prairie | The Prairie Ecologist

I felt like a little natural beauty might do us all some good today.

Four-point evening primrose (Oenothera rhombipetala) and sunrise in sand prairie at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies, Nebraska.

Dragonfly in Pawnee County, Nebraska

The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska.

Liatris aspera, blazing star. Lincoln Creek Prairie.

Blazing star (Liatris aspera). Lincoln Creek Prairie. Aurora, Nebraska.

Katydid nymph on black-eyed Susan. Aurora, Nebraska

Bison at The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve – Nebraska.

Shell leaf penstemon and rainwater. Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska.

(INTERNAL RIGHTS ONLY, CREDIT IS MANDATORY) Sunrise over meadow along Central Platte River, Nebraska. Hall County, Nebraska. May 1995. TNC Caveny Tract. Cottonwood tree. Lowland tallgrass prairie. Central Mixed-Grass Ecoregion. © Chris Helzer

Cottonwood tree, fog, prairie, and sunrise. The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies.

Caterpillar on pitcher sage (Salvia azurea). TNC's Derr Tract. Central Platte River, Nebraska

Caterpillar, ant and inchworm on pitcher sage (Salvia azurea). Platte River Prairies, Nebraska

Crab spider on annual sunflower in sandhills prairie at The Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve. North-central Nebraska.

Crab spider and ant on annual sunflower in sandhills prairie at The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve.

Water droplets on spider silk on a foggy day. The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies, Nebraska.

Autumn prairie. The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve.

Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium) seeds hang tenuously to the flower head. Lincoln Creek Prairie (Prairie Plains Resource Institute) in Aurora, Nebraska.

I stole an hour of photography time this week as a foggy morning worked its way toward a sunny afternoon. The small restored prairie on the edge of town was a great place to explore. A few surprises awaited. Though most flowers were well done with flowering, a few late ones were still in bloom – possibly plants that were injured earlier in the season and were trying to squeeze out a flower on hastily regrown stems. Insects were surprisingly abundant – taking advantage of a day with temperatures in the high 60’s and rising. Here is a selection of images from my prairie walk.

Late goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)

More goldenrod

A tiny beetle takes advantage of a rare pollen dinner on a stiff goldenrod plant (Solidago rigida) that was flowering extraordinarily late.

This stink bug blends in wonderfully with the drying head of pitcher sage (Salvia azurea) it was exploring.

Giant milkweed bug on a common milkweed pod.

There were quite a few damselflies feeding on tiny flying insects as I walked around. They were difficult to get close to, though…

After many failed attempts, I did finally manage to get close enough to a couple damselflies to get reasonable photos. Here is one of them.

The Prairie Ecologist

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

Tag Archives: prairie

Photos, not Politics

Photo of the Week – October 20, 2016