UP IN THE TREE TOPS A WOODPECKER GOES WILDLIFE I could smell the beautiful

I could smell the beautiful sweet fragrance of the milkweed

As I was making my way through the park

I stopped by the bridge that crosses over the South Fork Kishwaukee River and photographed the bridge during the blue hour as I had plenty of time to reach the lake before the sun would rise

This was the first sighting of a common goldeneye duck for me

Morning sunlight illuminates this blue vervain plant in Northern Illinois at Wildflower Park

UP IN THE TREE TOPS A WOODPECKER GOES WILDLIFE I could smell the beautifulThe 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 88)