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. 

Plant of the Week - Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Sneezeweed (Helenium autmnale)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

 

Oops!  I posted the plant of the week on my "A Tallgrass Journal" blog site last week but forgot my art site...well here it is -

 

Sneezeweed - bless you!  Well, not really!  There's no pollen in the breeze and sneezing affected as such with this prairie forb...I always wondered why it got this name and the one place I found with a "story" behind the name was in the book "Restoring the Tallgrass Prairie" by Shirley Shirley, a University of Iowa Press publication...a book with some good info on germination and seed I might add.  Shirley Shirley mentions the use of this plant's leaves - dried and made into snuff "cause sneezing and supposedly ridding the body of evil spirits or clearing congestion.  Considered a good tonic by the pioneers."  So there ya go!

 

Sneezeweed (Helenium autmnale) with Monarch

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

This forb is listed as most commonly found on moist prairies and sites...on our property it exists on a hillside slope that isn't too terribly moist so it may be found in a variety of conditions.  It is one that needs full sun for the most part so ours fits that condition.
 

 Sneezeweed (Helenium autmnale) with native flies and bees

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

 

Sneezeweed is a late summer/early fall forb here, usually showing up with the flush of goldenrods and the beginning of asters.  And it is a great pollinator plant - attracting bees, wasps, butterflies and flies of all kinds!  It is said to cause "issues" with livestock grazing so that is something to be aware of if it occurs in grazed pastures - this would also make it a dominant forb in such a situation as livestock would tend to avoid it.

Catch the August bloomers while they're still with us - Sneezeweed, the goldenrods and the asters will be with us well into September though!

On The Tallgrass

 Prairie Coreopsis and Prairie Phlox

(Coreopsis palmata and Phlox pilosa) 

(click on all images for a larger view)

When I think of the prairie I think of grasses, forbs (wildflowers), birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates (insects).  As an artist, I work on what interests and inspires me...that's what anyone should do.  The tallgrass prairie interests me.

In this blog "Prairie Hill Farm Studio" you'll often see artwork...paintings, drawings, and photographs.  I also might occasionally spend a lot of time just talking about the habitat - the prairie; a preoccupation for this subject should be expected...otherwise, why would I be inspired by it?!

This is a segue of sorts for a journal I published online since 2002 - A Tallgrass Journal.  I'm transitioning this "journal" into a new blog I'll be posting on occasion.  The journal is about the tallgrass prairie and all that relates to it or is affected by it.  It's part commentary, part informative and part also about my personal experiences.

If you find an interest in the prairie - injected here and there in my "ramblings", consider wandering onto the tallgrass on occasion when the mood strikes your fancy.  You'll find out things happening here at Prairie Hill Farm that aren't discussed in the "Studio" blog.  I might share prairie related issues that exist here or region wide; for example I might share informative links on specific things relating to the prairie such as insects, plants, planting, burning, herbicides, and issues relating to these.

If you'd like a walk through the Tallgrass , visit http://tallgrassjournal.blogspot.com and subscribe, follow or visit!

Yesterday morning was my first opportunity in 2-3 weeks to get out and walk the prairie myself...trying to pay bills is no fun!  But getting out is, and the morning was perfect for the camera...barely a breath of wind makes photographing grasses and forbs simply a pleasure!  

Porcupine grass (Stipa spartea)

I have a couple grasses here in our remnant pasture that are flowering and fruiting and at nearly the same time - one is Porcupine grass (Stipa spartea)...the other is Scribner's panic grass (Panicum oligosanthes).  But these grasses are nothing alike in appearance!  How can a simple grass inspire visually?  Well, much of what inspires can be subjective...subject to the "experience" or "landscape", and maybe that's too difficult to briefly discuss here - but both grasses inspire me for several reasons and I'd just say "come on over" and we'll take a look!  But come over soon as they'll be finished and done for the year soon...these are just a couple of a few cool season native grasses and will give way to the others, and then to the later warm season species here.

 Scribner's panic grass (Panicum oligosanthes)

In the mean time I'd just suggest - stop and take a real close look, even touch or step back and admire as well...there's a lot out there on the Tallgrass!

Can't Hold A Candle To It!

The morning light at Prairie Hill Farm never ceases to amaze me; throw a frigid winter into the mix and it becomes almost surreal. I liken it to those amazing artists of Alaska like Fred Machetanz and others of the upper reaches of Canada that painted "frozen air", as I like to call it. There's a characteristic of sub zero temperatures and early light that I'm a total failure in describing. It fires neurons in my brain that help me to mentally "feel" and relive this experience...it's almost like a taste you can experience, but are inadequate to convey to others.

This morning's light was like that; almost as if a frozen veil, so thin as to not actually materialize, hung over the sky and valley. It was clear and sub-zero, yet almost inviting like a siren. The sun rose as a cadmium red orb you dared to look into.

Georgie and I were sitting in the kitchen having breakfast, looking out across the Waterman Creek valley when she spotted movement on the opposite hillsides near a plum thicket we often watch Deer moving about. I glassed the hilltop thicket and there were 3 Coyotes gingerly making their way across the frozen snow slopes.

We've often watched "breakfast" Coyotes from the kitchen, it doesn't happen often enough to make us complacent though, and to watch 3 at once was a real event! The 'yotes made their way down one draw and disappeared to reappear on the next crest where they jumped a barbed wire fence and made their way down another ravine, giving us our last look.

I'd like to say every morning was as eventful in the winter but it's mostly just the yard birds trying to survive, not so much high drama across the landscape. But high drama does occur here!

(Dew laden Monarch at Cayler Prairie in NW Iowa)

Last night we watched NOVA which is a PBS program worth watching anytime. The program last night was "The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies", a story about North America's Monarch Butterflies. We've long been mesmerized by the Monarchs as they arrive and leave here each year. In a blog this past fall I included a Monarch migration video from the acreage here.

We've long been concerned with the species on this continent, with the political and social uncertainty in the butterfly's winter range of Mexico. I wrote of this concern about 4-5 years back in my journal "A Tallgrass Journal" (scan down for the article). It was just 2-3 years ago that illegal logging in the winter roosting grounds in Mexico helped contribute to a huge die off in that refuge.The loss of the refuge's trees and a record cold winter storm killed millions of Monarchs, the very foundation for the next year's brood. It was reported that 80% of that population died.

The Monarch is an amazing creature and it's life is equally amazing; you can't hold a candle to it - nothing can equal this 1/5 ounce creature's feats!

I'd really recommend watching the NOVA production if you can. If you weren't able to see it last night, try going online and watching it there; it's available for online viewing here.

If you are interested in subscribing to the quarterly "A Tallgrass Journal" and general articles about the Tallgrass Prairie and the prairie here at Prairie Hill Farm, simply email me and I'll put you on the mailing list. The free web based Journal has been published since 2002.

It may be about four months before the Monarchs return to Prairie Hill Farm, but I'm really looking forward to it! Thanks PBS!