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- Photo of the Week – May 23, 2013
- Blowing Against the Wind?
- Photo of the Week – May 16, 2013
- Join Us For The Platte River Prairies Field Day: July 12, 2013
- Keeping a Low Profile in the Spring
- Photo of the Week – May 9, 2013
- A Prickly Confrontation
- Photo of the Week – May 2, 2013
- Capturing Post-Wildfire Recovery Through Timelapse Photography
- A Dandy Little Predator
- A Prairie Ecologist’s Perspective on Arbor Day
- Photo of the Week – April 25, 2013
- Tuning Into Fire Frequency
- Photo of the Week – April 18, 2013
- The Annual Grassland Restoration Network Workshop – Coming to A Prairie Near You (If You’re Near Columbia, Missouri)
- A Weekend Walk in the Woods
- Photo of the Week – April 11, 2013
- An Ill Wind…
- Is Poison Hemlock Repelled By Plant Diversity? Early Results Say Yes
- Photo of the Week – April 5, 2013
Tag Archives: insects
Thank Goodness For Boxelder Bugs
I finally broke down and bought a close-up flash system for my camera. Until now, I’ve just relied on natural light to illuminate the flowers, insects, and prairies I photograph. However, during the last couple years, I’ve been weakening, and looking … Continue reading
Insects After a Hard Freeze
In last week’s Photo of the Week post, I mentioned that I’d spent part of a morning photographing white fluffy seeds in autumn prairie. (It’s not a bad life, all things considered.) As I walked that morning, I noticed how … Continue reading
Posted in General, Prairie Insects, Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography, Prairie Plants
Tagged antifreeze, assassin bug, caterpillar, cold weather, diapause, dormant, freeze, grassland, insects, invertebrates, overwinter, prairie, seeds, winter
8 Comments
Ants in Restored Prairie – Part 2 of our 2012 Insect Week Results
As promised, here is the second half of the results from our insect week back in July. Back in September, I reported that it appears bees are using our restored prairies much as they do our remnant prairies. That’s particularly important because our … Continue reading
Evolution in Milkweed-Eating Insects
Not many insects can feed on milkweed. Milkweed plants produce a toxin that disables a protein in animals – a protein that facilitates important functions such as muscle contraction. Only a small number of insect species around the world have evolved ways to get around this … Continue reading
Posted in Prairie Insects, Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography, Prairie Plants
Tagged eating, evolution, feeding, insects, milkweed, photography, protein, research, science
8 Comments
First Impressions From My Insect Week
Well, as promised, here are some early impressions from the time I spent looking around our Platte River Prairies with Mike Arduser (bees) and James Trager (ants) last week. I’ll know a lot more after Mike and James have time to … Continue reading
My Week with Entomologists – Day 1
This is my week to learn everything I can from James Trager and Mike Arduser – entomologists and ecologists from Missouri. They (and their wives!) have very graciously agreed to spend the week in our Platte River Prairies to help … Continue reading
Posted in General, Prairie Insects, Prairie Natural History
Tagged ants, bees, entomology, grassland, insects, james trager, mike arduser, pawnee county nebraska, prairie
6 Comments
Photo of the Week – June 22, 2012
One great thing about insects and spiders is that they can be found almost anywhere. One great thing about kids is that they love to explore. Putting those two together creates a terrific way to get kids interested in nature. It’s been … Continue reading
Posted in General, Prairie Insects, Prairie Photography
Tagged children, conservation, insects, kids, kids in nature, nature, outdoor education
2 Comments
Why I Care About Prairies and You Should Too
Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out why I think prairie conservation is so important. I’m not questioning my conviction – I feel very strongly that prairies are worth my time and effort to conserve – but if I can … Continue reading
Posted in General, Prairie Insects, Prairie Management, Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography, Prairie Plants
Tagged birds, diversity, Dr. Seuss, flowers, grassland, grassland conservation, horton hears a who, importance, insects, more than just grass, pitcher sage, prairie, prairie conservation, species, who cares about prairie, why grassland is important, why prairie is important
26 Comments
