Last week my friend and I drove down to Emiquon. Thompson Lake covers a huge expanse of the floodplain on the east side of IL 78. We did not find many waders or other waterfowl though. One egret flew over and later one heron flew over, but none were in the water as we had expected. A few coots and a couple of mallards were in one of the canals, and a few killdeer were around. The main attractions at the lake were the dragonflies. Many different dragonflies, Green Darner, Saddlebags, Blue Damselfly, among others. The flowers in the prairie that was burned earlier this spring are fantastic. Yellow Lance-leaf Tickweed mixed with the deep purple/blue of the Spiderwort interspersed among the bright green of the other plants were a delight to our senses. A gorgeous Indigo Bunting sang from a stalk not far from Prairie Road, giving me a chance to photograph him without leaving the car.
The past several times I've visited the lake, I've not seen any egrets or herons, except an occasional flyover. On Saturday there were five in different spots foraging in the wet grass.
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Originally uploaded by jward199
Evidence that beavers are in the area!
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Originally uploaded by jward199
Indigo Bunting by Prairie Road at Emiquon
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Originally uploaded by jward199
Many dragonflies hovered over and around Thompson Lake: Black Saddlebags, Halloween Pennant, Eastern Pondhawk, and a blue Damselfly, among others.
The prairie at Emiquon is carpeted with Spiderwort and Lanceleaf tickseed.
