Virginia Waterleaf

Hydrophyllum virginianum I have a ton of it growing in my yard and it takes over everything!!!

Foliage

Here there are three different plants growing in close proximity to each other, not counting the tree. The two larger ones are not the same as the leaf margins are totally different.

Foliage

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger and Virginia Waterleaf and a few other plants growing in the area.

Yellow Violets

Unkown

I'll know more about this plant in the coming weeks as it developes blossoms. the blossoms in front of the plant are some sort of anemone.

Great White Egrets

It's nesting season here.

Moss on Rock

A close up of the puffballs, yes there really are puffballs this small, I'm thinking these are from last year.

A view of the opposite side.

The rock upside down and showing the third side, here you can see the root matrix of the various plants living on the rock, which I think is flint.

Moss on Rock

Moss on a rock with lichens and a couple of fungi (puffball variety). Yes I left this in the woods, in fact I put it back eactly where I found it.

Bellwort

A view showing how the blossoms are attached to the stem.

Bellwort

Here you can see a blossom hiding under the leaves.

I love how the leaves just pop out of the top of the stem.

Uvularia grandiflora or Bellwort

Mayapple beginning to Unfurl it's Leaves

Bloodroot without the blossom

I think the petals must have fallen off of the flower.

Hepatica acutiloba

A close up of the green blossoms, the leaf margins towards the stem are a deep maroon to purple color like the plant below. This could be Hepatica americana or Hepatica acutiloba, I believe it to be the latter.

I'm not sure if these two plants are the same or not, if they are the same they are in different stages of color. I took them the same day in the woods, the one below has green flowers. Now that I have a little time I'm working on identifying them.

Wood Anemone

Bloodroot

Marsh Grass

We have several marshes in our local area, this photo was take awhile back, a few days ago I drove past the marsh and the spring burn had been perscribed. I can't wait to see the new prairie plants break earth.

Great White Egret

There were three white egrets in this oxbow off of the main river.

White Trout Lily

Spring Beauty

We have quite the prairie plants in our green belt areas.

Coot

This is a water bird, not a duck! It doesn't have webbed feet and it doesn't have a bill it has a beak like a chicken. I've been told that they are bad eating.

Coot

This is a water bird, not a duck! It doesn't have webbed feet and it doesn't have a bill it has a beak like a chicken.

Moss

A lovely clump of several mosses in the woods

Red Velvet Spider Mite

Kentucky Coffee Bean Tree Pod

Someone was munching on this black locust pod, it's great how the inside is a bright acid green color!

Bloodroot

Dutchman's Breeches

Visually Jarring

I have a photo of Neil Smith prairie and there are plastic bags blowing across the grass as the buffalo graze. It's very jarring to see the white bags there, they look quite garish.

Drought?

The wind is coming out of the south east again. The wind has blown out of the east for most of the year now, this means one thing and one thing only - Drought! The big question is for how long. The last time this area was greatly stricken with drought was the Dust Bowl way back when, so most folks don't know how to function in drought conditions.

Roses

The Weather

Does the current weather suprise or frighten me??? No. I remember a weather pattern like this some twenty years ago. And we saw the buffalo chasing the coyote this fall, so no it doesn't suprise me.

Easterly Winds

Bear no good, and this time I suspect that that's very true. The sky is beyond wicked looking right now, and it's started to rain a bit. I keep expecting to hear the thunderous roar of locusts, we are long over due for said invasion.

This is

what makes the heat of summer bearable!

Water Everywhere

There's a creek or two that runs through the park down into the Des Moines River. I had a blast taking pics of the rocks in the water; lots of minnows in the water. Another reason for going down early in the morning is the water isnt' being disturbed by all the general public swimming and playing in the streams.

The land of

These are the things that faierey tales are made of. Is it a horses head, an alligator, an mythological beast of times past?

What is it?

Found this tree out at Ledges, I'm not sure what kind of tree it is, looks very interesting though. I'm wondering if it's some sort of fruit in those papery husks. There were a lot of these trees out there, growing at the base of the limestone cliffs. They were very spindly, no more than 12-15 feet tall.

Townie

Living in town is making me soft, I'm out of tune with nature and I truly dislike this. Its time to get the house done and on the market. I need nature, probably more than it needs me, but I definately need to be out of town!

Deer at Ledges

I'm hoping that we will have more time to explore the park come September. The place is loaded with deer, can't wait for deer season to open up. I'm hoping to get a few hides to brain tan this year.

I don't know if you can see the deer on the hillside or not. John spotted them while I was photographing tree snails that were laying on the trail.

I've decided that we need to go out early in the morning when the park is relatively quite, and the wildlife is less dormant. The place was packed with people today, the birds were fairly quite.

Ledges State Park

Bee Balm

We went to Ledges State Park today, the hottest day of the summer yet, and I took 229 pictures with my digital camera. This lovely bee balm was along the ditches, I tried to get the bees but they were uncooperative.

I think we are going out to the prairie here in an hour so I can take more pics of the flowers.

East Winds Again

I've heard told that an east wind bears no good. It's blowing out of the south east again, and at a pretty good clip I might add. It is really dry here, very dry actually, this can't be good.

Three Things

Three things that no one wants to hear, even those who should know better.

Drought Locusts Famine

Thoughts

By simply believing that someone has power over you - you have given them the power to control you.

Wind Song

I had a flute that would not play.
When I held it up to the Wind it played a mournful song.

Quote for the Year

'It is always good to leave the things that "no longer grow corn" and to
plant new seedlings to sprout new growth.' Sunfeather

Tolerance Quiltlet #1

This is partially done, now I just need to print it off onto fabric and stitch it. It'll be 8.5 x 11 inches. I'm making this for the "Tolerance or Not" Challenge.