These flowers are the first ones to bloom on our remnant bluff prairies. They're tiny - each plant is only about an inch tall. They're annuals, and they grow in the hottest, sandiest, steepest places. The common name is Common Whitlow Grass, even though it's not a grass - it's in the Mustard family. This photo was taken on April 1, 2010.
This is on the south-west facing slope of Indian Grass Point - one of our bluff prairie remnants. It's right behind our house, so I can get to it easily, and I've been working hard on clearing out the brush and exposing the prairie plants that are growing under it. The bark of these birches has been girdled, so they should die this year, making the point even more open. The slope is very steep - I do all the work while on my knees. The photo was taken in February, 2010.
This Ruffed Grouse was sitting in the middle of the trail as I was driving the gator up the hill yesterday. It walked slowly across the trail and into the woods - watching me suspiciously and clucking all the way.
Now that our boat is working, we've been exploring some of the backwaters of the Mississippi River near Alma. This was taken in October, 2009.
Hatched on June 1, 2009. She attracted a male, so I collected some of the eggs she laid, and released her to lay the rest in the wild.
Nymphalis antiopa
This is my first butterfly of 2009. An Eastern Comma, seen on March 16.
Polygonia comma
Ice Crystals formed after an ice storm, around the edge of a hole in the snow.
I love watching the sky above our high prairies. This is looking northwest, across a four year old planted prairie, toward the coming storm.
