Wallace Prairie Walk Continued

I was so chuffed to finally see a Rattlesnake Master plant in person, on a prairie.

It is a plant I've been aware of for years, but had never actually seen.

I took a photo of this plant because those lime green, star-shapes intrigued me. I was hoping to identify the plant from my picture, but I should have paid more attention to the flowering plants around it.
Until I can investigate more and know for sure, I think this is a Cup Plant. (Silphium perfoliatum)

Another plant I've never seen before, the seed pods of which totally captivated me. But it was the blue-green foliage that helped me identify it as False Blue Indigo.

The yellow flowering plants in the bottom right corner are Stiff Goldenrod.

An old willow branches over the small prairie pond.

Turning my back to the pond and facing west, is this scene of the rolling hills of Southwest Iowa - a beautiful landscape I never tire of.

A landscape that is quickly filling with the giant turbines of wind farms.

Many of these are right across the road from the Wallace homestead farm house. The whomp, whomp, whomp of the blades was very evident, even on a relatively calm day.

We noted the crescent moon-shaped hole in this old maple tree and mused about what creatures might be living therein.

And admired the farm's bountiful apple crop. Bud noted the tall deer fence surrounding the orchard.....

.....while I felt nostalgic about the leaning posts and sagging wire of the old fence line - reminders of days on the farm.

More land was being cleared east of the orchard. This pile of trees had been pushed up resulting in a country version of impressionist art.

I got excited when I saw this bird at the top of a dead tree. At a distance I thought it had a rusty chest and was hoping it was a Bluebird.

Once I got it zoomed in, I could tell it was a female Oriole. Still beautiful, but when, oh when, am I going to see an Eastern Bluebird again?

I thought we would see many butterflies walking through the prairie, but this Great Spangled Fritillary was the only one I saw.

Here at the end of the prairie walk, back near the buildings, were flowers I was more familiar with.

Phlox and foxtail weed mingle with a rusty hand corn sheller in front of the Red Shed.

A deep red Hollyhock is a nice contrast against a white picket fence.

There is something so summer about Hollyhocks...a holdover from the carefree days of my childhood?

This delightfully scented Star Jasmine vine grows up the southeast corner of the Red Shed.

Dwarf blue and pink bachelor buttons outside the shade of the high tunne; marigolds and various vegetables inside.

I was so intent on getting a picture of the bumble bee on the lime zinnias that I didn't even notice the butterfly with its wings closed on the pink zinnia behind it until I had the photos imported to my computer.

The zinnia display was so colorful and pretty, I was reminded how much I do like them and need to plant some again.

If you go west from the Wallace farm, instead of east back to the highway, the gravel ends and you come to an intersection with the choice of three dirt roads.

Our plan was to look for rocks before going home. I had been on this road before and knew it was a good place to hunt rocks.

However, due to our extreme lack of rain, the rocks were so covered in dust, it was impossible to tell whether they were pretty/interesting/worthy of collecting, or not.

I could even see animal prints in the dust; raccoon, I think.

We'll have to go back someday after a rain.

The roadside ditches have been dug out recently which means more rocks should be dug out, too.

I thought it showed the tenaciousness of the bindweed to see this little flower growing against the planed bank.

And the chicory in the ditch on the other side.









We drove a number of dirt roads before coming home. One of which was little more than a couple tracks - I called it a cowpath. And I've been kicking myself for not taking a picture of it!

It was a great morning; a fun, free, fantabulous jaunt.

Addendum: Two views of the one rock I did bring home: