Tag Archives: travel

Photos of the Week – May 15, 2026

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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!

Sandhills prairie

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)
Puccoon up close
Wooly locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii)
Great Plains bladder-pod (Physaria ludoviciana)
Bladder-pod up close

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.

Spikerush sedge (Carex eleocharis)
Sun sedge (Carex inops)
Sandhills prairie
Puffball fungus
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.)

Sunset over the Niobrara River
Western wallflower at sunset
Western wallflower and sunset
Sunset glow on the river
Pussytoes (Antennaria sp.)
Pussytoes up close
Pussytoes with a bug

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)
Buffalo currant (Ribes aureum)
Buffalo currant

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.

Sunrise over the river
Sunrise
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…

Prairie Bingo (if you like that kind of thing)

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I don’t know about you, but a nice quiet walk through the prairie can often help me deal with everything else going on around me. Last weekend, I spent parts of both Saturday and Sunday cutting trees and fixing fence at our family prairie. I also wandered around a fair amount and, as always, found things to stir my curiosity and wonder.

Many of us don’t need added incentives to draw us outside, but that doesn’t mean incentives can’t help. Or, maybe you have friends or relatives who aren’t sure what they’d even do or look for in a prairie, especially this time of year. After all, isn’t it all just a bunch of brown grass out there right now?

Goldenrod stem galls are just one of many little treasures you can find in the late winter prairie.

Well, if it’s at all helpful, I’ve created a prairie bingo card. If you just let out an exasperated sigh when you read that sentence, that’s fine. This isn’t for you. No offense taken.

If you are still reading this, maybe you’d find it fun to add a little extra twist to your next trip to a local prairie. Maybe you have some friends who would come play a game with you but wouldn’t otherwise consider going for a prairie hike. I don’t know your situation.

I tried to create a bingo card that would be accessible to just about anyone. Anything that might be unfamiliar should be easy to quickly find an explanation of online. Everything on the card is something I’ve seen in the last couple weeks during walks in prairies near here.

If this looks like fun, feel free to save or print the bingo card. Or just make your own, using this one as inspiration. If you plan to go out with friends and don’t want to all use the same card, I’ve made two more versions (below) with the same terms but in different arrangements.

If you decide to try this, I’d love to hear what you think. Whether you play prairie bingo or not, though, I hope you find some time to go exploring. Even in the late winter, there’s plenty to see out there!