Friday, October 16, 2009

Come see Bill Witt tomorrow afternoon at Prairie Lights!

Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 4:00 PM

Location: Prairie Lights Bookstore

What: A slide show talk with Bill Witt, photographer of Enchanted by Prairie

*Prairie Lights will donate half of the profits from the sale of Enchanted by Prairie to Hickory Hill Park

We hope to see you there!

Midwest Nature Quote of the Week: Oct 16

“If one were able to cut through the Loess Hills deep into the earth, the knife would slide easily through the unconsolidated earth nearly to the base of the hills and then would saw with difficulty through several horizontal layers of successively older solid rock.  Eventually, the knife would dig deep enough to hit Precambrian bedrock one billion to two billion years old, a part of the same rock system that forms today’s Rocky Mountains.”

From Cornelia F. Mutel, Fragile Giants: A Natural History of the Loess Hills



Thursday, October 15, 2009

See Linda & Robert Scarth tonight or this weekend

For all of you Scarth fans, here are a few upcoming events:

Coralville, Iowa
Tonight
7:00 PM
The Scarth's will be doing a presentation at the Iowa City Bird Club
200 Holiday Road
Questions: contact Karen Disbrow, Iowa City Bird Club president at 319/339-1017

Coralville, Iowa
Saturday, October 17
10:00 AM
Booksigning at the Bird's Eye View
1801 Second Street, #270
319/688-9155

Linda and Robert Scarth are the photographers of Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa



Photographs from the Scarth interview: Part 1




Prairie warbler

This prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor) spent part of a summer at Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area in eastern Iowa calling unsuccessfully for a mate. He was very active but patience and a 500mm lens paid off with a number of good images including this view of his subtly decorated back. He also perched for a portrait on a “pretty” poison ivy vine.




Dewdrop refraction
We make these images on cool still mornings when there is heavy dew on native grasses and native flowers about 8 to 12 inches behind the grass stem or leaf. The drops become fish-eye lenses refracting the flowers which are far enough back to provide the out-of-focus color. The plants must be very still and the light diffuse.



Male ornate box turtle
Ornate box turtles (Terrapine ornata) are a threatened species here in Iowa. A biologist friend and his students studied the turtles for several years on a sandy area near the Iowa River. This handsome male was one they captured and marked to identify if and when he was recaptured.

Photographs from Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

An Interview with Robert & Linda Scarth: Part 1

Why the small wonders of nature?
Because they are fascinatingly beautiful and often overlooked or taken for granted. An acquaintance once said that “most people confuse altitude with beauty.” The grand can be beautiful, but so can the small and intimate details with which we can truly interact. We can all get close to and observe the small details in our surroundings.

When did you start focusing on these?
It was a gradual process over the years. When we traveled, we came to the conclusion that details were as important as grand landscapes in describing places we visited. For small “scenes” we can produce “sweet light” with diffusers and reflectors at any time of day even in bright sun. Sweet light for landscapes only occurs early or late in the day.

Why have they kept your photographic attention for so long?
We do many kinds of photography but over time found that our natural inclination for attention to details in the rest of our life also provides the greatest pleasure in our art. It is fun to photograph the intimate details.

What has changed in the outdoor world since your first days of photographing these areas?
There are more protected areas but fewer places in general to find native plants and animals. Photographic technology keeps adding new ways to work and to express oneself.

What's better?
The cataloging and protecting of selected special spaces are improvements. It is easier to learn what may be found in a protected location. Preparation is important in successful photography.

What's worse?
Many of these special areas are too small to maintain themselves and resist invasive species. The place where we once found many Michigan lilies has been overrun by escaped garden daylilies and brome grass, and the Michigan lilies are gone.


Robert and Linda Scarth are the photographers of Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Here are a few more titles you'll be able to pick up at the MAC Conference

This year's Midwest Archaeological Conference is going to be right here in Iowa City and the University of Iowa Press will have a table with all of our newest archaeological and nature titles for sale!

Where: Sheraton Hotel
210 South Dubuque Street
 

When: October 15–18, 2009

Here are a few more titles that you'll be able to pick up at the University of Iowa Press table:



 

Plant of the week: Oct 13



Golden alexanders
Zizia aurea (L.) W. J. D. Koch.
other common names: golden meadow parsnip, golden zizia
Zizia: in honor of Johann Baptist Ziz, German botanist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries
Aurea: from Latin, meaning “golden”
Parsley family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)


 

Monday, October 12, 2009

Come see Bill Witt this weekend at Prairie Lights!

Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 4:00 PM
What: A slide show talk with Bill Witt, photographer of Enchanted by Prairie

*Prairie Lights will donate half of the profits from the sale of Enchanted by Prairie to Hickory Hill Park

We hope to see you there!


This Week in Iowa Nature: Oct 12-16

Brown creepers climb upward on tree trunks in search of food, while white-breasted nuthatches move down the trees to forage.

From The Iowa Nature Calendar