In mid-summer there were hot days and smoky skies, but I paddled on Jacko Lake and made some stops along the rough road.    Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)  was in bloom and ants were busy cultivating aphids.

milkweed

On the lake were families of geese and ducks.   Goslings hatch earlier and grow faster than ducklings.

Smartweed was filling in shallow bays.   A few Polygonium amphibium were in flower.   This one had dragonfly exoskeletons handing from the petals.

smartweed

On the shoreline, a large immature eagle watched me as I glided by in my kayak.

After paddling around the lake a couple of times, I passed the milkweed patch on the way back down the hill.  No monarch butterflies, but lots of ants.

milkweed