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- …But Sometimes They’re White
- Photo of the Week – October 13, 2017
- Back Door Thieves
- Photo of the Week – October 5, 2017
- A Little Calm in a Noisy World
- Plant Game (Sept 27, 2017) Answers
- Photo of the Week – September 29, 2017
- Plant Game – September 27, 2017
- Photo of the Week – September 22, 2017
- Corrected/Updated Information on the Painted Lady Migration Post
- The Painted Lady Butterfly: This Year’s Poster Child for Insect Migration
- Photo of the Week – September 15, 2017
- Becoming a Rule Breaker (Artistically)
- Photo of the Week – September 7, 2017
- Does Dotted Gayfeather Flower More Under Reduced Competition?
- Photo of the Week – August 31 2017
- Well, Now, I Wonder…
- Photo of the Week – August 24, 2017
- Trying to Create Something Different in the Nebraska Sandhills
- Total Eclipse on the Prairie
Author Archives: Chris Helzer
…But Sometimes They’re White
I generally use this blog platform to share ideas and information about prairies, but now and then I also use it as a platform for asking questions. Today is an example. I want to know why many wildflowers, especially those … Continue reading
Photo of the Week – October 13, 2017
My favorite photos tend to be those I’ve taken most recently. I imagine that’s true of most everyone who does any kind of creative work. I have a tab at the top of the home page for this blog called … Continue reading
Back Door Thieves
I took a quick walk through one of our restored wetlands last week. Most plants had finished blooming for the year, but in some recently-mowed patches, there were some scattered flowers of beggarticks (Bidens sp) and blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). … Continue reading
Posted in Prairie Insects, Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography, Prairie Plants
Tagged bee, fly, lobelia, nectar, pollinator, rob, robbing, steal, stealing
11 Comments
Photo of the Week – October 5, 2017
I had a few minutes after a meeting yesterday to walk through a restored wetland in our Platte River Prairies. I didn’t really have any preconceived notion of what I was looking for – I just wanted to explore a … Continue reading
Posted in Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography
Tagged flowing water, macro photo, photo, photography, wetland
9 Comments
A Little Calm in a Noisy World
The world seems awfully turbulent and noisy right now, and I don’t know about you, but I could use a little calm and serenity. In my world, calm and serenity often come from a quiet walk through a prairie early … Continue reading
Plant Game (Sept 27, 2017) Answers
Thanks to everyone who played this week’s plant game. Here are the answers: First, the photo didn’t get many guesses, but Ally got it right. It is rough rattlesnakeroot, aka rough white lettuce, aka Prenanthes aspera. Sorry Mike, your iNaturalist … Continue reading
Photo of the Week – September 29, 2017
As the growing season comes to an end and most wildflowers wind up their blooming period, insects that feed on nectar and pollen have to work a lot harder to find food. The few remaining plants with active flowers suddenly … Continue reading
Posted in Prairie Insects, Prairie Natural History, Prairie Photography
Tagged autumn, pollinators
5 Comments
Plant Game – September 27, 2017
The rules are simple. Just pick the fake plant name from each list. Three of the names in each list are official common names (as opposed to the scientific, or Latin names) of plants found growing in Nebraska. The other … Continue reading
Corrected/Updated Information on the Painted Lady Migration Post
Well, about an hour after I published today’s blog post on the painted lady migration, I received an email response from Royce Bitzer (Iowa State University) which answered some questions I’d sent him earlier in the week. I’d waited for … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
