Bombus spp. Discovery! (OK - Bumble Bees in the Partridge Peas)

 

Female Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens)

 

Early mornings are about the only time I can get out into the pastures here and find good wildflower and insect images in August…plants are heavy with dew and (if you’re lucky) the wind isn’t blowing things around so badly. Recently, after photographing the native forbs (wildflowers) for a couple hours, I was about to head back to the studio because the breeze was now picking up, making the wildflower shots not so interesting. But I had one final self-assignment in mind - the Partridge Pea.

We have an amazing stand of Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) this summer, and I stopped to see what I could get before turning in for the morning. The mound I stopped at was alive with sound! Bumble Bees everywhere, on a feeding frenzy! The morning sun had cut through much of the dew so the blossoms were no longer drenched; the bees were taking advantage of the trove of pollen, now unlocked for the taking. 

Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis)

The genus Bombus - Bumble Bees. “Bombus” sounds so cool, and what bee is more cool than our native Bumble Bees?! 

Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis)

 

 

I have gotten better about delving in a bit more in recent years - identifying different insects as they present themselves here in the native prairie pastures. But I still have a long way to go.

 

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

I got a few “fair” images of some Bumble Bees in the Partridge Peas, and decided to see if I could identify their specific names. I found some great information on the Xerces.org web site for Bumble Bees in our region of NW Iowa - they’d have information of any other regions as well. Iowa’s Bumble Bees can be found at - https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-028_01_BB-of-Iowa_3FOLDbrochure_web.pdf

 

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - honing in on it’s next Partridge Pea target!

Yet even with the pdf chart provided by the Xerces Society, I was still hesitant to claim identities of each one I photographed successfully. I then came across a great Face Book site that is open for public participation, and I highly recommend it…they encourage interested folks like me to reach out and learn more.

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - target acquired!

 

Thank you to Judy Cardin - Admin of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Face Book page, for her help and encouragement. I got a boost in Bombus spp. knowledge, and look forward to begin learning about all our Bumble Bee friends out here on the prairie!

Thanks for stopping by! Please be good to one another…we’re all in this together.

Time???!

A wet humid morning in the valley here.

 

Time is everyone's biggest nemesis, whether we realize it or not.  It has been going through my fingers like sand this summer...maybe part of that is because of the weather, but then there has been a lot going on in the family as well.

 

Evening Rainbows, showers and lightning out front.

We've had a wet late spring and now summer...just 4" this week alone, and I believe our June had around 9 inches.  That is very wet for us, especially seeing we were in a severe drought here from 2020 through 2023 (4 years)...then after a record flood in early 2024 last June, it stopped raining...for months.  Its really screwed up I'd say!

The weather has been great for a change though, but with it comes more work to keep up with things...Georgie in the gardens, me in the pastures and ditches.  Keeping up with weeds on steroids is something we haven't seen for awhile...at least "some" pull more easily, others still need the fork.

 I haven't gotten off the place in some time; my artwork has taken a hiatus.  Too much to get into here, but actually most summers have too much outside time to get in any amount of "easel" time...that works better in the winter when the snow and ice put an end to outdoor chores (other than shoveling or plowing anyway).  But I love the prairie pasture when it wakes up, and wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Baltimore Oriole at its nest here on the acreage!

And the birds!  My greatest love since childhood!  They have not disappointed either...I think I just opened our 50th 32 ounce jar of grape jelly since spring for the Orioles!  We have lots and they serenade us and flash their exuberance and colors...we have both Baltimores and Orchard Orioles here - multiple pairs.

 

Red-headed Woodpecker adult peeking around the corner at me.

One of the Red-headed Woodpecker juveniles here.

I kind of bombed out trying to find the Red-headed Woodpecker's nest this summer, but they're sharing a lot of viewing time for us while they're out and about...even recently got a photo of one of the juveniles that was reared here this summer!

 

Dawn - early light in SE O'Brien County.

I did get a nice request for another article for the Wildflower Wednesday offering through "Bleeding Heartland".  I finally had an excuse to get off the acreage, probably a good thing since its hard for me to do these past few years...getting old has some side effects I'm afraid. 

 

McCormack Area in SE O'Brien County.

I was asked to do an article on Hairy Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis albida) and needed some more images to write the article so ran down to the McCormack Area south of us, where I photographed some back in 2023.  The morning did not disappoint - it was drop dead gorgeous!

The article for Wildflower Wednesday was published a couple days ago at the following link...be sure and watch the video at the end...take in some sounds and sights of the morning there!

https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/23/iowa-wildflower-wednesday-hairy-four-oclock/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLwxclleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFwTXVlNEU4U0JJdWJMSG9FAR6Bln-NZ9q3cLLDzQhHdyo4DYooQ2tzfTD4Vfthwec04_dsI6A4WmiZneyvVQ_aem_8fAQUVwRmVQPm0v4CKTZmA 

Time???!  Although the context was a bit different, I do believe that the Rolling Stones got it terribly wrong - "Oh, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is"...I wish it were true for all of us!

Take care out there and please be good to one another - we are all in this together. 

 

Spring!

 

 

Pasque Flower at Prairie Hill Farm

 

It isn't spring on the Tallgrass until the Pasque Flowers bloom!  Our south pasture gravel slope has Pasque Flowers near the crest of the hillside and they were clearly happy this spring!  One thing I did not notice however, was any pollinators.  Yet the blooming occurred for about 2 weeks and I certainly wasn't out there all the time to check.

Pasque Flowers at Prairie Hill Farm

 

 

We did manage some spring burns this year, and were able to rest the largest hillside in the north pasture, to allow it to rest a year.  We burnt the NW hillside which hadn't burned since the winter of 2022; and burned the NE bottom triangle for the first time in 3 years as well. 

I like the idea and practice of rotations, hopefully will give the invertebrates a break here and there.

About 1/3 of the south pasture was burned last fall and then seeded.  I've already been in there with some grass herbicide to help knock the brome down a bit and allow some newer seedlings an opportunity to get a head start.  I do have hopes of some decent moisture there...its a very gravelly hillside over there and doesn't seem to retain much moisture through the summer months...its been a struggle over the years getting that pasture to thrive, particularly because of the 4 straight drought years we've had.

 

"Whiskey" the Red-tailed Hawk!

On an ending note here, Whiskey the Red-tailed Hawk male was brought out to the acreage by our Falconer friend to be released back into the wild.  It was a bittersweet moment but still fun to watch.  Birds of prey are lawfully released by licensed Falconers if they were wild caught birds.  Whiskey had been caught 2 years back in November, and just west of here a few miles.  If a Falconer has a "captive raised" bird, they are not allowed to release them.  

Georgie and I watched Whiskey off and on for a week and a half, when he occasionally stopped by the acreage to hunt on his own.  The last time we saw him, he had caught something in the south pasture and sat on our hayrake for a bit.  We are hoping he finds a mate and finds a place to set up house!  Whether that's in the area or further north - who knows?  Best of luck Whiskey!!!

 But hey, it's Spring - lets get out there and enjoy it!!!

 Please treat each other well - we are all in this together. 

A Lot Going On...

Morrison's Studio Web Site

 

Boy has a lot happened since my last Blog entry - shame on me!!!  I just plain lost all sense of time...might be my age but its probably everything happening here and in our world outside the studio.

In December some business issues started getting untenable...my web site provider had been a nightmare for the past 3 years and I finally decided that enough was enough...apparently being a loyal customer for well over 20 years doesn't mean anything these days?

I decided to go with a web provider that has been "artist based" since their inception.  I wish they'd been around when I first started my first website back in the late 90's, but they weren't around yet.  But I'm back up and running...its been some work rebuilding. And its been some time to get back to where I should have been a long time ago.

One feature with this web platform I like is their "Newsletter" feature.  I had all but given up on my old newsletter (not to be confused with this long standing blog).  My old newsletter was created from scratch each time I published it - html coding and all...creating lots of testing and hammering out glitches.  Finally the software I had used for 25 years, was no longer compatible with my computer platform...just had aged out.  Should I commit to new html software or just stop publishing the newsletter?  I did try mail chimp type programs but was never happy with them, but now I think its in a good place again.

I won't bore everyone with newsletter stories I've already published...some of you may already be newsletter subscribers of mine (?).  If you're not, you certainly can subscribe for free and keep up that way, or at least catch up by checking the newsletter archives at - https://www.morrisons-studio.com/newsletter-archive  At this time there are 4 newsletters to catch up on and the last two is a "two-part" story - something I have been revisiting here at the studio for the first time in 45 years!

If you would like to start receiving the new Studio Newsletter, you can do so by visiting - this page - https://www.morrisons-studio.com/email-newsletter

In the meantime I'll still be keeping the Blog, and it will be similar to the newsletter but hopefully more of the same spin it has since it began about 20 years ago.  The "A Tallgrass Journal" Blog will also continue and be much the same as ever as well.  Yes!  I have two blogs and they have both been running for over 20 years...actually the "A Tallgrass Journal" has been running a few years longer.

"A Tallgrass Journal" has a bit more "prairie" slant than "art", although they often merge much the same, and is available through the following link - https://tallgrassjournal.blogspot.com/

In closing, be sure and check out the new web site and look for more news and tid bits down the road!  (https://morrisons-studio.com)  

I so appreciate having you follow along through the years, and if you're new to the blog, I hope you enjoy visiting from time to time!

Please be good and look out for one another in these uncertain times.  We are made from the same cloth and we are all in this together.  God Bless.