Jul 29, 2021
“There was nothing to see but prairie, green stretches of grassland rolling quietly outward ‘till lost in the haze that trembled on the horizon.” – Those words are excerpted from the 1870’s logbook of Norwegian immigrant, Laurence Larson upon his arrival in Winnebago County, Iowa. A bumblebee collects pollen from a stand of purple prairie...
Jul 22, 2021
The iconic Blanding’s turtle is facing hard times. By hard times, I mean the species has become so rare that most Iowans – even those who spend considerable time prowling the out-of-doors — will never see so much as a single Blanding’s in their lifetimes. Although more than a century of wetland drainage has negatively affected all of...
Jul 20, 2021
Following decades of silence, some of Iowa’s most secretive reptiles have begun emitting radio signals from the watery depths of Eagle Lake. Twelve hours on and twelve hours off, the daily transmissions are being closely monitored by a team of wildlife diversity experts with the Iowa DNR. The rapidly accumulating data is contributing to a first of...
Unique on many levels, woodpeckers are among my favorite birds for intense observation. Winter, spring, summer or fall, they never fail to entertain and educate. Following a busy nesting season, most species begin fledging young by mid-June. Hairy woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers are among the most abundant residents of the woodlands I...
Jul 5, 2021
The wild mulberry is one of my favorite summer taste treats. With this year’s mulberry crop currently reaching full maturity, it’s time to grab your bucket and head for the woods. Wild Mulberries – sweet and nutritious As healthy as they are tasty, mature mulberries pack a nutritional wallop. A single cupful contains 60 high energy...
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.