A MAJESTIC SCENE ALONG THE SOUTH FORK KISHWAUKEE RIVER RAPTORS I had been photographing the

I had been photographing the red-bellied woodpeckers for awhile when this pair of downy woodpeckers came into view

which is the opposite area of Wildflower Lake

I quickly panned a little to my left and quickly pressed the shutter release as the loon swam right in front of me before diving beneath the surface of Wildflower Lake

I reached the trailhead soon after leaving the house with camera gear in hand and it wasn't long before I started seeing the wildflowers along the lake which included cup plants

A MAJESTIC SCENE ALONG THE SOUTH FORK KISHWAUKEE RIVER RAPTORS I had been photographing theAfter an overnight snowfall and freezing rain grip this landscape scene, the South Fork Kishwaukee River begins to freeze from the edges inward as the afternoon sunlight illuminates this landscape giving the river an amazing deep color blue. Box elder trees along the river, a couple of oak trees, peachleaf willow and cottonwood trees in the area are engulfed in crystals from the freezing rain at Wildflower Park. (536 123)