Thistle Quill

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2012-01-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

Frosted Window.

Prairie Burn

2012-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge Prairie Burn

Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

There's smoke off to the right, the DNR was doing a burn today.

I See You!

2011-12-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Snowy Owl at the Grimes Farm Conservation education center, Marshalltown, IA.

Bug Eyed!

2011-09-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Praying Mantis at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

Crows

2011-09-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Crows, they were going after the Cooper's Hawk that had been sitting atop the light pole a few minutes earlier.

Female Coopers Hawk

2011-09-08T18:02:00.001-07:00

Thistle

2011-09-07T22:14:00.001-07:00

In my garden.

Grasshopper

2011-08-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've never seen one this color before, image was taken near Winterset, Iowa this past weekend.

Thistle and Bumble Bee

2011-08-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying watching the butterflies, bees, bugs of all types, gold finches, and hummingbirds hang out in the thistle this summer. This year it came up right outside my kitchen window, in the east garden, and is currently over 12 feet tall. Luckily some of the blossoms were down low making it easier to snap photos. The hummingbirds had a nest in it this year so I was able to watch the mamma and pappa bird tend to their baby until it fledged earlier this week.

Snake Weed or Horse Tail Rush

2011-07-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

It all depends on who you ask as to what the correct name of this plant is, the only thing I'm certain about is that it's native.

Red Wing Blackbird

2011-06-20T20:02:00.001-07:00

Wild Iris

2011-06-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Iris' growing in a nearby marsh.

Water's Up

2011-05-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Skunk River is closing in on it's banks, the water is definately up!

Not Native But...

2011-05-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am happy to see both of them none the less!

Redbud Blossoms

2011-05-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Iowa

2011-05-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Iowa at 55 mph. Photo taken along Hwy 59, I think, somewhere near Lake View. Not bad for fly over country eh? Modern windmill on the far horizon.

Bloodroot

2011-04-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ice Jam on the Skunk River

2011-02-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ice Jam on the Skunk River

Rabbit Tracks

2011-01-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

Frozen Marsh

2011-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Bjorkborden Marsh

Mallards

2010-10-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Mallard Ducks out at Peterson's Pits.

Soy Bean Field

2010-09-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Autumn

2010-09-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Fall in the Wind Fields

2010-09-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Central Iowa.

Duck Grass on the Water at the Marsh

2010-08-08T21:28:00.001-07:00

Purple Coneflower

2010-07-31T16:10:00.001-07:00

Unknown Insect

2010-06-18T17:49:00.001-07:00

What is this thing???

Iron Bridge

2010-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Old Iron bridge with wooden floor.

Located in Story County between 670th and 680th Streets on 180th Street.

White Tail Deer

2010-06-02T19:43:00.001-07:00

Amber Maple Blossoms

2010-05-20T22:16:00.001-07:00

Spring Storms

2010-04-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

The sky was much more golden than the photo reveals, it was like swimming in golden air!

Iowa in the Spring

2010-04-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

Beaver?

2010-04-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's either a beaver or muskrat, we did see a beaver dam so it could be a beaver, I left it large so click on it for a better view. Bjorkborden Marsh.

Cup Fungi

2010-04-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'll identify it later ;-)

Skillet Creek Indian Mounds

2010-04-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if there were more signs that these or not.

Dutchman's Breeches

2010-04-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) Skillet Creek Indian Mounds

Common Buttercup

2010-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) Skillet Creek Indian Mounds

Downy Yellow Violet

2010-04-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) at Skillet Creek Indian Mounds near Stratford, Iowa
Well I think it is either that or it's a Stream or Smooth Violet (Viola Glabella)

Spring Beauty

2010-04-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) Taken at Skillet Creek Indian Mounds.

Canada Goose

2010-04-21T14:48:00.001-07:00

Nesting Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swans

2010-04-21T14:41:00.001-07:00

Trumpeter Swans

2010-04-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

I do believe that this nesting pair are Trumpeter Swans.

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-18T17:29:00.001-07:00

Today in Iowa

2010-04-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

Cedar Waxwing

2010-03-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Cedar Waxwings arrived ahead of the Robins this year.

Arrival of the Cedar Waxwings

2010-03-12T13:57:00.001-08:00

Crabapple Feast

2010-03-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

These little piggies, I mean Robins, are gorging themselves on the crabapples that have hit the ground. There were something in the range of 250-300 Robins that descended upon our neighborhood stripping all of the crabapples and hackberries from the trees. The Robins fought with Cedar Waxwings for the crabapples.

Robin

2010-03-09T19:34:00.001-08:00

Robins

2010-03-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

Robins from last years invasion they show up every year at about the same time stripping the crabapples and hackberries from the trees.

Robins

2010-03-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Last Years Robin Invasion

Last Year's Robin Invasion

2010-03-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

Robins in the Hackberry Tree

Winter's Retreat

2010-03-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

The Girls of Summer

2010-02-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Family Portrait

2010-02-17T21:01:00.001-08:00

Summer 2009

Hoar Frost

2010-01-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Woke up to a thick layer of hoar frost all over everything.

Snowy Overhang

2009-12-27T21:50:00.001-08:00

My front porch, I plan to knock it off tomorrow.

Hawk

2009-11-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Not the best shots, I cleaned the pics up a bit it was very foggy out this morning when I took these, we rarely see hawks here in town.

Fall 2009

2009-10-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

Ledges State Park

2009-10-18T18:09:00.001-07:00

Sleeping Sunflower

2009-08-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Storm Front Moving In

2009-08-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

Herb

2009-08-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

Click on photo for larger image of plants.

I found this growing next to my driveway, it has squre stems and smells of balsam when crushed. It had one lonely flower on the hole plant.

Native Plants

2009-08-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sunset at Doolittle Prairie

2009-08-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Birds on a Wire

2009-08-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Yellow Majesty!!!

2009-08-01T17:24:00.001-07:00

Taken at the Marietta Sand Prairie Reserve in Marshall County, Iowa

Moon over Boone County

2009-07-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

John took this shot of the moon for me while we were out on a country drive - I was driving.

Cup Fungi

2009-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Cup Fungi

2009-05-21T18:06:00.001-07:00

Side view

Just fruited

Older fruiting body

Fungus

2009-05-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

This just showed up in my yard under the crab apple tree it is completely encircling the tree. I believe this may be Peziza succosa but I am not sure. The fungi do not have hairs etc., on the interior in fact the centers are almost shiny.

Wild Ginger Blossom

2009-05-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have yet to see a blossom that doesn't have sand on it! In a fairy tale on could conclude that wild ginger creates sand!

Bluebells

2009-05-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Violets

2009-05-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Native Violets

Hepatica

2009-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of lovely hepatica in the woods this evening!

Violet

2009-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tendrils

2009-04-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mystery Hole

2009-04-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

Moss and Lichen

2009-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Snake Heap

2009-04-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

I think these are garter snakes here on this mossy covered rock and I think they are mating. The sound was unreal I keep forgetting that I have video capability on my digital camera!!!

Year without a Summer???

2009-04-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Things are lining up that we end up with no summer this year, in most places! Why you might ask??? In the past month the earth has seen an unprecedented rise in volcanic activity five of which were major eruptions and three other major eruptions are pending. What consititutes a major eruption you might ask? One or more eruptions that puts ash 25,000 - 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. The five recent eruptions have been closer to 50,000 feet!

Check out Volcano Live http://volcanolive.com/news.html for recent activity

Mount Redoubt - Alaska
Colima - Mexico
Llaima - Chile
Chaiten - Chile
Tonga - Pacific Rim
Galeras, Colombia
Kamchatka - Russia

Pending eruptions that looks as if they will erupt in the coming days if not weeks:

Arenal - Costa Rica
Karymsky - Russia

Spring Beauty

2009-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

I believe this is Spring Beauty (Claytonia lancelota) but I could be wrong the leaves are a bit narrow but after last years floods and this past winter being so bitter anything is possible at this point. There were only two sepals on each blossom, will know more by the weekend as more things will be in bloom.

Hepatica

2009-03-25T17:15:00.001-07:00

Hepatica

2009-03-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Soper's Mill on the north trail.

Hepatica in Bloom

2009-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

A fleeting beauty and a wonderously timed walk in the woods. Hepatica blooms for about a day maybe two and then the show is over. Today was my lucky blessed day as there was hepatica and everywhere in full showy bloom!

I don't remember if I was out early enough last year to find hepatica in bloom or not, the blossoms look like a lot of other small flowers in bloom right now.

Scarlet Cup or Sarcoscypha Coccinea

2009-03-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

Sarcoscypha Coccinea or Scarlet Cup (ascomycetes)

Found this guy sticking out of the ground, poked gently at first with a small twig to see if it was a plant or not. Once I ascertained that it was a fungus I dug out the stick it was attached for better photographing ops. I put it back where I found it, in the mud under some oak leaves. Taken at Soper's Mill on the north trail.

Spring has Sprung in Iowa

2009-03-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago.

Fall

2008-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Bird Nest

2008-08-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Found on the lower branch of a pear tree that was low enough to the ground to be swallowed up by native grasses.

Buckeye

2008-08-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Dh and I thought this might be a Russian Olive??? I didn't have my camera with me so I brought home a clump of leaves and a fruit from the tree, I didn't see any thorns on the branches. Suggestions...

(NOTE 082608 as of today this is officially an ohio buckeye, NOT a russian olive!)

High Bush Cranberry NOT Hawthorn

2008-08-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

Found this lovely bush while picking apples on Monday.

(NOTE 082608 High Bush Cranberry NOT Hawthorn - will be propogating this in our own yard)

Fall Beauties

2008-08-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Elderberry???

2008-08-15T16:07:00.001-07:00

It's too late for the chokecherries now so I'm wondering if it's elderberry the berries tasted pretty good, I ate one.

Rough Leaved Dogwood

2008-08-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

I found out that this plant is a Rough Leaved Dogwood or Cornus drummondii

Mustang Grapes

2008-08-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

Wild Mustang Grapes

Dead Bat

2008-07-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

I found this dead bat right outside our backdoor Friday morning I think it was. Dh disposed of the poor critter, I have no idea what killed it except we did have exceptionally high winds and really hard rains. I'm not sure if it is a male or a female so included a shot of it's belly. We have bats clining to the north side of our house just under the eaves and STILL have mosquito's everywhere.

2008-07-22T11:15:00.001-07:00

Blue Vervain

2008-07-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've never seen this plant with white blossoms before, normally they are lavender to purple, this year, however, mosthave white blossoms. This leaves me wondering if the excess rain has something to with this.

NOTE: (08/20/08) It would appear that blue vervain has a rare white varient this year is a flood year and almost all the blue vervain in my area has white blossoms!

Butterflly Weed

2008-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Asclepias tuberosa (Asclepiadaceae) or Butterfly Weed

Name that Plant

2008-07-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Rattlesnake Master or Eryngium yuccifolium

Canada Anemone or Anemone canadensis

I took these plant pics in a prairie reclaimation area that was recently under water due to all of the flooding.