Went on a Mushroom Foray! Was a lot of fun! Found golden oysters, deadman’s fingers, and scarlet elf cup. Also found a millipede! #shrooms #mushrooms #mycountparks #rivervalley #iowa

Day 1 of our study at the park and it didn’t disappoint! We found blooming hoary puccoon! #iowa #prairie #nativeplants #spring

Frogs, morels, and prairie violets! It must be spring awakening! #frog #herpetology #mushrooms #morels #fungi #prairie #iowa

Happy Earth Day! The prairie dandelions say good morning it’s spring! Make the world a better place! #prairie

White Trout Lily! Spring is here! #iowa #spring #springephemeral #nativeplants

Got some fire on the ground! #prairie

It’s amazing to see the colors on a Pheasant! Even though they are a non-native to the states they’re an important species of bringing in habitat dollars with the hunting industry. #pheasants #pheasanthunting #hunting #ditchchicken #gamebird #habitat #iowa

I'm so happy I found a population of Regal Fritillary butterflies so close to me. These pics are from last summer when I saw this species for the very first time. Can't wait to go back next summer for more pics. #insects #butterflies #butterfly #lepidoptera #nature #beautiful #awesome #minnesota

Looking forward to spring! Blue-eyed Grass will be here before I know it! #prairie

This Saturday is the big day in Ames, IA for all prairie lovers! @iowaprairienetwork.bsky.social will be putting on their annual winter seminar on February 15th at the Ames High School from 8:30 AM-5:15 PM. To register go to iowaprairienetwork.org . #prairie

Did you know that milkweed saved American Troops during WWII? The government ask kids to go collect the pods that would then be put into the life preservers of soldiers. A kid would get 15-20 cents a bag. It took two 20 lb bags of pods to fill 1 preserver. 2 million lbs= 100,000 preservers! #prairie

@iowadnr.bsky.social Hello! If you love prairies then you will like the North American Prairies feed. Everytime you post #prairie it will show other prairie lovers your passion for this beloved ecosystem on the feed!

Hello! If you are seeing this we welcome you to join the North American Prairies Feed. For the past few weeks I have informed others about the feed and how putting #prairies on your post will reach the community of prairie lovers! I am asking you if you have any networks to inform them of the feed!

One of my favorite quotes “Anyone can love mountains. But it takes a soul to love prairie.” - Willa Cather Everyday I look at the remnants at the park and feel grateful for what I have. This past season I found Prairie Larkspur (Delphinium virescens) for the first time. #prairie #iowa

Saturday February 15th the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Seminar will be held in Ames Iowa. Come share your love of prairie with professionals and enthusiasts alike🌎. Register at iowaprairienetwork.org #prairie #restorationecology #nativeplants

2 years ago I came across a community of Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata). Little did I know I was a trapped. Monarch caterpillars that were in stages of instars 4-5 surrounded me on the milkweeds. Luckily I escaped without a scratch and no caterpillar went unnoticed! #prairie #milkweed

Did you know? We specialize in perennial native plants, so rather than buy annuals again, why not get flowers that will return year after year 🌞🎋💚 www.wildaboutflowers.ca/index.php #solidago #goldenrod #prairie #spring #plantnursery #sunshine #flowers #wildflower

Started 9 types of wildflower seeds to do cold stratification in my garage over the next 8 weeks or so. They won't quite get down to freezing. Milkweed, meadow rue, prairie coneflower, boneset, few other things. Soil mix is seed starting mix and perlite. I use a lot of perlite

Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor #photography #birds #wildlifephotography 🪶 Like most warblers, Prairie Warbler sings two similar, but distinct, song types. The faster “A Song” is directed at the female for courtship and the “B Song” is sung at territorial boundaries to deter other males.

Some people see potential farmland, housing developments, resorts, and gas wells. "Wasted space" they call this. I see a vastly rich ecological web and call it heaven. (Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas) #ProtectPublicLands #Prairie #Kansas #NatureConservancy #NationalParkService

Here's one from the archives: a white-tailed deer through the tall grass on the prairie with a bright sunset shining through a tree canopy behind.

I like pairing brown birds with colorful wildflowers. Here's a Lincoln's sparrow with purple prairie clover! #Watercolor and Chinese ink on cold press #SciArt #BirdArt #WildlifeArt #TraditionalArt

Started a pollinator garden at a local library 2 years ago in Boone, Iowa and look at it thrive! Mostly all native to the local area. A few are from different parts of the state but provide excellent resources to the local pollinators! #prairie #pollinators #bumblebee #bee #library

Seed cleaning Prairie Cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta) is so satisfying! #prairie #grassland #greatplains #iowa #nativeplants

Hello prairie people. I hope you consider attending the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Seminar held on Saturday Feb 15th in Ames Iowa. The seminar has a great list of speakers and is free to attend. Register at iowaprairienetwork.org #prairie #conservation #restorationecology

The hills are aligned with Prairie Blazing Star (Liatrus Pcynostachya)! #prairie #grassland #greatplains #flowers #nativehabitat

Seed collecting Porcupine Grass (Stipa spartea) is a lot of fun just check your pants when your done! Those suckers stick every where! Ogden, Iowa #prairie #grassland #ecosystem #grass

I can’t wait to see this plant bloom again this April. Was a huge discovery last year in our remnant. Prairie False Dandelion (Nothocalais cuspidata) Ogden, Iowa. #prairie #wildflowers #botany

Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus fervidus) , was verified by @xercessociety.bsky.social through bumblebee watch, was an unexpected find in the prairie last year. Boone, Iowa #prairie #bumblebee #pollinators

Is Christmas over already? Last years Christmas bird count one of my fellow bird watchers had a red phased screech owl in his box he put up. How cool! Maybe will see it again this year. #birds #wildlifephotography #wildlife #ornithology #iowa

This was back in 2019 when I went down to Missouri for Eagle Days at Loess Bluffs NWR. Nothing but Trumpeter Swans, Eagles, and Muskrats. Loess Bluffs NWR, Forest City, MO #birds #wildlifephotography #ornithology #conservation #usfws

This cedar waxwing would fly in out of the bushes next to my college dorm. I had never seen one before. I Grabbed my camera and got a side view of the face. Ames, IA #birds #ornithology #wildlifephotography #wildlife #iowa

Never knew this existed but I found an Olive-sided Flycatcher at the top of a huge cottonwood tree. Neal Smith NWR, Prairie City, IA #birds #ornithology #wildlife #wildlifephotography #iowa

Henslow’s Sparrow, very hard to find but was very lucky to have gotten such a shot. Neal Smith NWR, Prairie City, IA #birds #ornithology #iowa #wildlife #prairie #wildlifephotography

My adventure to Fergus Falls, MN led me face to face with a Black-crowned Night Heron. I love that their chin tuff is stuck on the branch. Prairie Wetland Learning Center, Fergus Falls, MN #birds #ornithology #minnesota #wildlife #wildlifephotography

I struggled for years to get a good shot of an Eastern Meadowlark! I was walking along the tall grass trail at the refuge and there it was! Only a few feet away! Neal Smith NWR, Prairie City, IA #birds #iowa #usfws #wildlife #ornithology #prairie #wildlifephotography

Short-eared Owl watching the cars go by! Neal Smith NWR, Prairie City, IA #birds #ornithology #iowa #usfws

Back in 2017 this Big Brown Bat was the spark to my obsession with bats! I was studying echolocation and was welcomed by a local rehab to study one of their bats that was rescued from emerging too early in the winter. #bats #chiroptera #wildlife #mammals #iowa

Common Yellowthroat, very common in grasslands! Neal Smith NWR, Prairie City, IA #birds #grasslands #prairie #photography #ornithology

Tiger Salamanders have been on the move here in Dallas County, IA! Fall they migrate to a spot to hibernate for the winter and will return back to their watering holes in spring to lay their eggs. #iowa #salamanders #amphibians #wildlife #conservation #herpetology #herping

One of my side hobbies is taking photos of wildlife. Whether it’s in the wilderness or at a zoo I get the shot! #wildlifephotography #wildlife #conservation #animals #wilderness #zoo

This past year I have conducted research on what bumblebee species were in our parks! This was through Iowa’s Bumblebee Atlas Program! We found American Bumblebee’s (Bombus pensylvanicus)! As well as Black and Gold (Bombus auricomus)! #iowa #wildlife #conservation #bumblebee #pollinator #insects

Hello BlueSky! I am an Environmental Educator who loves to educate, advocate, and explore our natural world! Favorite Animal: Bats 🦇 Favorite Plant: Prairie Blazingstar Favorite Ecosystem: Prairie Follow me for more Prairie Walker content! #iowa #wildlife #conservation #nativehabitat #prairie #bat