Friday, February 26, 2010

This Week in Iowa Nature

The Pleiades dance brightly in the winter sky. Look for the Seven Sisters star cluster above and to the right of Orion.

Jean C. Prior and James Sandrock, The Iowa Nature Calendar

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Plant of the Week


Lead plant
Amorpha canescens Pursh
other common names: prairie shoestring, wild tea
Amorpha: from the Greek amorphos, meaning generally “without shape” or “deformed,” in reference to the flower, which has only one petal
Canescens: from Latin, meaning “gray hairy”
Legume family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)