Nature clicks #236 - Up on the prairie

 

We are lucky to live only about a mile away from a nice little patch of "goat prairie". Quote: Pohlman Prairie Preserve is a unique 23 acre site consisting of native bottomland forest and native prairie remnants on the high bluffs overlooking the Little Maquoketa River valley (source: mycountyparks.com).

Sunday evening Joan, our little dog Cooper, and I hiked the short switchback trail up to the top of the limestone bluffs. Any time, except of course during the winter, you can find there something that is botanically interesting. I’m not really into macro or flower photography but I like to chase the light and with plenty of wildflowers, berries, and insects there is always something to point the lens at. Nothing exciting, just some simple clicks from the prairie…

2013 - Looking back, part 3

 

One of the goals I had set for myself for this year was to work on my landscape photography and try to make some improvements. Sometimes life gets in the way and it wasn’t really until September before I was able to pursue my goal more seriously. No, it wasn’t that I didn’t do anything before September, and my blog may proof this, but the majority of the time behind the lens was dedicated to wildlife photography.

However, the image above was made the weekend of Easter in late March near Lost Island Lake here in Iowa. What I like about it, is the presence of a great sky above this small strip of prairie-like grass. There isn’t much prairie left in the Midwest but the image fires up my imagination how it must have been before this land was taken by the settlers. There isn’t really a subject in the image except for the sky. The group of trees? No, the trees are more like a rest point for the eye. The eye wants to go to this sky and then makes you want to walk over this ridge and see some bisons roaming … just kidding… ;-)

What I like about this photo is its simplicity and drama in a landscape that is not famous for landscape photography. I’m the only one who needs to like the image but maybe you can comprehend my thoughts…

Another piece of summer

 

I present you just a few Yellow Coneflowers from a patch of prairie grass today. It is so nice to see that wildflowers and prairie grass have been re-seeded along many roads and other places here in Iowa during the last few years. This photo was made in Mud Lake State Park along the Mississippi River.

We look forward to be at the wedding of our niece Jessica and her future husband Jens this weekend. Means no posts here in the blog for a few days. Wishing all my visitors here in the blog a wonderful weekend!