We visited Weston Cemetery Prairie (0.5 miles east of Weston, IL) on August 17, 2025. Although it was a hot summer day, we had roughly 10 souls make the trek. We spent about an hour at the site observing a number of insects. Surprisingly, we did not see many butterflies (other than common Pieridae and one black swallowtail). A number of participants posted photos on our Facebook page.It is a private group. I encourage you to consider joining that group to see more of our activities.

Here is a list of some of the species we encountered. Many thanks to Scott for assembling this list.

Meadow katydid sp. – Orchelimum sp., Yellow bumblebee – Bombus pennsylvanicus, Milkweed stem weevil, Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Red-headed flea beetle, Pearl crescent (butterfly), Green metallic sweat bee, Widow skimmer (dragonfly), Bean leaf beetle, Eastern tailed blue (butterfly), Orange Sulphur, Dogface butterfly, Clouded sulphur , Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee (3)along tracks, Furrow bee sp., Corimelanea – true bug, Saddlebags dragonfly, Black swallowtail, Japanese beetles, Carolina grasshoppers, Yellow garden spider, Scissor grinder cicada – Neotibicen pruinosis (heard), Evidence of silphium head clipping beetle, ground cricket sp., Monarch, red-legged grasshopper.

Our next event will be our annual potluck on September 20, 2025 at Jubilee College State Park. We hope to see you there!