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A great many flying creatures frequent Minnesota and the Mississippi River Bluffs.
July 2013

Turkey vultures near Winona, Minnesota
[One vulture sits atop a tower while another one is coming in for a landing.]

Mourning cloak butterfly in Winona, Minnesota
[Butterfly with its wings spread as it stands on the ground. The left wing has a chunk missing from the edge. This butterfly is maroon with white edges. In between the maroon and white is a band of blue dots on a black background.]

Silver-spotted skipper butterfly in action on Grandad Bluff in Wisconsin
[Entire body of butterfly is visible as the wings are flapping away from it (and blurred from the action). It's in the midst of flower branches.]

Widow Skimmer dragonfly at Quarry Hill Park, Minnesota (near Rochester and not along the Mississippi River)
[Dragonfly with wings which have a stripe of brown in the portion closest to the body, then have white stripes, and then the outermost part is clear except for a tinge of brown on the leading edge. This dragonfly is deep in the leaves of greenery near the water.]

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Flowers of the Mississippi River Bluff region
July 16-17, 2013

Purple coneflower in Winona, Minnesota
[A single bloom with pink-purple petals hanging straight down from a triangular-shaped center with many prickles sticking out of it. The petals drape down as if they are a ballerina's skirt.]

A different type of purple coneflower in Grandad Bluff, Wisconsin
[These coneflowers-at least a half-dozen--have wider, shorter petals which hang down from a more rounded center.]

Purple prairie clover in Winona, Minnesota
[A multitude of very small, purple flowers covering half a honeycomb-like pistel atop a stem. Other clover buds are blurred in the background.]

Hoary vervain in Winona, Minnesota
[A series of purple, five-petaled flowers on a hairy-looking green stalk. The flowers bloom from within the hairs and bloom open first at the bottom of the stalk and bloom in sequence upward.]

Wild bergamot in Grandad Bluff, Wisconsin
[Light purple flower whose multitude of petals look like tendrils sticking out from the center. There is a bee feeding on this bloom.]

Black-eyed Susan in Grandad Bluff, Wisconsin
[Straight-on view of a yellow-petaled flower with a brown center. The center is surrounded with fine, brown hairs with teeny yellow tops on them.]

Chicory in rest stop on Great River Road, Wisconsin
[Multitude of 12-petaled, light purple flowers on many skinny stalks. A riot of blue/purple and green.]

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All photos © S. M. Garver