Karen Keninger, Author at Heartland Safari

Photo from Jasper County, Iowa Recorder's Abstract of Original Entries. Jesse Reeves' May 17, 1854 purchase of 167 acres of Iowa prairie is on the highlighted line.

Redux: Jesse Reeves

Updated April 15, 2024

Earlier in this blog, I identified the first person to buy the land containing Owl Acres. Further research confirmed the name but discovered that it was a completely different person. That put a different spin on his life. So, meet Jesse Reeves—again. Jesse Reeves and his wife Sybil were the first settlers to own the […]

History

This year’s leaves and last year’s stalk at the base of a tree in the north fencerow. As a perennial, Motherwort is one of the first plants to green up in the spring.

Medicine for Moms: Motherwort

Updated April 8, 2024

On a windy day in early April, we took a walk-about in the yard on Owl Acres to see what was happening. The weather had been erratic, getting warm, then cold, then warm again. It rained, snowed, and blew a gale for several days. For the most part, winter was hanging on, with last year’s […]

Plants

Dense clusters of tiny white flowers with yellow centers amid verdant, springtime foliage of Roughleaf Dogwood.

Native Host: Rough-Leaf Dogwood

Updated April 1, 2024

Last fall we identified several types of berries along the edges of Owl Acres. One type of those berries was the white, pea-sized berries of the rough-leaf dogwoods which were growing in the yard and along the railroad tracks. I was familiar with some of the legends surrounding the dogwood, and was perhaps a bit […]

Trees

A showy, chicken-size bird struts in a tallgrass prairie. Ring-neck pheasant has a ring of white feathers encircling his neck. His long, tapering tail feathers are half again the length of his stout body.

Asian Beauties: Ring-Neck Pheasants

Updated March 25, 2024

A couple of years ago, in early spring, I heard a cock pheasant crowing as he walked across the driveway on Owl Acres. He was probably on his way to find some mates. His call was a harsh squawk which the ladies apparently find attractive. If he was lucky, he put together an entire harem […]

Birds

White and black bird with a crimson head, round, black eye and slender beak, looks over its shoulder as it clings to a tree trunk. Red Headed Woodpecker

Flashy Feathers: Red-Headed Woodpecker

Updated March 18, 2024

Several species of woodpeckers live on Owl Acres. In the winter, we see the downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers at the bird feeder. Once in a while a red-bellied woodpecker visits the feeder as well. Northern flickers live in the woods, and a red-headed woodpecker was seen climbing a tree outside the dining room window […]

Birds

A Red-Wing Blackbird sits on a twig and yells at the neighbors. Black songbird with crimson epaulets at the shoulders.

Conkeree: Red-Wing Blackbird

Updated March 11, 2024

It’s hard to get an exact set of syllables that mimic or illustrate a bird song. We attach words like the robin’s “cheerily cheerily cheer up cheer up” or the white-throated sparrow’s “O Canada Canada,” but it’s not exact. We keep trying to get it just right. One of the most familiar and recognizable birdsongs […]

Birds

Common House Finch perches amid small branches in a tree. Brown body, and a brown-red head and neck, and a short, cone shaped beak.

Charming Invasives: House Finches

Updated March 4, 2024

Several fairly aggressive little songbirds tend to dominate the bird feeder, giving the house sparrows a run for their money. Like the sparrows, these little birds are not native to Owl Acres but have moved in to stay. Their story is similar to that of their rivals the house sparrows, but took place nearly a […]

Birds

My Compass: Interstate 80

Updated February 26, 2024

Yesterday, as Dave and Clancy and I took our daily stroll, the world was quiet. The cawing of a distant crow gave the soundscape some depth, and the cheeping of a bird flying across our path reminded me that we were not alone. A slight breeze out of the south carried the rustle of dry […]

History

The Newton and Northwestern Railroad

Updated February 19, 2024

On a cold and windy January day, Bryan and I and my Seeing Eye dog put on our boots and trudge through the snow in the field across the road. The snow is knee-deep, and the crust that had formed on it can’t hold our weight. Each step punches through the crust to land knee-deep […]

History

Alt text: Photo from the Iowa DNR Aerial Photography Project. Photo shows the Owl Acres property as it appeared from the air in 1930. The barn which still stands today, casts its shadow near the lower right corner. Five other outbuildings can be seen near the barn, and three of them cast tiny shadows. We think one of the little buildings was the milk house.

A bit of Sleuthing: Milk House

Updated February 12, 2024

We’ve decided to build a new building to serve as a shop. But before we can do that, we have to clear the space where the shop will stand. In that space are trees that must be taken down, including two particularly tricky ones, a hackberry tree and an American elm. Along with the trees […]

History