Monthly Archives: October 2013

Evening Wildlife

Posted on October 24, 2013 by the roused bear

As the sun was setting last night, I looked out and saw this in the back yard. It was a challenging photo situation because of the lack of light.  I used a 105 mm lens, f/3.5, and 1/20 second exposure. … Continue reading →

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After the Frost

Posted on October 23, 2013 by the roused bear

We had a frost last night–the first really hard frost of the season.  Some parts of Iowa got measurable snow, but we didn’t.  And I am fine with that. We have had a misty, cool day today.  I noticed that … Continue reading →

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Drying Up

Posted on October 21, 2013 by the roused bear

I saw this flower the other day–shriveled and dried up.  It took me a little while to figure out what it was. It is, of course, partridge pea–one of my favorite plants.  Here is what it looks like on a … Continue reading →

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The Other Milkweeds

Posted on October 20, 2013 by the roused bear

I find the seed pods of common milkweed visually interesting–my last post was about them.  I thought I would check out some of the other species of milkweed we have, and see what their seed pods look like. Swamp milkweed, … Continue reading →

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Visiting Flowers

Posted on October 18, 2013 by the roused bear

Yesterday I saw a small fly visiting flowers near our prairie. This is probably a crane fly.  It had a delicate but halting and jerky flight.

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Seeds

Posted on October 17, 2013 by the roused bear

Seeds of common milkweed rest inside of a dried, open seed pod, waiting for the wind to free them.  

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It Will Take an Act of Congress to Get Me to Shave

Posted on October 15, 2013 by the roused bear

Since I have been laid off from my federally supported state job I have not shaved. It’s not a pretty picture. Here is a little macro “selfie” of my chin: I am not good looking when I shave, but it … Continue reading →

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Soccer and Fall Colors

Posted on October 13, 2013 by the roused bear

We went to Minnesota to watch a couple of soccer games yesterday.  I am not necessarily on board with all of the hoopla surrounding organized sports for kids, but my son is pretty darned good. And the trees were pretty … Continue reading →

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Mackey is Dying

Posted on October 11, 2013 by the roused bear

Here is a photo from a couple of years ago.  He was getting old then, but he was still in good health. I won’t show a photo from now.  He has a large lump on his side—the result of a … Continue reading →

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More Bugs from Yesterday

Posted on October 9, 2013 by the roused bear

On my little trip yesterday I saw one of the coolest looking critters around.  It is called a big-eyed toad bug, Gelastocoris oculatus. As the name suggests, they hop around like little tiny toads. I also found a damselfly, a … Continue reading →

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