Variation: Mines of Spain

Biennial Gaura

This week we take a little vacation from the Sycamore Greenway to visit the Mines of Spain near Dubuque. This gorgeous park is a must-see for anyone who enjoys nature, geology, or history--you can hike on numerous trails through prairie, woodlands, and bluffs with scenic views of the Mississippi River. Northeast Iowa, including Mines of Spain, is part of the geologic Driftless Area, an area that avoided the glaciers that smoothed out much of the rest of the midwest over the past several hundred thousand years.

Indigo Bunting, juvenile male

These photos are from Horseshoe Bluff, one of my favorite places to hike. It is interesting to see the different wildflowers in bloom in a wooded state park compared to those on the newish and entirely constructed Sycamore Greenway.

Young Cedar Waxwing, looking considerably less elegant
than its sleek, velvety elders.

Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera). The entertaining
genus name Vermivora translates to "worm eating."

False Foxglove (Agalinis sp.)

Wetlands

Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata)

View of the Mississippi from the scenic overlook

Geologic layer cake

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) and well-camouflaged
guest (Crab Spider, Mecaphesa sp.).

A Game That's Always Afoot

Every walk outside is an opportunity to play Sherlock Holmes. There are mysteries under every leaf and around every corner. Of course, few of them are profound or world-altering; in fact, many of the mysteries may be of no interest to anyone other than myself. But a a bit of curiosity combined with some close observation can yield hours of free entertainment.

 Black-legged Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum nigripes)
Found (eventually) after following the sound of its singing.

There are the most basic questions: what is that bird/flower/bug? What left that track in the snow? These are generally simple to answer given the proper resources. You see a flower that looks interesting. Take some photos of the flower, and be sure to get some of the leaves and stem, too. Consult a book or website, or perhaps an app on your phone. Scrolling through a Google image search can be surprisingly helpful too, with a few basic keywords. If all else fails, there are numerous online forums populated with experts who can generally quickly ID anything you come across.

Next are secondary questions: what is making that noise? Why is that flower shaped like that? What does that bird usually eat? What left that *shudder* mouse's face laying in the middle of the trail? What the heck is making lace out of all those birch leaves? These can sometimes be solved by observation. Listen carefully and slowly close in on the katydid singing in the grass (this can require a bit of stealth to prevent spooking your quarry). Watch the woodpecker glean bugs out of a snag, or see the goldfinch nipping seeds off a coneflower. It's like fitting together a couple of puzzle pieces when you see the way nature works.

Other questions may be more complex, or require a bit of hypothesizing. Where did all the red-winged blackbirds go? What are all those swallows doing when they swarm around the neighborhood?  Why is that tree growing like that, bent over even though nothing is touching it? Is this yellow flower related to that one--how could you tell? And why are so many flowers yellow, anyway?

Why are so many flowers yellow
this time of year?

The more questions you ask, the more evidence you collect, the more you will become a part of the community. You will know where the standing water collects, even if you can't see it, because of the water-loving plants that grow there. You will know what time of year a photo was taken based on the flowers you see in the background. You will perhaps feel smug when pointing out that a scene in a movie is supposed to take place in September, but has spring peepers singing in the background.

There is so much information at our fingertips that we can find the answers to most questions within minutes, if only we take the time to ask. It's amazing!

Backyard Prairie

Bumblebee and Joe-pye Weed

After moving to a house in a new development, my yard was a blank slate. I took the opportunity to bring a little bit of the Sycamore Greenway home, and fill my yard with native prairie plants. Well, "fill" might be a bit optimistic at this point, but it is an ongoing process.

Native plants are good for wildlife: the birds and pollinators in our area evolved together with these native plants and are uniquely suited to use them for food and habitat. Over the winter, I enjoy watching the progress week after week as goldfinches pick the coneflower heads clean of seeds. Frogs, grasshoppers, and other little guys can be seen and heard among the dense shelter below the leaves.

Gray-headed Confelower with bumblebee

Honeybee and Butterfly Weed

This afternoon, I watched a female Monarch flutter around my garden for an hour or so, laying eggs on the various milkweed species and sipping nectar from the other flowers nearby. Meanwhile, honeybees and bumblebees visited the fragrant Joe-pye Weed and assorted tiny flies darted about the smaller flowers. Every year, a few Monarch caterpillars make their way several yards from the garden to the house, to adorn my siding with their jewel-toned chrysalis pendants.

Monarch and Ironweed

Though I try to limit the plants allowed in the garden to those native to Iowa, not all of them can be found on the Greenway. A particular favorite, Blazingstar (Liatris sp.), I have yet to see on the Greenway, which may have something to do with the ravenous rabbits (who destroyed mine until I fenced them out from the buffet).

A few of the plants I've invited in the past couple of years have yet to flower : the Compass Plant and Cream False Indigo are both biding their time, developing their deep root systems to ensure they can weather whatever comes their way before bothering with reproduction. Others, like the Butterfly Weed and Gray-headed Coneflower, grow and flower vigorously, though they may be less long-lived than their cautious neighbors.

Liatris (apparently delicious)

Monarch caterpillar munching
Butterfly Weed

Plants of the prairie are tough, broad-shouldered and strapping. They have to be, to handle the searing heat of Iowa summers, the bitter cold of winters, drought, floods, and the occasional wildfire. They are not sissy-plants, those delicate prima donnas that require careful placement and coddling. They can handle neglect, because this is their home turf.  Invite them into your yard, and you will be rewarded--and you can have a little bit of Greenway to enjoy outside your window, too.