WILD OF THE WEEK

Keith Rogers

photographed this dragonfly on an evergreen. Jim Phillips, an aficionado of dragonflies and damselflies, agreed that it is a green darner.

WILD TIMES LUNCHTIME LECTURES

Monday: Rachel Havrelock, who directs the Freshwater Lab, Bridgehouse Museum on Chicago Riverwalk, free, noon-12:45 p.m., bridgehousemuseum.org/events.

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Friday: West Suburban dinner, Crystal Sky Banquets, McCook, ducksunlimited. myeventscenter.com/event/West-Suburban-Dinner.

DALE’S MAILBAG

“I was at the Peterson Garden Project in Edgewater [earlier this month], and there were hundreds of monarch butterflies. There were so many, it was hard to focus on which one to photograph. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I’m assuming they’re stopping off in Chicago on their way to Mexico. It’s amazing to see this once-empty lot turn into a major monarch hub.” — Seth Zimmerman

I find it inspiring how people, communities and neighborhoods are doing their part to help, not just with monarchs, but pollinators in general.

BIG NUMBER

30

Years of Adopt-a-Beach, which is today. Find a cleanup at adopt. greatlakes.org/s/find-a-cleanup.

THE LAST WORD

“The salmon are basically like a canary in the coal mine, giving you some idea of what’s going on in the freshwater system. As go the salmon, so too go many other species.” — John McManus, who runs the Golden State Salmon Association, on nearly 14,500 spring-run Chinook out of 16,000 to have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge that are believed to have died before spawning because of California’s heat and drought, via the Washington Post