Photos of the Week – December 6, 2024

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One of the best things about spending time in prairies is that, except when clouds interfere, you can get spectacular and unobstructed views of both sunrises and sunsets.

It is, of course, a bad idea to look directly at the sun, even when it is near the horizon. The sun’s light is diffused and scattered, but it can still be damaging to your eyes. Don’t do it.

Hypothetically, though, if one were to risk a quick glance at the sun, I bet it would be really pretty – especially with some prairie in the foreground.

Sunrise in the Nebraska Sandhills
Bison and rising sun at The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve
Plains sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris) and sun at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies
Skipper butterfly and sun – Lincoln Creek Prairie in Aurora, Nebraska
Drone photo of the Niobrara River at sunrise – Niobrara Valley Preserve
Variegated meadowhawk dragonfly in the morning – Lincoln Creek Prairie
Sand bluestem – Niobrara Valley Preserve
Plains sunflower – Niobrara Valley Preserve
Variegated meadowhawk and autumn sunrise – Platte River Prairies
Scarlet gaura (Gaura coccinea) – Niobrara Valley Preserve
Big bluestem and sunrise at the Platte River Prairies
Plains larkspur (Delphinium virescens) at sunset – Niobrara Valley Preserve
Restored prairie and sunrise – Platte River Prairies
Lincoln Creek Prairie sunrise
Indiangrass and sunrise – Lincoln Creek Prairie
Prairie cordgrass and sunrise at the Platte River Prairies
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About Chris Helzer

Chris Helzer is the Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. His main role is to evaluate and capture lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration work and then share those lessons with other landowners – both private and public. In addition, Chris works to raise awareness about the importance of prairies and their conservation through his writing, photography, and presentations to various groups. Chris is also the author of "The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States", published by the University of Iowa Press. He lives in Aurora, Nebraska with his wife Kim and their children.

14 thoughts on “Photos of the Week – December 6, 2024”

  13. These pictures are amazing! (As usual. :) ) Thank you for taking the time to capture these moments! It really is eye-opening to be immersed in a landscape, and you learn how many fleeting moments of wonder there are to discover.

    Thank you again – and keep it up!

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