Friday, October 19, 2012

Carl Kurtz's Photo Essay: Prairie Spiderwort



In preparation for the upcoming second edition of A Practical Guide to Prairie Restoration by Carl Kurtz, we're excited to be sharing Carl's beautiful photos and observations about nature!

Carl Kurtz is a professional writer, teacher, naturalist, and photographer. He and his wife and partner, Linda, live on a 172-acre family farm in central Iowa that is one of the few prairie seed sources in the Midwest.







Some flowers are tough and last for weeks, others for only a single day or as in the case of prairie spiderworts for just a few hours.  As the morning light level increases spiderworts open and then begin to close by mid-day.  On cloudy days, however, they often remain open until late afternoon.  Whether pollination occurs often determines how long a flower stays in bloom, which is influenced by light, heat and insect activity.  

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