Loess Hills

Excavating Snapper

Woodhouse Toad

woos

Sweet Sunrise

Large-Flowered Beardtongue

Yucca

Chickapin Oak

This sweet chickapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) was released from competition from other trees when the remnant underneath was restored!

Blue-eyed Grass

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium campestre) is common on mesic to dry prairies, also on sandy and moist prairies and in woodland openings.  

Ground Plum

Ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus) is a food used by native americans, they have the flavor of a pea.  Ground plum is a legume, and like most legumes harbor beneficial bacteria called rhizobia on their  roots.

Hoary Puccoon

Hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens), puccoon is an Algonquian word for a plant that yields dye.

Waning Rays

Spiderwort

Spiderwort

Sea of Gold

A sea of Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)

Giant Swamp White

Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)

Canadian Anemone

Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Wild Columbine

Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) - wow, notice the maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) in the background!

May Apple

May apple (Podophyllum peltatum) flower is located under the may apple's leaves pointing down.  I have heard this flower can be spread by turtles!  

Strawberries Soon!

Wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) in flower.  This means strawberries soon!

Garter Snake Baskin

Wild Geranium

Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) patch!

Red Admiral

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is an abundant forest butterfly.  It's larvae consumes nettles.  At dusk Red Admirals gather in sunny woodland openings and make circular flights of joy around a perch.

Spring Prairie Burn

Burning a remnant prairie, can't wait to check out the regeneration in June!