Midwest Nature Quote of the Week

Prairie watching is addictive. The diversity on the landscape, from shoetop to horizon, holds one’s attention to the exclusion of the passing of time and matters of pressing concern. Studying the prairie is satisfying, especially aesthetically, but also intellectually. Reading the landscape through the species present, observing the season of bloom, deciphering the structure of the flowers, recognizing the visiting pollinators, investigating the size and shape of seeds, and experiencing the thrill of germinating seedlings are all part of getting to know prairies.

Paul Christiansen and Mark Müller, An Illustrated Guide to Iowa Prairie Plants

Further Reflections: Auctioning off a lifetime of memories isn't easy

Nice article by future U of Iowa Press author/photographer, Kurt Ullrich. Come meet him and us at the Iowa State Fair on opening day, August 8!

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307130048&nclick_check=1

Iowa Nature Calendar: July 17

July heat triggers the hatching of millions of short-lived mayflies along the Mississippi; their remains often have to be shoveled from streets and sidewalks in Dubuque and other river towns.

The Iowa Nature Calendar by Jean Prior & James Sandrock

Great article about flooding

http://globegazette.com/news/local/everyone-has-role-in-caring-for-watershed/article_5523d62a-ec42-11e2-acdf-0019bb2963f4.html

Raptor of the Week: Broad-Winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus

This midsize buteo is a common migrant but a rare nester in Iowa. During
migration, it can move in large flocks of two to three thousand birds or more.
It nests sparsely across the state, usually in deep woodlands. Iowa birds are
gone by mid to late October and are virtually unknown in the state after that.

The Raptors of Iowa , paintings by James F. Landenberger

Excerpt from Esther's Town

Few Esthervilleans could forget the year 1936. A bitter cold winter was followed by a capricious spring and by an unfriendly drifting summer that added insult to the injury of empty stomachs. Heavy drifting snows snarled railroad traffic, and the cold soon emptied the coal bins. As coal trains stalled in mammoth snowdrifts, the community ran perilously low on fuel. Mayor Fred Ehlers recruited volunteer shovelers, who rescued a train loaded with coal that got almost as far as Estherville when once again it was stalled in a deep cut. Daily bulletins published in the paper kept anxious readers informed on the progress of the train bringing them coal, which finally reached the town as residents were steeling themselves for cold houses. Fears of empty coal bins were no more than allayed when other fears replaced them. On Thursday, April 30, a funnel cloud roared in from the west over the bluffs along the river.


Esther's Town, by Deemer Lee

Great link for you campers...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius