Lynette Anderson

By saying yes and wandering into the deeper recesses of the grassland, we are immediately engulfed into the intimacy of this prairie world.

While many of us are feeling the tug toward the end of summer, the prairie is just beginning to come into its own. A walk or hike or stroll at any time of the day reveals new beauty and the mystery of this undulating landscape. The flowers provide a palette of color that is pleasing… Continue Reading Notes from the Land: A Walk in the Prairie

It is a happy time, this early morning twilight, and best of all, the birds are singing. I arrive at Belwin Conservancy’s Stagecoach Prairie and quietly exit my car. This is the time of migration for most songbirds and a wonderful opportunity to chronicle which species use Belwin lands as a stopover site or nesting habitat.

There is certainty in the passing of the seasons. We know that winter cold will give way to spring sun, spring sun to summer warmth, summer warmth to the cool air of autumn, the cool air of autumn to the winter cold again.

It’s an exciting thing to hear a gobble in the distance in the spring. It is yet another signal that the seasons are changing and new life across the wildlife spectrum is soon to come.

Peeking out from under the strands of dry grass, two buggy eyes appear. The small mammal lifts its whiskered face to test the scented air currents. Is a predator about? Is there food anywhere? Are any unknown mice in the vicinity?

It’s a brittle morning. The cold, ushering in the season of winter, has arrived full force. As I step out of the safety and warmth of my home, the wind wipes my face with a brutal blast. Do I really want to take a hike? I take several more steps into the cold air and feel the answer. Yes. Of course!

It’s a quiet morning. The pre-dawn sky is milky white with scattered clouds. The air is that delicious briskness of late fall. Standing silently at the edge of the pond I slowly pan my gaze from left to right, looking for any movement, any sign of the diurnal world waking up.

We have arrived at the moment of fullness in the seasonal year.

The natural world has reached a zenith in terms of growth and productivity.

We have arrived at the moment of fullness in the seasonal year.

The natural world has reached a zenith in terms of growth and productivity.

We have arrived at the moment of fullness in the seasonal year.

The natural world has reached a zenith in terms of growth and productivity.

Go for a hike in any wooded area and you are bound to see holes in trees. Some may be from branches that have died and fallen off, some may be from one tree falling and hitting another, but many are probably from the percussion section of nature’s band: the woodpecker.