Heartland Safari

The Owl Acres Black Walnut tree sculpture stands in the foreground of a chaotic, un-mowed yard of grasses and weeds. A portion of the barn red, white-trimmed house is on the right. In the middle background is the bird feeder, surrounded by plants sprouted from seeds kicked out by the birds. Siberian Elm yard trees and the east face of the woods form background for this little world of May green in Iowa.

Exuberant Life: No-Mow-May

Updated June 8, 2026

Standing in the yard near the birdfeeder, I am surrounded by jubilant life. That life is expressed in knee-high grasses and forbs. They have sprung up during May. They took their chances to sprout and grow and flower and, in some cases, to go to seed already. In most years, these residents of our yard […]

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Tyrant in the Trees: Eastern Kingbird

Updated June 1, 2026

An eastern kingbird (Tyrannus Tyrannus) arrived on Owl Acres in late April and he, or another just like him, is still here, singing his complex, buzzy song in the dawn chorus. He spent the winter in the treetops of the Amazon, gorging on fruit and a few insects. When it comes time to mate, though, […]

Birds

Just out the window is Karen’s Study Garden. It sports a chaotic mess of species (might call them weeds). The charm of this little plot is that each spring, a different plant finds its ideal conditions and becomes profuse. This year, the star of this unscripted show is Field Pennycress. Next year it will be something else and we don’t have any idea what it will be.

Old Weed or New Crop: Field Pennycress

Updated May 24, 2026

In mid-April, I noticed an unfamiliar plant growing in the garden outside my study window. Its name, I discovered, was field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). It is a member of the mustard family and is generally considered a weed, but, who knew, it is getting a new reputation in some places. It may become a crop […]

Plants

Karen’s Ostrich Ferns growing along the north side of the house on Owl Acres. Because of its location, this image can only be captured from mid spring to mid fall when the morning sun is far enough into the northern sky to shine directly onto these shade tolerant plants.

Landscaping Success: Ostrich Ferns

Updated May 17, 2026

About 20 years ago my friend Lisa gave me some starter ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris, also known as fiddlehead fern or shuttlecock fern). I planted them on the north side of the house. They have survived the dogs and the rabbits, and are growing in lush patches filling in between the air conditioner and the […]

Plants

Iowa’s State Flower is a ditchweed. Flat, open pink flower with five petals and yellow center, it blooms on a stout shrub by a dusty roadside. Wild Prairie Rose is a hardy native, adapted to its sometimes-harsh habitat. Even though the virgin prairie is long gone, the area near the gravel road mimics the wild rose’s preferred conditions, and the plant flourishes here.

Mothers

Updated May 7, 2026

Mothers are everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes, but the work they do is similar no matter who or what they are. Let’s take a look at some of the mothers that live on Owl Acres and the work that they do for their young. Mothers have to select the place where their […]

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A grey-and-chestnut songbird perches in a diamond shaped opening in a chain link fence. Careful composition, placing the green background in soft focus, creates a portrait of wildlife successfully adapting to life in proximity with humans. Images such as this don’t happen by accident. They result from preparation, patience and opportunity. Heartland Safari salutes the photographers who create these gems and make them available for us to enjoy.

Surveying the Soundscape: Chipping Sparrow

Updated April 24, 2026

For the past three years or so, I’ve been using the Merlin app to survey the birds on Owl Acres. I’ve sampled them in early morning most every day from March 1 into June. It’s been fascinating to find out which birds have stayed over the winter, which have moved in over the winter, and […]

Birds

Karen’s fingers rest on a soft cushion of moss, one of the early plants to green up in departing winter.

Attention Please: Moss

Updated April 8, 2026

It’s taunting the winter blahs with its vibrant green patches beneath the American elm. It’s part of the life that flourishes all around us whether we pay attention to it or not. This particular member of the Owl Acres family is a type of moss. We’re trying to identify which particular genus and/or species it […]

Moss

Mottled grey, white, brown and black songbird crouches menacingly on a weathered board. Eurasian Tree Sparow sports a black bib similar to (and easily confused with) its cousin English Sparrow. We can’t tell the difference, but Merlin Bird ID to the rescue.

Benign Invader: Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Updated April 6, 2026

I think we’ve all heard the story of rabbits in Australia—how they were introduced on purpose because the Europeans who settled there thought it was a good thing to diversify the fauna in this new land. And then they discovered that rabbits were breeding like—well like rabbits—and eating all the grass. Somebody got the brilliant […]

Birds

In this “Only a Mother Could Love” view, a ragged-looking Spotted Towhee is pictured in molt. Most of his fluffy head feathers have been shed and he’s a sorry sight. This normal process will have the songbird re-feathered in a few days.

March Migrator: Spotted Towhee

Updated March 29, 2026

A spotted towhee (Pipilo maculate) is visiting Owl Acres. Perhaps he got blown off course due to all the wind we’ve been having, or maybe he’s on his way to the arroyos and canyons of the desert southwest, or the mountains of the Rockies after a vacation in the south. Spotted towhees range from Western […]

Birds

View looking up at a handsome green and yellow songbird singing from a twig. Yellow warbler

Mutual Defense Pact: Yellow Warblers

Updated March 15, 2026

It’s the middle of March, and all the yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) are in Mexico or the Caribbean for the winter. Some of them will stay there throughout the year, nesting in the mangroves. Others will populate the mangrove swamps in Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America during the winter but make the trek from […]

Birds