Mid Summer and Gorgeous

 Prairie Hill Farm

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

The heat has just abated a little and the Black Flies (having undergone a second hatch) have finally calmed down a bit...now its the skeeters - but hey, the dragonflies, bats and swallows need to eat too!  The prairie pastures have continued to wow me...the insects, birds, grasses and forbs are giving cause to pause and watch.  Get out if you can...I know that life tends to get in the way, but a quiet walk is in order!

(Click on any image for a larger view)

 

 

 Monarch Butterfly (male) feeding on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) 

in the pasture here at Prairie Hill Farm

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Mass of Cup Plants (Silphium perfoliatum) in bloom in the pasture

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)  

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Fairy Napkin! OK...just a dew covered spider web! 

The "little fairy" can be seen peeking out from it lair in the upper hole in the web 

(should have zoomed in on him). 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 My favorites in the low areas of the pasture and ditches - 

Swamp Milkweed! (Asclepias incarnata)  

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Mass of Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) - delicate little plants, balanced in the left foreground by spikes of Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) 

 photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Mass of Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

 photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

The prairie keeps changing - hopefully I can keep up and record it...if you get a chance - get out and enjoy it!!! 

 

Egads - July!!!

Behind on my blog posts - the Prairie Pasture out in front of the studio has been drop dead gorgeous the past couple weeks...even though the rains have been overly plentiful and troublesome to many in the area - the prairie pasture loved every drop! 

There has been a great deal of flooding these past weeks and many crops have drown, towns flooded and even a derailment in a flooded river valley 45 minutes northwest of us of a train pulling heavy crude from the fracking areas of the north.  If there were more prairies and less cropping of every nook, cranny and fence line imaginable - there would be less flooding, run-off and erosion of our precious soils. 

Here's a few photos, drawings and paintings of the many plants blooming here in our pastures right now!

 Wild Bergamot (monarda fistulosa) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Echinacea angustifolia and Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Hoary Vervain - (Verbena stricta) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis)

color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

 photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) 

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

 False Gromwell (Onosmodium molle) and Prairie Phlox (Phlox pilosa) 

color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Heliopsis helianthoides with Orange Sulphur butterfly and Soldier beetle

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Heliopsis helianthoides

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Monarch caterpillar feeding on Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison

Wild Four O'clock (Mirabillis nyctaginea)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

Enjoy the summer - as things change real fast out on the prairie; they'll be something different blooming tomorrow for sure! 

 

Prairie On My Mind

 Joe Pye Weed with Painted Lady

Photo © Bruce A. Morrison

I've mentioned the Prairie Heritage Center before...it is a gem in the extreme SE corner of our county (O'Brien).  There is an exhibit of the tallgrass prairie at the center, running now and through January 6, 2011.  The exhibit is a state traveling exhibit entitled "Tallgrass Prairie - Past, Present, and Future", and is a great exhibit for all ages to see, enjoy and walk through!

With this exhibit, the host organization is responsible for putting on a program in conjunction with the exhibit theme.  I was asked if I'd be willing to do so and agreed...prairie is near and very dear to my heart and I'm always happy to speak on this subject!

The Prairie Heritage Center is calling the program "Colors of the Prairie".  I've put together a short media program which will be followed by "colors of the prairie" and a discussion of my experiences and personal viewpoint of the Tallgrass Prairie.  The program will take place at the Prairie Heritage Center on December 2nd at 7 p.m - that's this coming Thursday night, so if you have an opportunity to get away for a short evening event - be sure and stop by!

For those of you who may not have been to the Prairie Heritage Center, directions are "east" of Sutherland, Iowa on HY 10, or "west" of Peterson, Iowa on Hwy 10...or 4931 Yellow Avenue, Peterson, Iowa.  You can also call for more information at (712) 295-7200!

See you on the Tallgrass!