Love in the Wild
Male greater prairie chickens gather to dance at dawn on a booming ground at the Conservancy’s Bluestem Prairie Preserve.
Male greater prairie chickens fan their tails, drop their wings and inflate throat pouches during their dance.
Male greater prairie chickens compete for hens and often squabble when dancing on a booming ground.
Garter snakes mate in tangled groups soon after they emerge from their hibernating places in the spring.
Adult bald eagles are skilled flyers and perform aerial displays as part of their courtship.
Adult cecropia moths live only long enough to mate; the males use their large antennae to find females.
Because cecropia moths live only briefly, they spend most of their lives as caterpillars that can become large.
Fireflies are actually beetles that can blink a light organ to attract mates.
Even the larvae and pupae of some fireflies can glow, as these do at the end of their bodies.
Bluegill sunfish spawn in groups, where the males must guard their nests and chase away competitors.
Bull elk bugle for mates in the fall during the rut.
Bull elk compete for mates during the rut by sparring with their antlers.