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Despite Iowa's inconsistent spring weather, prairie flowers have started adding a bit of color to lush green prairies around the state. A close look at the prairie plants reveal a variety of flowers with a variety of colors, including vibrant yellow and several shades of purple. Blue-eyed grass, fringed puccoons, golden alexander and spiderwort typically bloom in late spring and early summer. These species have already started flowering on many of INHF's conservation sites. If you are out and ... about enjoying a part of Iowa's prairies early this summer, keep these species in mind. Photo by Joshua Meyer Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium albidum) Grows to 8- 15 inches at maturity Flowers March- June Fringed puccoon INHF Photo Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) Grows to 6 – 12 inches at maturity Flowers April-June Photo by Fritz Flohr Reynolds Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) Grows to 1-3 feet tall at maturity Flowers April- June INHF ... Photo Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohioensis) Grows to 1-2 feet tall at maturity Flowers April-July For more information about these species and other prairie grasses and flowers, visit: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LIIN2 http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/SUL18.pdf
Recreation Trail in 2013. INHF was involved in the creation of the Volksweg Trail. The 14-mile trail traverses timbered areas, restored prairies, pine plantations and open fields between Pella and Lake Red Rock in Marion County, Iowa. Given a Dutch name meaning “people's path,” this trail follows the Des Moines River and winds through the North Overlook Woods, offering spectacular scenic views of Lake Red Rock. The National Recreation Trail designation indicates this trail meets the high standards set by the ... Secretary of Interior and highlights the quality of the Iowa trails system INHF is actively involved in expanding. For more information about the National Trails designation and the other trails designated in 2013, visit: http://oldwestnewwest.com/20130531799/travel/trails/seven-western-trails-designated-as-national-recreation-trails/menu-id-108.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Joe Jayjack, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, jjayjack@inhf.org or 515-288-0137 Dianne Blankenship, Iowa Prairie Network, dianne.blankenship@gmail.com or 712-255-344 Tour to showcase three unique prairies in Kossuth County The public is invited to tour three great examples of Kossuth County prairie with wildlife and plant experts on Saturday, June 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour is sponsored by the Iowa Prairie Network, the Iowa Native Plant Society and ... of Iowa’s prairies, as well as the management and restoration practices that keep them healthy.” Attendees will meet at 10 a.m. at Stinson Prairie State Preserve, a 32-acre prairie located near Algona. Purchased in 1969 by Kossuth County Conservation, it had been used as a hayfield by Stinson families since 1881. In 1971, it was dedicated as a biological state preserve. Next, the group will visit INHF's Wildin Heritage Prairie, an 80-acre remnant and restored prairie with 16 small prairie potholes
The sun sets over Wildin Heritage Prairie. (Photo by Joe McGovern) INHF President Joe McGovern will lead tours of three prairies in Kossuth County on Saturday, June 27. The field trips will last from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are co-sponsored by INHF, the Iowa Native Plant Society and the Iowa Prairie Network. The day will begin at Stinson Prairie State Preserve, a 32-acre prairie located near Algona. Purchased in 1969 by Kossuth County Conservation, it had been used as a hayfield by Stinson ... families since 1881. In 1971, it was dedicated as a biological state preserve. One of Wildin’s 16 potholes can be seen in the distance. Following a bring-your-own picnic lunch, we will proceed to an afternoon visit at INHF’s Wildin Heritage Prairie, an 80-acre remnant and restored prairie with 16 small potholes. The site has never been drained or plowed. This tour provides the opportunity to see Bernau Prairie, which is not normally open for public use. We will also visit Bernau Prairie, which
INHF is sponsoring a field day in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa to learn about grazing on native perennials, working with conservation land managers and sheep performance on prairie forage. INHF is sponsoring a field day in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa to learn about grazing on native perennials, working with conservation land managers and sheep performance on prairie forage. Prairies evolved with periodic disturbance from drought, fire and grazing. Without these pulsed ... "setbacks," woody encroachment or grass threatens to diminish the robust diversity that's the hallmark of the tallgrass prairie. Over the last few years, Stennie Nelson has been working with Doug Chafa, land manager and biologist with the Iowa DNR, as part Doug’s effort to reintroduce grazing into local wildlife management areas. Stennie raises sheep for meat and wool and grazes the Turin Preserve Wildlife Area. Join Stennie, Doug and the sheep for a prairie-pasture walk to discuss how managed grazing aims to meet both wildlife and prairie goals alongside wool and meat production. Bring your walking shoes! This field day will involve hiking up and down rough terrain. A meal will be provided after the field day. Learn more and register for the visit here.
Photo by Gary Tonhouse “Wonders of the Tallgrass Prairie” photo exhibit will be on display at the Ankeny Art Center from October 3 – November 29, 2013. This exhibit will consist of 22 framed, color photographs of prairie types taken by nature photographer Gary Tonhouse over the past 30 years. Two of the prints are 16 x 22 inches and the remaining 20 are 20 x 30 inch enlargements of his photos. The photographs were taken throughout the state on virgin prairies, INHF protected properties ... , private prairies and projects of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Gary compiled the photographs to create this exhibit for the art center to address an important conservation issue. “I want to arouse awareness and concern for an endangered eco-system that is fragmented across the state of Iowa and the Midwest.” Due to health issues, Gary has relied on another individual to help with the printing and framing of the photographs. As a result he has not seen the complete exhibit. “It will be as ... exciting for me as it is for other people,” said Gary. The photos will be in the main gathering space for public viewing, and there will be an opening reception on Thursday, October 3, 2013 from 5 – 7 p.m. For more directions and gallery hours, visit www.ankenyartcenter.com or call (515) 965- 0940. To see more of Gary's work and to order prints, visit http://www.reflectiveimages.com/
gate, and birds flit between the weathered stones with soft trills. Someone has closed the gate. - words by CJ Younger, illustration by Kayleen Mercer As Halloween approaches, old cemeteries become haunts for fictional zombies, vampires and werewolves. They may be frightful by night, but during the day the remnant prairies, oak savannas and other native habitats found around the gravestones serve as living history. Rochester Cemetery (Cedar County) and Fairmount Cemetery (Scott County) were ... to some of these cemeteries as part of the annual Loess Hills Prairie Seminar. “They’re an important part of Iowa’s history, and Iowa’s future, too.” If you’re looking for a unique outdoor activity this October, grab a native plant guide and explore one of these Iowa haunts. Visit www.iowaprairienetwork.org/find-a-prairie to find a remnant prairie cemetery near you.
The Upper Iowa River winds through three northeast Iowa counties (Howard, Winneshiek, and Allamakee) before entering the Mississippi River. Along the way, the river courses through stunning bluffs and palisades, pastoral farmland and vibrant communities. It is popular with paddlers, tubers, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. The Upper Iowa River region supports wooded bluffs, hillside "goat" prairies and floodplain wetlands. It also provides critical habitat for diverse fish and wildlife, and ... native plants and insects. For these reasons it is often considered an ecological treasure. Read on to learn more about this special river, what you can see/do there, how Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is protecting the river's natural beauty with the help of many partners — and how you can help. Upper Iowa River: Plan Your Visit The Upper Iowa River passes through a lovely part of Iowa with many outdoor recreational opportunities and other tourism services and amenities. Use the links below ... the state or county, to establish new public lands across Iowa. Protecting palisades Later in the 1980s, INHF worked with two private landowners who donated a conservation easement on the half-mile stretch of river that holds Chimney Rock, an outstanding limestone stack formation. The approximately 22-acre area also contains wooded hillsides and remnant prairies. At about the same time, INHF negotiated another private conservation easement on the rugged, limestone palisades on the Upper Iowa River
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joe Jayjack, jjayjack@inhf.org, 515-288-1846, ext. 19 DES MOINES - Four hundred and three Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) volunteers logged over 1,500 hours to help protect, restore and steward Iowa’s land, water and wildlife in 2017. Three hundred and four of those volunteers were new to INHF. During the course of the year, volunteers participated in 25 outdoor volunteer opportunities in ten counties across Iowa, working to restore prairies, woodlands ... Decorah on December 7 and another in Des Moines on December 14, to thank and celebrate the accomplishments of its volunteers. INHF offers a variety of volunteer opportunities year-round. To view upcoming volunteer events, and learn more about volunteer needs, visit inhf.org/eventsor contact Melanie Louis at mlouis@inhf.org or 515-288-1846, ext. 35. Corporate, youth and other group volunteer opportunities are also available. To learn more about group volunteer opportunities, contact Melanie
once moved across Iowa’s prairies in large herds, trampling the vegetation as they grazed. Ray’s mower is the new grazing, his tractor paths the new bison wallows. Yes, there’s something unique about Codfish Hollow Hill Prairie. It’s Ray and Patti Hamilton and their stewardship philosophy. Though it’s clear Ray is proud that the thistle is doing so well here while it’s struggling elsewhere, he’s also careful not to get too wrapped up in the needs of one thing. It’s a lesson he’d learned early on in ... his prairie stewardship after a visit from Dennis Schlict, author of ‘The Butterflies of Iowa.’ Not long after the Hamilton’s purchased the property, Dennis documented the presence of a rare prairie-dependent butterfly called the Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe). The Ottoe Skipper spends its entire life cycle above ground, making it susceptible to fire or other disturbances if it has nowhere to escape. Dennis explained to Ray that if the whole prairie is burned at once, an entire population could be
