Earlier this week, I posted a photo of a female wolf spider carrying her brood on her back. We were collecting data at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week, and it seemed there were babies all over the place. Young birds were hopping and flapping around, grasshopper and katydid nymphs were abundant – especially on wild rose flowers, and bison calves were following their moms around closely. Here are a few other photos of early season babies from this week.
Bison calves are at near-maximum cuteness at the moment.
A fledgling horned lark peers at me from its hiding place.
I belly crawled about 10 yards to get you this cute photo. Don’t worry, I think I got most of the sand burs out of my belly.
I’m pretty sure this is a fledgling grasshopper sparrow based on its size, coloration, and habitat.
A young katydid nymph feeds on wild rose pollen.
A grasshopper nymph stands out on a background of puccoon flowers.
Ok, one more bison calf photo…
The Prairie Ecologist 
Not to insult the wolf spider, but these really are cuter babies
These photos are fantastic. I’m going to have to share your blog with my mother who is a fledgling nature photographer. She’ll really enjoy these. She lives in Northwestern Minnesota and there is plenty of opportunity for prairie photography.
Thanks for the belly-crawl, these are great baby shots!
Love! What is a sand bur? (It sounds terrible.)