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Iris at Quigley-Slattery Heritage Prairie, Buchanan County

Jessica Rilling

Blog For Tag "nature walk"

  • In Our Nature

    NOV. 25, 2019

    Exploring the health benefits of time spent outdoors.

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  • Nature Walk: Cryptic Coloration

    JAN. 25, 2016

    Cryptic coloration is another term for camouflage commonly found in many species of animals. It's easy to see that the earth tones of this tree sparrow are the same as vegetation in winter prairie. At a distance, they blend perfectly into the background to give protection from predation. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this photo or requesting information on possible use of any of our “Nature Walk” photographs, please contact Carl Kurtz at  cpkurtz@netins.net . View our other  N

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  • Nature Walk: Ice Designs

    JAN. 18, 2016

    photo by Carl Kurtz Plants such as bulrushes, cattails, water lilies and animals such as frogs, fish or even snail shells often freeze on or just below the surface of ice that has formed on ponds and lakes.  Dark colored objects readily absorb sunlight creating heat that melts the ice around the object.  An impression or design is left than can be simple or intricate as with these river bulrush stems. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this photo or requesting information on pos

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  • Nature Walk: Red-tailed Hawks

    JAN. 11, 2016

    Bird identification can require serious observation and science.  Here we have two red-tailed hawks that are completely different.  On a recent bald eagle survey, wildlife biologist Bruce Ehresman helped us identify Krider's red-tailed hawk, which is believed to be a subspecies of the more common Red-tailed hawk.   Krider's is a bird of the Great Plains while the Red-tail is found across the entire US.  These images show the dramatic differences in coloration with Krider's lacking the red tail a

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  • Nature Walk: Carrion Beetles

    SEP. 8, 2015

    Carrion beetles are about an inch long and colorful. They play an important role in natural processes by feeding on dead animals. On this specimen's thorax are tiny mites that have a symbiotic relationship with the beetles. The mites are carried to food sources by the beetles where they feed on fly eggs eliminating the competition of the fly's maggots, which would otherwise speed up the decomposition of the beetles' food source. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this photo or req

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