Karen Keninger, Author at Heartland Safari

Fat brown rodent with prominent front teeth looks at the camera. American Beaver.

Civil Engineering: Beaver

Updated March 15, 2026

A small creek known as Cherry Creek runs at the bottom of the hill near Owl Acres. We were surprised recently to see beaver activity at the creek. A beaver had built a dam across the creek, and had gnawed through a large tree near the bank. The creek is fed by drainage tile and […]

Mammals

A brown creeper displays its remarkable camouflage as it clings to the flaky bark of a tree. The little bird is almost invisible even in this close-up photo.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Brown Creeper

Updated February 19, 2026

The brown creeper (Certhia americana) is one of the birds that frequent Owl Acres occasionally. Last spring I captured the song of one on my Merlin app. Although I haven’t been monitoring the birds this winter, it is likely that out in the woods, a brown creeper will set up housekeeping. Camouflage is one of […]

Birds

A small group of bare trees stands in the north fence row on a late winter day. The sky is brilliant blue; the rest of the world is drab. The tree on the right is an American Elm, one of less than ten remaining on Owl Acres. On the left is a Black Walnut, in the middle is a Black Cherry and the little weedy trees among the big ones are Hackberries.

Survivors: American Elm

Updated February 19, 2026

Several American elms stand guard around the perimeter of Owl Acres. They’re part of the mixed-species windbreak that slows the northwest wind on cold winter days. They’re not the huge old American elms that were once such a part of Americana. Those beautiful old trees were planted along suburban streets, arching over to hold hands […]

Trees

Two brilliant stars rise next to the barn on a frigid Iowa morning. Only one, of course; the one on the left is a sun dog.

Sun Dogs, Sun Pillars and Diamond Dust

Updated February 6, 2026

It’s a cold and frosty morning in late January. Wispy white clouds decorate the sky. The sun is just rising above the horizon at the optical latitude of the barn. As it rises, Bryan reports that it is accompanied by a pair of sun dogs. Sun dogs are one of several optical phenomena known as […]

Weather

The house-style birdseed feeder hangs from a shepherd’s hook on a cold day. The world is stark white after yesterday’s snow. A mixed flock of juncos, cardinals, finches, sparrows, chickadees and a few others forage on the ground while a few more kick out seeds from the tray above.

Who’s Who?: Sparrows vs. Finches

Updated December 14, 2025

There’s snow on the ground and more coming, and the temps have dropped below zero. A mixed flock of birds comes and goes at the bird feeder as we watch through the study window. When blue jays or cardinals appear, the little birds all disappear. When the bigger birds have had their fill, the flock of […]

Birds

Two white tail deer browse in the moonlit snow in the front yard. They are juveniles or females and aren’t wearing antlers.

Antlers: White-Tailed Deer

Updated December 7, 2025

It was about 2:00 a.m. The sky was clear, and the moon shone brightly, reflected by the pure white snow that covered everything. Shadows of the trees lay across the yard, and footprints of passersby advertised their presence. Clancy saw something in the yard and started barking. Bryan went to investigate. Two white-tailed deer stood, […]

Mammals

The Barred Owl Sculpture stands among bare trees, near the old shed on Owl Acres. The first snowfall of the new winter season fills the air and covers the ground.

Winter Survival: Bees

Updated November 29, 2025

Winter is setting in. The forecasters are suggesting highs of 3 degrees above zero. In the prairie garden, the stalks of flowers and grasses are dry and brittle. Seeds cling on to feed the birds and the mice and voles. The hard frost has killed off the mosquitoes, for which we are grateful. But what […]

Insects and Spiders

Spotted Orb Weaver

Updated November 23, 2025

Earlier this fall, a yellow garden spider set up housekeeping beneath the morning-sun-facing window of my study. She has vanished, and in her place for a while another species of spider called a spotted orb weaver chose that same location to build her orb webs. Apparently that location is good for catching insects. Our newest […]

Insects and Spiders

A team of black Percherons pulls a hay rack at an antique power show near Owl Acres. Two Amish farmers in straw hats pack the loose hay onto the wagon with pitchforks.

Power on the Prairie Part 2: Horses

Updated November 17, 2025

We didn’t have horses when I was growing up on the farm. The year I went to college, though, my younger sister got her first horse. I learned to ride over the next couple of summers, and really loved it. Life took me away from the farm and the horses though, and the opportunities to […]

A green, columnar plant sends triangular branches up from a central stem. Short spines line the edge of each lobe. Triangle cactus or Dragon Bones or any of numerous other names, it makes a great house plant.

Living Sculpture: Dragon Bones

Updated October 23, 2025

About fifteen years ago, I went to a fundraiser and bought, for $10, a little cactus. It was an odd little thing, about six inches tall with a triangular stem and a weird head at the top. It looked like a deformed little tree with spines on it. I decided I didn’t like it much […]