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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 6h

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! A fascinating read we can learn from today. Get vaccinated and treat yourself to a frothy cappuccino. Enjoy the week! #books #vaccination #history #coffee @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! We lost one of the greats—farmer, poet, philosopher, novelist—what a legacy. Read his poem”The Peace of Wild Things” with a “dirty soda” (mine is Dr. Pepper, whipped cream, coconut syrup, and lime.) Cheers! We will miss you, Wendell. #books #dirtysoda #nature #poetry

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! Annie Dillard’s passing is a loss for all who love literature &the natural world. Her “Pilgrim”& “Writing Life” are inspirational. Re-read favorites while sipping a mug of hot java, topped with whipped cream & cinnamon. Thanks, Annie. You will be missed. #books #coffee

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! A must-have guide for prairie lovers (this edition has almost twice as many pages as the 1st.) Top your coffee w/whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, & chocolate-covered espresso beans & go for a prairie hike this week. @oxfordunipress.bsky.social #hiking #prairie #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! Thoughtful ideas found here that make a difference. Pair your read with a cranberry mocktail (don’t forget the whipped cream and mint!) and stay cool this week. #mocktails #gardening #books #climatechange #sustainability #nature

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Feeling so fortunate that I was able to see and capture this Striped Saddlebag dragonfly on Sunday. I was hesitant on the ID because it is extremely rare for NW Illinois (zero observations on Odonata Central or Inaturalist), but a few experts have confirmed! ☺️ #odonata #dragonfly #RedWed #illinois

A side view of a bright red dragonfly perched on a dried stem

A more frontal view of a bright red dragonfly perched on a dried stem

A frontal view of a bright red dragonfly perched on a dried stem.

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday!! Sustainability, how-to gardening wisdom, and more. Just started this—-lots of interesting info here to think about. Pair it with a skim cappuccino (don’t forget the creamy stuff!) and have a great week. @timberpress.bsky.social #gardening #books #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! A quirky classic about hiking the length of the Grand Canyon below the rim. Pair it with a strawberry lemonade (don’t forget the whipped cream!) and enjoy the week. #hiking @randomhouse.bsky.social #grandcanyon #books #nature

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A few Monarchs seen crawling around the prairie garden this morning. Good luck little ones 💚 🐛 #nativeplants #monarch #gardening

Fourth instar (i believe) monarch larva on prairie milkweed

Second instar monarch larva on prairie milkweed

First instar monarch larva on prairie milkweed

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle on Joe Pye Weed #nativeplants #gardening #insects

An orange goldenrod soldier beetle climbs across the fluffy pink blossoms of a Joe pye weed plant

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Helen says today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #NoBranchWood any bird on wood, that is not a branch! 🪶 Eastern Meadowlark, with breakfast, on a fence post #birds #nature

An eastern meadowlark with brown and white wings and a bright yellow chest sits on a wooden fence post with a worm in its beak

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! A beautiful memoir about paying attention to the life you find yourself living. Pair it with an iced coffee, topped with chocolate-covered espresso beans and plenty of the good stuff, and have a great week! @milkweededitions.bsky.social #naturebooks #books #coffee

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

This Eastern Giant Swallowtail made my whole week 💚 #butterflies #nativeplants #nature

Side view of an eastern giant swallowtail nectaring on wild bergamot

A large black eastern giant swallowtail hangs on a flower.

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#20 in our “26 in 2026” hikes:Spring Grove Cemetery Nature Preserve in Warren County, IL. These last fragments of Illinois’ original landscape are so poignant. #prairie #nativeplants #prairies #restoration #midwest #nature #travel #illinois

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! I am a longtime Mary Oliver devotee and Jeff gifted me with her latest for my birthday. It is wonderful, as expected. Enjoy it with a toasted coconut cream cold brew and have a great week! #maryoliver #poetry #prose #books @grandcentralpub.bsky.social #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#19 in our “26 in 2026” hikes: Brownlee Cemetery Prairie (Alexis, IL, Mercer County). Beautiful remnant tallgrass; poignant to think our last vestiges of original prairie are in these out-of-the-way rural places. Thanks to everyone who cares for them!#nativeplants #prairie #conservation #nature

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Breezie @breeze420.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

“Nature is not a backdrop to your life. It is the very stage, the script, and the breath behind your lines.” ― Lawrence Nault

Sunset at the river with grasses in the foreground, trees along it on the right and mountains in the background.

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

#18 in our “26 in 2026” hikes: Shepard Prairie at Knox College’s Green Oaks Research area (Victoria, IL -Knox County). Second oldest institutionally planted prairie in the world (1950s). Beautiful! #prairie #hiking #nature #illinois #midwest

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Dragonfly Blitz at Emiquon in Lewistown, IL, today! Gorgeous weather, lots of odes flying, incredible site. #dragonflies #odonates #insects #wetlands #midwest #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! Kudos to Mother for featuring prairie restoration on the front cover! Enjoy a scoop of moose tracks ice cream while you read (don’t forget the whipped cream!) and have a great week. #prairie #nativeplants #gardening #nature @motherearthnews.bsky.social

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Backyard prairie and traditional garden plants in bloom! #nativeplants #prairie #gardening

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Today in the Chicago region. #smoke#wildfires #airquality

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday ! Fascinating memoir combining ethnobotany, indigenous people, Indiana Dunes, and marine biology. Enjoy it with a sparkling Gatorade, topped with whip and a mint sprig, and stay cool this week! @milkweededitions.bsky.social #books #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Wow.Hope and Resilience are the themes at The Obama Presidential Center. Far exceeded my expectations. #obama #hope #bethechange

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LifuX @lifux.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Just a masterpiece sitting in front of his own masterpieces. 👑 #Cat #Caturday #Catsofbluesky #LifuX

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Queen of the Prairie is blooming in my backyard native garden. Think Pink! #prairie #nativeplants #gardening #nature

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Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Happy Whipped Cream Wednesday! I thoroughly enjoyed this chef’s memoir on seasonal cooking and eating, buying food locally, gardening, and foraging. Pair it w/a sparkling orange juice (topped with a strawberry and plenty of whip, of course) and stay cool this week! #cooking #memoir #books #drinks

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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Evan Phillips made his season debut tonight for the Dodgers after missing more than a year due to Tommy John surgery. He looked really sharp. Crisp movement on the sweeper and FB sat 97. When Edwin Díaz comes back this bullpen could be terrifying. Already 6th lowest ERA without Diaz or Phillips.

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JB | Native Plant Gardener (WI) @jbtheexplorer.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I've seen this white fuzz on the stem of my royal catchfly for days and just ignored it. Turns out, it's a bunch of planthoppers! Always worth taking a second look at everything. You never know what's really going on! #nativeplants #insects #garden #gardening #Wisconsin

citrus flatid planthopper(?) on royal catchfly

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I’m seeing a lot of these gorgeous Four-toothed Mason Wasps in the garden… which is probably why I am not seeing many of the monarch caterpillars last for very long after they hatch. Everybody needs lunch though 🐛 #nativeplants #bees #nature

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JB | Native Plant Gardener (WI) @jbtheexplorer.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

More from the Smolenski park prairie restoration. #nativeplants #prairie #Wisconsin #bloomscrolling

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Sam @smknigh.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Please enjoy another bumblebee in action on the foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) courtesy of my #nativeplants garden

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Andrew Hipp @andrewlhipp.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Writing clearly matters, changes what we think and care about and spend time on. Pay attention to it. If it is worth committing to paper or the screen, do it clearly and well. (to myself, not sermonizing) Take in great sentences by: Anne Fadiman, Mary Oliver, Zadie Smith, @robertmoor.com ...&&&...

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🌱Wild Country Girl 🌱 @midwestwildchild.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Scenes from the prairie...🌱💜

Wild bergamot in a sea of black eyed Susans and common Yarrow

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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

A few shots from our land today. This is a wet mesic prairie restoration in progress. #prairie #nativeplants #nature #dragonfly

Halloween pennant dragonfly perched on grass

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