Author Archives: Chris Helzer

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About Chris Helzer

Chris Helzer is Director of Science and Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and supervises the Conservancy’s preserve stewardship program. He also helps develop, test, and share prairie management and restoration strategies. Chris is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. He is the author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications. Chris and his family live in Aurora, Nebraska.

A Little Calm in a Noisy World

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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 in the morning or late in the evening when the light is soft and the breeze is even softer.  I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a few of those mornings and evenings this month, and I’m hoping maybe a few photos from those tranquil times might bring a little peacefulness into your life as well.

Common milkweed seeds (Asclepias syriaca). Lincoln Creek Prairie.  Aurora, Nebraska.

A stinkbug posing on Canada tick clover (Desmodium canadense). Deep Well Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska.

Grasshopper on silky prairie clover (Dalea villosa). Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska.

Tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum) seeds. Deep Well Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska.

A painted lady butterfly settles in for the night on Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Deep Well Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska.

Dew drops. Lincoln Creek Prairie. Aurora, Nebraska.

Peace be with you all, my friends.

Plant Game (Sept 27, 2017) Answers

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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 app failed this test…

In terms of guessing which plant name was fake, 181 people attempted the first question, and only 24% of you correctly guessed that the fake name was duckbill hairycress.  Spider antelope horns got the most votes (35%) but is the real name (at least one of them) for a kind of milkweed.

On the second question, 145 people guessed, but only 21% picked the actual fake name, which was silky sunwort.  Curve-pod fumewort, believe it or not, is a real live plant.

I hope some of you got a chuckle out of the third question.  Bela Lugosi is actually the name of a very famous actor (from a long time ago, granted) and is not a plant.  56% of you knew that, but about a quarter of you went with Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, which certainly does sound like a fake plant, but is real.

The game works because no matter how hard I try, I can’t usually come up with plant names that are more outlandish than the real ones…  Thanks for playing.