Autumn Notes

 

"Stream-side Autumn Ashes" - color pencil drawing - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Autumn rates way up there on my favorite season scale…its a memory bank of pleasant days outdoors with a warm sun in your face, and the crisp air a pleasant mediator.

 

Unless…ya there’s always a disclaimer. Unless the neighbors have just harvested their soybeans and corn! In that case, if its a warm humid day (as we’ve been experiencing this fall), outside work or leisure can find a person tormented by seen and unseen assailants…that like to bite! Youch, what a bummer those little “no-seeums” (minute pirate bugs) and Asian Ladybird Beetles can be!

 

But hope rests eternal in a future killing frost, and a return to the pleasant 60 degree days we used to refer to as Indian Summer. 

 

 

Golden-crowned Kinglet - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Right now we’re really enjoying those familiar visitors returning this fall - bird migration brings our warblers and sparrows back to the acreage and pastures…a myriad of small birds darting about catching small bugs or stripping the seeds from the past summer’s flowers.

 

 

"Autumn Along Dog Creek" - oil painting - ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

Our leaves aren’t spectacular this year, but we had good summer rains and a dry fall for harvesting. I’ve often found a dry fall to make for a great “leaf looker” season - maybe it was the wet summer that set things up the way we’re seeing it this year? I’m just leaving this one to chance - what else can you do? Enjoying it never the less! 

 

I’ll just paint or draw autumn to suit the season’s spirit I guess…come on Indian Summer!!!

 

Thanks for stopping by! Please be good to one another - we’re all in this together.

 

Hope to see you on the Tallgrass! 

 

(Artwork and Photography from Morrison’s Studio on Prairie Hill Farm - morrisons-studio.com)

 

Bombus spp. Discovery! (OK - Bumble Bees in the Partridge Peas)

Female Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens)

 

Early mornings are about the only time I can get out into the pastures here and find good wildflower and insect images in August…plants are heavy with dew and (if you’re lucky) the wind isn’t blowing things around so badly. Recently, after photographing the native forbs (wildflowers) for a couple hours, I was about to head back to the studio because the breeze was now picking up, making the wildflower shots not so interesting. But I had one final self-assignment in mind - the Partridge Pea.

We have an amazing stand of Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) this summer, and I stopped to see what I could get before turning in for the morning. The mound I stopped at was alive with sound! Bumble Bees everywhere, on a feeding frenzy! The morning sun had cut through much of the dew so the blossoms were no longer drenched; the bees were taking advantage of the trove of pollen, now unlocked for the taking. 

Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis)

The genus Bombus - Bumble Bees. “Bombus” sounds so cool, and what bee is more cool than our native Bumble Bees?! 

Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis)

 

 

I have gotten better about delving in a bit more in recent years - identifying different insects as they present themselves here in the native prairie pastures. But I still have a long way to go.

 

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

I got a few “fair” images of some Bumble Bees in the Partridge Peas, and decided to see if I could identify their specific names. I found some great information on the Xerces.org web site for Bumble Bees in our region of NW Iowa - they’d have information of any other regions as well. Iowa’s Bumble Bees can be found at - https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-028_01_BB-of-Iowa_3FOLDbrochure_web.pdf

 

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - honing in on it’s next Partridge Pea target!

Yet even with the pdf chart provided by the Xerces Society, I was still hesitant to claim identities of each one I photographed successfully. I then came across a great Face Book site that is open for public participation, and I highly recommend it…they encourage interested folks like me to reach out and learn more.

Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - target acquired!

 

Thank you to Judy Cardin - Admin of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Face Book page, for her help and encouragement. I got a boost in Bombus spp. knowledge, and look forward to begin learning about all our Bumble Bee friends out here on the prairie!

Thanks for stopping by! Please be good to one another…we’re all in this together.

Time???!

 

A wet humid morning in the valley here.

 

Time is everyone's biggest nemesis, whether we realize it or not.  It has been going through my fingers like sand this summer...maybe part of that is because of the weather, but then there has been a lot going on in the family as well.

 

Evening Rainbows, showers and lightning out front.

We've had a wet late spring and now summer...just 4" this week alone, and I believe our June had around 9 inches.  That is very wet for us, especially seeing we were in a severe drought here from 2020 through 2023 (4 years)...then after a record flood in early 2024 last June, it stopped raining...for months.  Its really screwed up I'd say!

The weather has been great for a change though, but with it comes more work to keep up with things...Georgie in the gardens, me in the pastures and ditches.  Keeping up with weeds on steroids is something we haven't seen for awhile...at least "some" pull more easily, others still need the fork.

 I haven't gotten off the place in some time; my artwork has taken a hiatus.  Too much to get into here, but actually most summers have too much outside time to get in any amount of "easel" time...that works better in the winter when the snow and ice put an end to outdoor chores (other than shoveling or plowing anyway).  But I love the prairie pasture when it wakes up, and wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Baltimore Oriole at its nest here on the acreage!

And the birds!  My greatest love since childhood!  They have not disappointed either...I think I just opened our 50th 32 ounce jar of grape jelly since spring for the Orioles!  We have lots and they serenade us and flash their exuberance and colors...we have both Baltimores and Orchard Orioles here - multiple pairs.

 

Red-headed Woodpecker adult peeking around the corner at me.

One of the Red-headed Woodpecker juveniles here.

I kind of bombed out trying to find the Red-headed Woodpecker's nest this summer, but they're sharing a lot of viewing time for us while they're out and about...even recently got a photo of one of the juveniles that was reared here this summer!

 

Dawn - early light in SE O'Brien County.

I did get a nice request for another article for the Wildflower Wednesday offering through "Bleeding Heartland".  I finally had an excuse to get off the acreage, probably a good thing since its hard for me to do these past few years...getting old has some side effects I'm afraid. 

 

McCormack Area in SE O'Brien County.

I was asked to do an article on Hairy Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis albida) and needed some more images to write the article so ran down to the McCormack Area south of us, where I photographed some back in 2023.  The morning did not disappoint - it was drop dead gorgeous!

The article for Wildflower Wednesday was published a couple days ago at the following link...be sure and watch the video at the end...take in some sounds and sights of the morning there!

https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/23/iowa-wildflower-wednesday-hairy-four-oclock/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLwxclleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFwTXVlNEU4U0JJdWJMSG9FAR6Bln-NZ9q3cLLDzQhHdyo4DYooQ2tzfTD4Vfthwec04_dsI6A4WmiZneyvVQ_aem_8fAQUVwRmVQPm0v4CKTZmA 

Time???!  Although the context was a bit different, I do believe that the Rolling Stones got it terribly wrong - "Oh, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is"...I wish it were true for all of us!

Take care out there and please be good to one another - we are all in this together. 

Hope to see you on the Tallgrass! 

 

Spring!

 

Pasque Flower at Prairie Hill Farm

 

It isn't spring on the Tallgrass until the Pasque Flowers bloom!  Our south pasture gravel slope has Pasque Flowers near the crest of the hillside and they were clearly happy this spring!  One thing I did not notice however, was any pollinators.  Yet the blooming occurred for about 2 weeks and I certainly wasn't out there all the time to check.

 

Pasque Flowers at Prairie Hill Farm

 

 

We did manage some spring burns this year, and were able to rest the largest hillside in the north pasture, to allow it to rest a year.  We burnt the NW hillside which hadn't burned since the winter of 2022; and burned the NE bottom triangle for the first time in 3 years as well. 

I like the idea and practice of rotations, hopefully will give the invertebrates a break here and there.

About 1/3 of the south pasture was burned last fall and then seeded.  I've already been in there with some grass herbicide to help knock the brome down a bit and allow some newer seedlings an opportunity to get a head start.  I do have hopes of some decent moisture there...its a very gravelly hillside over there and doesn't seem to retain much moisture through the summer months...its been a struggle over the years getting that pasture to thrive, particularly because of the 4 straight drought years we've had.

 

"Whiskey" the Red-tailed Hawk!

On an ending note here, Whiskey the Red-tailed Hawk male was brought out to the acreage by our Falconer friend to be released back into the wild.  It was a bittersweet moment but still fun to watch.  Birds of prey are lawfully released by licensed Falconers if they were wild caught birds.  Whiskey had been caught 2 years back in November, and just west of here a few miles.  If a Falconer has a "captive raised" bird, they are not allowed to release them.  

Georgie and I watched Whiskey off and on for a week and a half, when he occasionally stopped by the acreage to hunt on his own.  The last time we saw him, he had caught something in the south pasture and sat on our hayrake for a bit.  We are hoping he finds a mate and finds a place to set up house!  Whether that's in the area or further north - who knows?  Best of luck Whiskey!!!

 But hey, it's Spring - lets get out there and enjoy it!!!

 Please treat each other well - we are all in this together.  Hope to see you on the Tallgrass!

A Lot Going On...

https://morrisons-studio.com

 

Boy has a lot happened since my last Blog entry - shame on me!!! I just plain lost all sense of time...might be my age but its probably everything happening here and in our world outside the studio. 

In December some business issues started getting untenable...my web site provider had been a nightmare for the past 3 years and I finally decided that enough was enough...apparently being a loyal customer for well over 20 years doesn't mean anything these days? 

 I decided to go with a web provider that has been "artist based" since their inception. I wish they'd been around when I first started my first website back in the late 90's, but they weren't around yet. But I'm back up and running...its been some work rebuilding. And its been some time to get back to where I should have been a long time ago. 

One feature with this web platform I like is their "Newsletter" feature. I had all but given up on my old newsletter (not to be confused with this long standing blog). My old newsletter was created from scratch each time I published it - html coding and all...creating lots of testing and hammering out glitches. Finally the software I had used for 25 years, was no longer compatible with my computer platform...just had aged out. Should I commit to new html software or just stop publishing the newsletter? I did try mail chimp type programs but was never happy with them, but now I think its in a good place again. 

 I won't bore everyone with newsletter stories I've already published...some of you may already be newsletter subscribers of mine (?). If you're not, you certainly can subscribe for free and keep up that way, or at least catch up by checking the newsletter archives at - https://www.morrisons-studio.com/newsletter-archive At this time there are 4 newsletters to catch up on and the last two is a "two-part" story - something I have been revisiting here at the studio for the first time in 45 years! 

 If you would like to start receiving the new Studio Newsletter, you can do so by visiting - this page - https://www.morrisons-studio.com/email-newsletter 

In the meantime I'll still be keeping the Blog, and it will be similar to the newsletter but hopefully more of the same spin it has since it began over 20 years ago. The "Prairie Painter" Blog will also continue and be much the same as ever as well. Yes! I have two blogs and they have both been running for over 20 years...actually the "A Tallgrass Journal" has been running a few years longer. 

"Prairie Painter" has a bit more "art" slant than "Prairie", although they often merge much the same, and is available through the following link - https://prairiepainter.blogspot.com/ 

 In closing, be sure and check out the new web site and look for more news and tid bits down the road! (https://morrisons-studio.com) 

I so appreciate having you follow along through the years, and if you're new to the blog, I hope you enjoy visiting from time to time! 

Please be good and look out for one another in these uncertain times. We are made from the same cloth and we are all in this together. 

God Bless. Hope to see you on the Tallgrass!

It's Almost Here!!!

 

Eric Harrold and his Red-tailed Hawk "Whiskey"

Had a fun experience yesterday afternoon here on the acreage - Eric Harrold and his dog Daisy and Red-tailed Hawk "Whiskey" came for a rabbit hunt. Whiskey caught a really large (buck? Forgot to check) Cottontail! Was fun to watch the hunt!

"Whiskety" the male Red-tailed Hawk up close

"Whiskey" on the hunt!

I confess I was so enamored with Whiskey that I completely forgot to get shots of Daisy! (Sorry!!!) Daisy would run through the tall grass here and flush the rabbits out for Whiskey to stoop on. The first bunnies ran to our now giant wood pile - remember the huge tree falling here in October?

A great catch - Cottontail rabbit!

But we got lucky and a large rabbit flushed out of the south pasture, un-nerved by the dog and the hawk. It was caught and quickly dispatched by Whiskey...both Georgie and I got to see this in action!

Eric will clean and butcher the rabbit for Whiskey - birds of prey all need wild meat - Whiskey caught it - he gets it...just like in nature.

Hope Eric comes back as we still have tons of Cottontails!

The first Day of Winter is officially tomorrow!  Then the big day we always waited for as kids - Christmas!!!

I have an announcement of sorts to make for friends that have been on our Christmas Card list for years. I decided this year that I was going to stop creating and printing my own Christmas cards…I’ve been doing our own since 1966 when I did my first cards for my Mom…been doing it every year since!  I decided to finally “retire”!  Ha!!!  

It was actually a hard decision for me but my time and resources are much more limited than it used to be and I need to slow down in certain areas...so I will be posting our Christmas greetings on this blog and through my Face Book pages instead.

That's about 57 years of card designs and printing!  I remember back in the day doing them as linoleum block prints and then silkscreen prints...some cards took 3-4 weeks to print!!!  That's just crazy, but I was a lot younger then!  

Anyway here goes - (Still with our heart felt feelings!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone out there!

Be good to one another - Hope to see you on the Tallgrass!

 

Chinese Praying Mantis

I can't seem to stem the march of time...so much has happened in our family's life as well as here on the acreage.  We still have the constant of nature here surprising us, and having us scratch our heads.  An example would be the Chinese Praying Mantis that showed up in September on a Sedum plant in our Kitchen Garden.  We have never seen Mantis this far north, and sorry it wasn't a NA native.  These are big enough to catch Hummingbirds!  Kind of cool up close but still a bit daunting!  I'll be watching for these next year - not really thinking I want them hunting around the pasture or acreage to tell the truth.

 Have you ever heard of "Blue Tongue"?  It's actually a disease that affects Deer -

"Bluetongue is a noncontagious, infectious, arthropod-borne viral disease primarily of domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue (the disease caused by BTV) is usually considered to be a disease of improved breeds of sheep, although it has also been recorded in cattle and some wild ruminant species, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North America."

 

White-tailed Deer are experiencing a harsh Fall from BTV

 

I may be the last on the block here to learn about Blue Tongue Virus (BTV), we're hearing more this Fall for sure...we'd been wondering why we just are not seeing the "normal" numbers of deer out here; not really complaining mind-you, but pretty noticeable.  Just had a neighbor mention he found 5 deer along the creek to our north laying dead along the water or banks of the creek.  A characteristic (from what I was told and have since read) is the dying animal seeks water.  I was told just yesterday by another individual, that farms about 30 miles NE of us, of friends with a small acreage of timber having found over 30 dead Deer just in the past few weeks.  Since this is an insect vectored virus from midges and other small biting insects, the infestation and disease has abated from the frigid weather change now.

At first I thought the neighbor was talking about CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease)...It is primarily in the eastern half of Iowa now, but there are now reports of it in Plymouth and Woodbury counties, much closer by.  CWD is not insect borne but neurological and has a longer incubation period.  Always something!

 

Green Ash succumbed to Emerald Ash Bore

Yes, always something...we have a small handful of Ash trees left on the acreage...the one in the photo was completely dead from incursions of the Emerald Ash Bore, and threatening to fall on our internet service  receiver/pole!  We can't have that!!!  And no, we didn't chop it down with the Axe in the photo!  I love my Echo chain saw!

Unfortunately there are 2 or 3 Ashes that do threaten the house and our parking shed...the trees behind our shed are on the neighbor's ground so I am at their mercy I guess.

 

But it doesn't always have to be a disease or pathogen...I nearly met my own demise when walking back to the house one afternoon in October - an extremely windy day.  I was just entering the sidewalk arbor and there was a loud "explosion".  I've worked this scenario over and over in my mind through the years when walking under or near our old Silver Maples.   I've always thought to myself that when under these trees, if there's ever a loud "crack" or "bang" - do not look up - RUN!!!

Well there wasn't a crack or a bang - it was a virtual BOOM!!!  I instantly knew what was going on and turned and ran as fast as a 74 year old can run and CRASH!!!  I turned and saw just how close it was.  It missed the house but crushed the fences and our beautiful old arbor that we build 20 years ago.  But it didn't crush the house or me...so fortunate I'd say!

Again - grateful for my Echo chainsaw...even had to buy a larger one...my old 20" bar saw was fine for the high branches but too short for this monster's trunks!

 

20 Truck loads to haul this "half" a tree to the north pasture burn pile!!!

A 28" bar saw takes these thick trunks bit by bit (too heavy to move otherwise)!

I'm 5' 10" (used to be taller - honest) - see how thick this puppy was!

OK, that last part was easy!!!

After 4 weeks work...Georgie and I are not super human - the local harvesting was finished and the neighbor came by with his huge end-loader and plucked the last 15 feet off the ground and drove it away!  Thanks Mark!!!

Northern Lights above the Little Sioux River Valley

October was good for other things as well (not that the last "thing" was actually "good")...we had 3 days of Northern Lights...well, nights...these even put those last May to shame...just magnificent.

On the 3rd night Georgie and I ran down to the Prairie Heritage Center (where I thought I'd have to fight a crowd - but was the only one there!), and I climbed up to the small tower platform and waited...it was worth it!  The shot above was actually about 4 pictures stitched together for a panoramic view of the lights.  (You need to click on this image to really see how cool it was!)

 

Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS-10-15-2024-from the acreage lane.

Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS-10-15-2024-with a 500mm telephoto lens

But we haven't finished the great wonders in the sky for this Fall - Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was making it's last pass at Earth for, well now I don't remember how many thousand years, but the last time it visited Earth was when the Neanderthals were here to watch!

November burn to the south pasture bottom

It had been incredibly dry since late June's floods here...its nuts how this climate seems to be acting.  We've been under a burn ban since August or September.  But come early November we got lucky and it rained a couple days - a good soaking, and the ban was lifted.

We decided to burn the "bottom" of the south pasture...it's nearly solid brome, always has been.  I'd been collecting seed in the north pasture since September and used it in the bottom area after more rain knocked all the burnt debris down over the next couple weeks.

Mixing everything with wet sand to scarify the seed hulls and break off parachutes, and to easily broadcast by hand, randomly around the base of the hill.  This was all done just ahead of a wet front that promised great rain amounts...we got 3 inches over that next couple days...good downpours helping tamp down the seed for good contact with the ground.  

I still did not have enough seed to completely cover the bottom half of the south pasture but I knew that going in...it would take about 3 - 4 times as much seed as we'd been able to collect...but progress is progress, and we'll take what we can get.

 Now the temps are down into the single digits and teens, a fresh snow cover and more cold weather ahead into this month of December.  I think the only winter chore I have yet to perform is to attach the plow to the truck...I'll watch the forecasts and try and beat old man winter when he decides to test us!

Have a good winter, and please remember to be good to one another! 

Hope to see you on the Tallgrass!