Prairie Smoke

We stopped for a smoke. A prairie smoke that  is…..   This unusual plant was found the day we hiked the Hayden prairie located in northeastern Iowa.  We had found hundreds of dainty shooting stars that day but only a few of this now rare plant. I had never seen one before. 

In birding terms it was a “lifer.”  

The silky, flowing styles of the fruiting stage of Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum), never fail to win admirers at first sight.  When setting seed, large stands of the plant create a gauzy effect that resembles smoke hovering close to the ground.  Blooming in spring to early summer, Prairie Smoke will spread slowly from its roots in well-drained, dry to wet-mesic soils.  It prefers full to partial sun and has a native range from the northern tier of the US through most of Canada thus growing well in zones 3-9. It is quite rare in Minnesota.

 

I do believe finding a prairie smoke was, indeed, a "Lucky Strike."  :)

 

Shooting Stars

Just a few weeks ago now Mrs. T.,  Baron and I took our last hike together. We were looking for shooting stars. Not the kind that one looks up into the night sky to find but instead in a very special place.  That place was a few miles south of us across the Iowa border.    Near Chester is a remnant of America’s frontier past. It’s a three hundred plus acre plot of never tilled land. It’s called Hayden Prairie.

The preserve is named after Ada Hayden, who was the first woman to receive a doctorate at Iowa State College (now called Iowa State University). Her doctorate was earned in 1918, making her the fourth student, male or female, to obtain a Ph.D. at Iowa State College. In 1920 she was appointed Assistant Professor of Botany at Iowa State. Teaching probably occupied a great deal of her time until 1934, when her appointment was changed to a research position in the Agriculture Experiment Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She devoted herself to prairie preservation and research and  wrote 29 papers, most dealing with Iowa flora. She campaigned for a system of prairie preserves. Take a look……

Dodecatheon meadia (Midland Shooting Star)

Midland Shooting Star, or often called just 'Shooting Star', is one of several varieties found in the Upper Midwest. It is a strong bloomer with a few dozen flowers often coming out of each plant; especially in moist rich soils. The color variation that naturally occurs in any population of Midland Shooting Star ranges from purple to pale pink to almost white.

There were literally thousands of shooting stars in this magical place.  I'll post an unusual prairie plant in my  next post.

R.I.P.

It is with great sadness that I must pass on the news that Baron our beloved GSD had to be put down yesterday.  Baron persevered for almost eight years in spite of malformed elbow joints in the front legs and chronic arthritis. All that knew him saw a gentle giant whose passions were to romp in the woods and have his ears scratched. He had admirers everyplace he went including the internet.   With tears I can only write “R.I.P. my best buddy.”

 

Lost In The Jungle

We are deep in the Minnesota jungle. Lost! Fighting for survival. The plants tower above us. Huge white flowers peer down at us. WHAT ARE THEY???? Ok, maybe it’s not the jungle but it sure looks like it from this angle. I hear a rescue helicopter approaching and I will provide an overhead view to make this a lot easier.

 The plants  are Mayapples and  the English called them mandrake.   English folklore says they scream when pulled from the ground! As you can see, the white flowers cannot be seen from overhead and so I had to lie down on the ground to photograph them. I did think the umbrella like stalk and leaves had a somewhat tropical effect. Thus my "jungle" fantasy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants beyond the mayapples are lily of the valley. These plants both represent the third year of my effort to restore woodland gardens to the north section of our property. The south plot is in its sixth year. Both are the result of intent to reduce grassy areas, fertilizing, herbicides and mowing. The oak wood, where our house now stands, was once the residence to several horses and later a playground for our two sons.

This area, also in the north section, gets a little more sunlight, so the buttercups seem to do quite well

I must admit some of the flowers here, I don't have a clue as to what they are. I cleared brush, did some burning and in the fall threw some seeds on the ground labeled "shady wildflowers." So be it. I'm not going to be a native restoration type of purist. In other words, if it’s a flower and grows in the shade I’ll take it. Mrs. T loves hostas . I do too. These  Japanese "aliens" are more than welcome here.

Finally I built some simple benches, restored an old picnic table and added a fire ring. This project is turning out to be a lot of fun and I'm just getting started!

Yard Birds

For Troutbirders complete book review on A Love Affair With Birds by Sue Leaf click on the above book cover to take you to Troutbirder II. 

I came late to birding in my life after having given up upland game hunting due to a defunct knee.  After an introduction to this new hobby by a good friend, I also thought it was also an excellent opportunity to take my big GSD for long hikes in the countryside.  And so it all began.

Here a just a few of the almost two hundred birds I’ve seen In Minnesota  and counted along the way…..

 

Chipping Sparrow and Indigo out my back window.

Early spring Northern Oriole on my white pine.

Blue Jay

Red Breasted Nuthatch & friends

Hummingbird on front porch.

Screech Owl in my woodduck box.

Baby Barn Swallows also on the front portch.

 

Rare Tufted Titmouse

Female Summer Tanager

Rose Breasted Grosbeak convention.

Ovenbird (warbler) rehabilitating in my beer cooler. I'll tell that story another time. :)

A few of our many "yard birds" taken with my little point and shoot camera.