An early morning journey across several terrain types showed animals and plants have used their reproductive systems well resulting in a plethora of young-of-the-year.

A tiny spring-fed pond functioned as a nursery for an adult muskrat to give birth and begin to raise a four-kit litter. Now half grown, the kits continue to cut, transport, store, and eat nearby land vegetation.

Sometimes a kit and the mother rodent are put at risk by leaving the friendly safety of water and venturing onto land for a load of greens. Everything seems to be working. The young rats can close their mouths while their incisors remain external. Their fine coats shed water like a duck’s feathers. Their clawed fingers work as salad and vegetable forks, while their tails have become directional rudders.

Four barn swallows fledged and perched on a branch over the water where the muskrats fed.

Two whitetail fawns crossed a road following a doe without looking right or left, maybe knowing the doe was alert enough to be a crossing guard.

Two bucks, in velvet, were content to eat soybean plants without wasting energy chasing one another.

A mother cottontail nursed two kits along a mowed road; likely the second nest of kits.

A mother raccoon and her three cubs crossed ahead. The mother picked up the smaller, slower cub by the nap of the neck and trotted off while the others followed.

A bald eagle pair sat on dead tree limbs without a duty, having had a nest failure in their new auxiliary nest. Better luck next winter and spring. Maybe a new mate is in order for the older, female bird.

Chestnut trees, at least those in necessary full sun, have the starts of fruits in the form of burs along a catkin loaded with pollen flowers.

Some Mayapples’ lemon-like fruits hang, one per plant, from plants with two leaves.

Stickseed weeds, the kind that come off in chains on our clothing, are about to flower. Ginseng flowers are well on the way to showing green fruits not yet ripening.

White oak and bur oak acorns of this spring are looking fine, as are last year’s red oak acorns and the spring class, too.

A raft of several hens and 20 poults, grouse-sized, fly off and most land in a tree, then leave again.

Blackberries are going “south” as did most of the blackcaps. Dried and shriveled is a good description and a sorry forecast.

Farmers’ corn and soybean crops are generally not showing well.

Needed rain for pollination has not come in some areas and much growing time has already been lost.

Ruffed grouse spring drumming surveys dipped nine percent, as anticipated in the 10-year cycle.  WNDR personnel remained confident, based on individual sightings, that there are some locally good locations, as there were in 2022.

Many aquatic organisms are older than the 2023 calendar.  Kate Mosley, at Kate’s bait near Governor Dodge State Park, said that even with the hot summer upon us, bluegills and bass are biting and catfish are taking cut bait from Yellowstone Lake, Pecatonica River and Wisconsin River, as well as the park’s two lakes.

Doug Williams, at D W Sports Center, has seen some fine duck hatches and many Canada geese are adult-like. 

“Few deer twins exist,” he said, blaming coyotes. “Turtles seem scarce, it seems.”

Visitors are still picking black raspberries at Yellowstone Lake State Park in Lafayette County, but not lots of them.

“Lots and lots of young deer, many twins,” Dan Storm, WDNR wildlife biologist in Eau Claire, said.

Spongy moth adults have become numerous in parts, leaving behind bare oaks and beeches. The adults will lay eggs, but not feed on tree leaves.

As things grow, many plants will being hitchhiking; antlers will elongate and branch and the flight and fright will be modes of survival for some animals as autumn approaches.

— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.