"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
While at Quivira, Steve and I happened upon one of the most patient, cooperative wild birds I have ever come across, this male Belted Kingfisher. It stayed perched, except when taking off to grab a prey item, as we slowly crept closer in the car.
In the photo below, the bird winds up to bash a crayfish that it eventually swallowed.
Thanks for visiting!
-OZB
Today I am sharing a few photos of Eastern Gama Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides), an interesting plant that grows in abundance at Shaw Nature Reserve. This warm-season grass has a C4 metabolism and can grow in a wide variety of habitats. Due to its use as a forage crop, man has introduced this perennial plant across the Americas. Gama Grass is a distant relative of maize, separating approximately 60,000 years ago. The inflorescence of the plant can be seen above. Whereas maize has its male and female flowers borne on separate spikes, Gama Grass carries its flowers on separate sections of the same terminal spikes. You can see the exposed anthers towards the upper 75% of the spike, while the developing seed are located in the lighter green sections nearest the stem. The photograph below shows a closeup of the exposed stigmas, waiting for the wind-borne pollen.
In the final image, you can see a grape vine using a Gama Grass spike for its support.
-OZB
The skimmers (Family Libellulidae) are the largest family of the Odonata and contain some of the most widely known and conspicuous dragonflies.
Much like a flycatcher within the world of birds, the skimmers typically sit and wait on a perch and fly to catch an insect.
These photographs were taken at a small pond at Shaw Nature Reserve this summer.
-OZB
It is about that time of year. I am again excited to announce that OZB will be presenting his work (~100 unique prints, specialty enlargements, calendars, greeting cards and more will be available) at Art at the Shaw Nature Reserve 10th Annual Show & Sale to be held the weekend of November 7th and 8th. There will be more than 20 artists, providing art in a wide variety of mediums, including one particularly pathetic photographer… 😉 Here are directions to the show…
I hope to see you there!
-OZB
These tiny ones are ubiquitous in a number of habitats and host plants, reach 1-2 mm in length as adults and are pests to a number of agricultural crops. This brachypterous (short-winged) female was photographed on a Maypop vine (Passiflora incarnata) at Shaw Nature Reserve in the northern Ozarks of Missouri.
Steve and I found this large Bullsnake sunning itself on the road during our tour through Quivira.
Thanks for stopping by!
-OZB
The White-faced Ibis are pretty abundant at Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms and across the Great Plains in general. It is believed that this was primarily a western species that has been slowly moving eastward during the past century. Nesting grounds are still rather patchy and infrequent, but they have been documented to nest at both Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira.
-OZB
We came upon this little spiky one at Shaw Nature Reserve. I believe this to be a nymph of the Helmeted Squash Bug (Euthochtha galeator) Family – Coreidae.
-OZB
Just a few of some of the interesting folks I have run into at Wild Acres Park in recent weeks…
The Goldfinch have really taken a liking to the Silphium in my garden this year. Every time I’m out there I observe at least a couple picking the seeds. The two images of this post show them with their more famous plant source, the thistle, taken this summer at RMBS.
-OZB
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 