JUST PECKING AROUND CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (PIERIS RAPAE) I could smell the beautiful

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

This January winter morning sunrise brought some incredible lighting of cool and soft looking colors around these elderberry bushes along the South Fork Kishwaukee River in Northern Illinois

As the sun breaks the horizon at tree line

oak and hophornbeam trees of this deciduous forest in Northern Illinois

JUST PECKING AROUND CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (PIERIS RAPAE) 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 92)