niobrara | The Prairie Ecologist

I spent a couple days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week. I’ll be back again next week for our plant identification/habitat workshop on Tuesday May 19 (9am-2:30pm). If you’re interested in joining us for that (it’s free!), it’s not too late to sign up. Just email Kate (kate.samuelson@tnc.org) to RSVP. There might even be some housing available on the preserve if you act fast!

The prairie is just waking up in the Sandhills. The dry spring hasn’t helped much, but things are starting to bloom here and there. This week’s warm temperatures are speeding up growth and the weekend shows at least some chances of rain, which would really help. Still, there was plenty to see, even if we had to search a little to find flowers.

Hairy puccoon (*Lithospermum carolinense*)

Great Plains bladder-pod (*Physaria ludoviciana*)

Some of the early prairie sedges were already done blooming. These are some of the most abundant plants in the mixed-grass prairie, but often overlooked. They’re easiest to see and identify when they have flowers or, better yet, seed heads.

Insect galls on prairie wild rose (*Rosa arkansana*)

Sandhills prairie all the way to the horizon in the east bison pasture (10,000 acres)

Sandhills prairie with the river bluffs in the background

As the sun was setting Monday night, I climbed a hill to watch the sun and clouds over the river. I was not disappointed. I found a western wallflower in bloom and was able to frame it in front of both the sun and the river by lying down and putting my camera right on the ground. (I wonder what percentage of my life I’ve spent lying on the ground in a prairie? Not enough, I’d argue, but surely much more than most people.)

Many shrub species are in full bloom at the Preserve right now, including chokecherry and currant, and skunkbush sumac is about ready to open.

Chokecherry blossoms (*Prunus virginiana*)

Tuesday morning started with a nice and peaceful a sunrise as one could hope for. Once that sun got up, the wind started showing off a little, which was a little less pleasant, but it’s hard to complain too much when you’re exploring a place like this.

The Niobrara Valley Preserve headquarters

It’ll be fun to see how much changes between this week and next. We’re getting to the time of year where there are new flowers blooming each day, new birds migrating in, new bees emerging from the ground, etc. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll take my camera with me next week, too…

I spent several days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week engaged in long brainstorming discussions about conservation and land management. It was invigorating, but we basically worked from dawn until dusk, so I didn’t have much time to wander with my camera during daylight hours. Working from dawn until dusk, of course, isn’t that hard this time of year, since the days are so short.

The Milky Way and stars over the Niobrara River.

After dark, the stars came out and I jumped at the opportunity to get outside and photograph them. That happened all three nights I was there, though one night I had to wait for the clouds to break up before the stars showed themselves. The Niobrara Valley Preserve is far from towns or other sources of light, so it’s a great place to see the Milky Way. It’s always nice to be there when skies are clear and the moon isn’t around.

It was fun to practice my star photography, but it was even better to have some quiet time to just stare at the sky and think about the universe. The sound of the river gooshing past me, a lone screech owl, and periodic conversations among distant Canada geese were all that broke the silence of the night. The time went by quickly.

I don’t photograph stars often enough to feel confident in my process and I was also trying out a new lens (Canon 14-35 f/4 L). Having three nights in a row to practice was helpful. The first photo in this post is my favorite and was taken on the last night. Even that one makes me wish I’d played around a little more with exposure time. Oh well. The stars will come out again and I’ll get some more practice then. Hopefully, the screech owl will be around, too.

I hope you enjoy these. If you want to look at them with more clarity and light, click on the photo to see a bigger, better version. If you’re reading this in your email, you’ll have to click on the title of the post to open it online before you can click on photos.

The Prairie Ecologist

Essays, photos, and discussion about prairie ecology, restoration, and management

Tag Archives: niobrara

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