Tag Archives: nebraska

Photo of the Week – January 28, 2011

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We have a stream that runs through our Platte River Prairies that is strongly groundwater fed.  The relatively warm groundwater inputs help to keep the stream from completely freezing over.  On the day I took this photograph there was a margin of ice along the bank of the stream, but the majority of the stream was still open flowing water.

Ice patterns on the edges of a stream - The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies

I was drawn to this particular patch of ice because of the layered patterns within it.  The more I stare at it, the more patterns and pictures emerge.

Photo of the Week – December 10, 2010

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Sunrise over frozen wetland. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Springer Basin Waterfowl Production Area - Nebraska

First light is a great time to have a camera in hand, especially when there are a few clouds on the horizon to diffuse the sunlight slightly .  In this case, the sun was so low that only the tops of the wetland plants were lit up.

Springer Basin is one of hundreds of shallow wetlands scattered around south-central Nebraska.  Called “rainwater basins,” they are created by many years of wind scouring the soil away from underlying clay soils.  They fill with water when it rains or snows and provide great habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl, and many other wetland creatures and plants – until they dry up again.