JUST PECKING AROUND CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (PIERIS RAPAE) As the sun breaks the

As the sun breaks the horizon at tree line

I could smell the beautiful sweet fragrance of the milkweed

This image was photographed a couple weeks ago during some of the snow storms we had here in Northern Illinois

I focused my attention on the low lying mist that was covering this prairie landscape scene

I had been photographing the common loons for a few days and on this particular morning I was hoping one or two of the loons would come closer to the banks of the lake then they had the previous days

JUST PECKING AROUND CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (PIERIS RAPAE) As the sun breaks theThe smallest of North Americas woodpeckers, the downy woodpeckers are wide spread and common throughout their range however, they avoid the arid southwest. They are typically very active moving quickly on the branches and through the tree looking for insects. The downy and hairy woodpeckers are almost identical in plumage. The downy can be distinguished from the hairy by its smaller size and by the black dots on its white tail feathers. (523 92)