7 bald eagle fun facts
Bald eagles don’t sound as tough as they look. If you hear a bald eagle in a movie, it is usually dubbed over with a red-tailed hawk call. Producers think bald eagles sound too wimpy. Above is the bald eagle, below is the red-tailed hawk. Bald eagles have huge nests. Read More »
StarLab comes to Family Nature Night
“Do you want to know the difference between comets, meteors, asteroids and meteorites?” asked naturalist Ashley Hansen. She will explain these differences during the next Family Nature Night Friday, July 26, at the Dickinson County Nature Center. A portable StarLab inflatable planetarium will be set up in Pollinator Paradise for Read More »
Brooks Golf will remain a golf course
Brooks Golf will remain a golf course. The Dickinson County Conservation Board voted to keep Brooks Golf as a golf course and to send out a request for proposals to lease the course to a management company beginning in 2020. The current lease contract with Brooks Management LLC runs through Read More »
House sparrows and how to deal with them
House sparrows are jerks. There, I said it. These pesky birds were introduced to the U.S. in 1851 and spread rapidly throughout the country. They are now common across all of North America, except Alaska. House sparrows nest in natural and artificial cavities, and they will also compete for nesting Read More »
Why a honeybee dies when it stings
“Why does a honeybee die when it stings?” That was a question I couldn’t answer off the top of my head when a child asked me the other day while looking at the indoor beehive. The best thing to do when you don’t know the answer — look it up. Read More »
View live trumpeter swans in Kenue Park
An eight-foot wingspan, long legs and a graceful neck — the trumpeter swans in Kenue Park are a lovely sight. The two rehabilitated trumpeter swans live year-round on the wetland viewable from the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji. “We have both a male and female trumpeter swan on our Read More »
Red, white and blue flowers
Adding flags is not the only way to make your garden patriotic. Red, white and blue — plenty of native, pollinator-friendly options exist to add some Americana to your landscape. Royal catchfly (Silene regia) The avian courtyard at the Dickinson County Nature Center features royal catchfly, and its tiny, red Read More »
Bald eagle toilet paper tube craft
The bald eagle is the national symbol, so Independence Day week is the perfect time for a bald eagle craft. Plus, why not reuse some materials while you’re doing it? For this toilet paper tube bald eagle, you’ll need just a few supplies: Empty toilet paper tube Black, white, yellow/orange Read More »
Free fun in the Nature Playscape
Open all day every day, the Nature Playscape is a perfect place for families to enjoy the Okoboji outdoors. Located in Kenue Park, just outside the Dickinson County Nature Center, the playscape offers a variety of recreational play items. “Just another one of our free offerings, the Nature Playscape is Read More »
How prairie plants disperse seed
As a kid, we all picked a puffy dandelion and blew the wisps into the air. Little did we think that we were actually helping dandelions disperse their seeds. Dandelions and other plants only survive when their seeds are dispersed so that new plants grow the next season. They spread Read More »
Beaver teeth are tough as iron, literally
We drink water with flouride added to help strengthen our teeth. You’ve probably been to the dentist and had flouride treatments that taste like bubble gum. You brush your teeth with toothpaste that has flouride in it, and maybe you even use mouthwash to help strengthen your enamel. Beavers don’t Read More »