Prairie Summer

Washburn's Outdoor Journal / August 10, 2013

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.

It’s late summer and the Iowa prairie is flourishing with a dazzling array of life and color.

Although impossible for contemporary Iowans to fathom the endless, horizon to horizon prairie vistas that greeted European immigrants as they rushed westward into Iowa during the 1830s and 1840s, today’s grassland remnants and ongoing prairie restorations do provide the tiniest hint of what once was.

But the Iowa prairie is not just about native plant life — never was. In addition to its diverse flora, the tallgrass prairie is also home to countless insects, birds, mammals — all living their lives in interdependent complexity.

Grasshoppers and meadow voles eat prairie plants and seeds; prairie birdlife consumes some of the hoppers while, from high above, soaring red-tails scan for voles. Prairie life exists in an endless cycle. Although many of the grassland’s original components have long since vanished under the pressures of advancing civilization, others have continued to survive into the Age of Technology.

And even though they’re far from complete these days, Iowa’s grassland remnants provide a living glimpse to our prairie heritage. Attached are photos illustrating just a few of the things I find interesting about the summer prairie.

About The Author

Lowell Washburn

Born in North Central Iowa, Lowell Washburn has enjoyed a lifelong interest in the out of doors. He began photographing wild birds at age 10, and outdoor photography soon became his passion and eventually a career. Washburn is best known for images that portray migratory waterfowl and other wetland wildlife in their natural habitats. His best photographs are often obtained after spending hours floating amid natural marshlands, half submerged within the dark confines of a floating muskrat house blind. Upon completing military service as a sergeant with the Fourth Infantry Division in the central highlands of South Vietnam, Washburn returned to Iowa in 1970. His wildlife photos began appearing in Iowa newspapers in 1971 and he began authoring outdoor news columns in 1978. Today, his photos and writing have appeared in over 50 national and international magazines including Outdoor Life, International Wildlife, Field&Stream, Ducks Unlimited, Pointing Dog Journal, the NAFA Journal, and others. After working as a naturalist for Iowa’s county conservation board system, Washburn was recruited by the Department of Natural Resources in 1984. His primary duties included statewide communication with Iowa newspaper, television, and radio news agencies with a primary goal of increasing the level of public awareness and appreciation for Iowa's natural resources. During his tenure he also served as staff member for the Iowa Conservationist Magazine and for the DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine. Washburn retired from the DNR in 2010. In addition to wildlife photography, his ongoing outdoor passions include falconry, traditional bow hunting, waterfowling, spending time with hunting dogs of all types, and herpetology.

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