“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 clover For contemporary

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

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

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 calories:

The spring songbird migration is winging northward.  And while the larger and more colorful species – such as tanagers, orioles, and grosbeaks – tend to steal the annual show, there are other interesting, though less conspicuous, species that often tend to go unnoticed. Two of my favorites in this category are the white-throated and Harris’ sparrows. 

The much-anticipated, spring mushroom season is underway.  And although several mushroom species are edible, the famed morel reigns as undisputed king.  Exactly when morels populations will achieve peak numbers is an ever-popular topic of debate.  There are some trustworthy indicators.  Two of the most reliable are temperature and moisture.  In order to fruit, morel mushrooms

There was no colorful sunrise.  No brilliant transition of night turning to day.  Instead, there was just a gradual increase of light among the solemn hues of an overcast morning.   I was sitting at the edge of a small wetland located within a mature stand of oaks.  The shallow oasis is a one my favorite

One robin may not make a spring, but when the turkey vultures return to Max Clausen’s barn, you can rest assured the season has changed.  Clausen’s barn is located on The Nature Conservancy’s Clausen’s Cove Area which adjoins Clear Lake’s south shore.  For the past five years, vultures have returned to make their nests in

This year’s Spring Turkey Seasons begin April 9th with a special youth only hunt, followed by the first of four regular hunting seasons beginning April 12.  The final segment of the five-part, spring season concludes May16.  The seasons allows both shotgun and bow hunting, and Iowa hunters may purchase a total of two spring turkey

The spring waterfowl migration is one of my favorite events on the annual outdoor calendar.  Anxious to get to northern nesting grounds, the first flocks of ducks began dotting the Iowa skies as soon as area wetlands began to thaw.  Once open water appears, migrant numbers steadily escalate as temperatures warm.  A mixed flock of northbound

It’s an old familiar phrase that can apply to a lot of things.  This week, it applied to backyard birding. Following a complete snow melt and solid string of spring-like temperatures, backyard bird activity had declined.  Feeders that had enjoyed popularity through the cold weather winter months had become predictably quiet.  Only a half dozen or

It was early March, and Iowa’s spring thaw was gathering a full head of steam.  Even in the north, snow cover was going fast.  Another day, maybe two, and it would all be gone.  Camouflaged beneath the tawny canopy of last year’s vegetation, the cottontail held its nerve, sitting tight until we nearly stepped on it.