lady

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Eastern Tailed Blue

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Unidentified Flower

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Pearl Crescents Mating

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If You Could Just Hear the Bumblebees

If you could hear the bumblebees.
If you heard it, you could see it:
the flowers, the bumblebees--
could you kill it?
How many butterfly
and plant species
are you going to kill?
Think about what you are doing.
You, about to proscribe it
with this mine.

Decurrent False Asters carpet a 24 acre blooming meadow by Prairie Lane
Road. The sound of the bees buzzing in the field drowned out all other
thoughts or sounds. This is in the heart of the proposed mining site between
Rice Lake and Banner Marsh. This is one more reason to oppose the mining
operation at this site.
Please consider signing the petition asking the USFWS to investigate this
site to prevent violation of the Migratory Bird and Bald Eagle protection
acts, as well as the Endangered Species Act.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/615936766


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Blue Vervain