Acorn Crew: Iowa's Rainbow

Spring in Iowa is alive with colors! Birds migrate back and flowers begin to bloom. There’s even fish, bugs, butterflies and colorful tree blooms to find. You have a whole rainbow of colors to explore in Iowa. When you’re walking through your neighborhood, out at the playground or visiting your county and state parks, you can look out for some of these rainbow birds and flowers.

 

Red!
Male scarlet tanagers can range from bright red to an orange-red. They also have pitch black wings and tails. Female tanagers are a dusty yellow. This time of year, scarlet tanagers are flying back to Iowa to lay eggs and raise their young. They just spent all winter in South America! Tanagers eat mostly insects, so look for them on branches high in the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange!

The bellies and chests of male Baltimore orioles are as orange as the fruit! Their heads, backs, wings and tails are black. Female Baltimore orioles also have black wings, but their heads and bodies are yellow. Female and male Baltimore orioles love fruit. If you hang half an orange in your yard, you might find an orange Baltimore oriole enjoying a snack! Photo by Larry Reis

 

 

 

Yellow!

Marsh marigolds bloom in April. Their vibrant yellow flowers have a waxy texture. They’re great for attracting bees. Marsh marigolds bloom in clusters close to the ground. It has broad, round leaves shaped like lily pads. Marsh marigolds love wet soil, so you’ll have the most luck finding them in marshes or next to rivers.

 

 

 

 

Green!

Male ruby-throated hummingbirds have bright red necks, but both female and males have shiny, green feathers on their backs! The ruby-throated hummingbird is Iowa’s smallest bird. Female ruby-throated hummingbirds make nests only two inches long – that’s the size of the end of your spoon! They make nests out of grass, spider webs and plant fiber like dandelion fluff. As they build their nests, they stamp down on their nesting material. This makes a compact and safe nest for baby hummingbirds. The eggs they lay this spring will be smaller than your fingernail!

 

 

Blue!

Bright blue male indigo buntings and light brown female indigo buntings migrate back to Iowa in late April. Indigo buntings like to build nests in shrubs and trees close to the ground. Usually, their nests are only three feet off the ground! Once a female indigo bunting weaves her nest from sticks and dry grass, she lays 3-4 eggs. Most of their eggs are white, but some of their eggs are light blue.

 

 

Purple!

The prairie violet will begin to bloom in May. Its petals are often light or dark purple, but sometimes they look a little blue. The top of prairie violet petals are wide and rounded. Prairie violets grow in Iowa’s prairies where they have a special relationship with an important native Iowa butterfly called the regal fritillary. Regal fritillaries are rare. Prairie violets are one of the only flowers that can feed regal fritillary caterpillars!

 

 

White!

Wild strawberry flowers have small, white, rounded petals. Bright yellow stamen grow in the middle of the petals. Stamen are the part of the flower that produces pollen. Pollen feeds pollinators like butterflies and bees and fertilizes other flowers. Wild strawberries are an important prairie species for Iowa’s native pollinators. Eventually, their tiny strawberry fruits also make good meals for birds and other native animals.