Cicada Nymph Emergence Hike

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We went out with friends on an after-dark owl hike last night. We did hear a couple of owls hooting. But what it quickly turned into was a nighttime cicada emergence hike instead. They were everywhere!

Cicada Nymph in the Front Lawn

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My wife found this cicada nymph when we were working out in the yard on Saturday, May 11th, 2024. 

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Two New Moths

Saw two “new-to-me” moth species tonight under the back porch light. Lacinipolia renigera: a bristly cutworm moth, of the family Noctuidae ~ and Cyclophora nanaria: a dwarf tawny wave, of the family Geometridae. 

Lacinipolia renigera: a bristly cutworm moth

Cyclophora nanaria: a dwarf tawny wave

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Red Hills State Park April 2024

On Sunday, April 28th, 2024, we went for a walk along the Red Hills State Park South Loop Trail and saw several critters beside the trail. 

Sundog - Sun Halo - Solar Halo in Olney, Illinois

Due to our work schedules, we had our Thanksgiving dinner with friends last night (Friday night, November 24th, 2023). I had never seen anything quite like this sundog / halo display that we witnessed just as everyone was arriving at our place. I’ll never forget it.  

 

Sunset Feb 27th, 2023

We had a nice sunset last night - Monday, February 27th, 2023 - in Olney, Illinois. 

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Groundhog Day Window Art

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Window art at the local Walmart in Olney, Illinois.

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Bowling Alley in Olney, Illinois

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Because it’s off the beaten path, not quite on the main strip, & we never though to ask... we only just discovered this week that #OlneyIL actually has a #BowlingAlley. Not a tiny bowling alley - it’s actually a pretty good sized one - & totally retro. This one’s been here since 1975; the same family has been running one locally since the 1950’s. 

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Olney, Illinois - April 19th, 2018

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I never would have guessed, when I went for a walk from the Red Rooster Truck Stop in Olney, Illinois back in April of 2018, that three years later we’d be living here. I’d heard that there were white squirrels here and I wanted to see if I could find one. I did, and the rest is history. 

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