Four types of wetlands
Bog, marsh, swamp, fen. Often these words are used interchangeably, but in reality, each is its own type of wetland, which is a word used to refer to water-saturated landscapes. (Watch: What is a wetland?) A marsh is a wetland that is continually full of water. If you have been Read More »
Robin migration: When it starts and why you might see robins during the winter
Each year, since I was a little kid, my mom and I take guesses about when we will see the first robins of the year. Now that I live in northwest Iowa and she lives in eastern Iowa, she usually sees them first, so I usually guess earlier than I Read More »
Spring and winter coloring page
When you sit down to color a picture, it’s usually pretty obvious what you’re coloring. What’s fun about folding pictures is that you have to finish it before you can see exactly what you’ve done. As we transition from winter into spring, we thought it would be timely to create Read More »
What is spring?
The sunshine is more powerful and begins to melt the snowy walk, although the slush freezes again at night. The days lengthen, but Daylights Savings Time makes the more morning come later. Birds start their journeys north, but have to stop and wait for a few more days before they Read More »
Waterfowl spring migration usually begins at the beginning of March
You might start seeing migrating birds even when it seems winter still has its grip on the world. Different species of birds decide to migrate based on different factors, such as day length, temperature, food availability and genetics predisposition. For waterfowl, it begins with daylight. Over the winter, waterfowl eat Read More »
Mink, ermine or weasel? We can help you tell the difference
Although creatures in the weasel family are often just called weasels, they are actually split up into a variety of species. You might be seeing an ermine, otherwise known as a stoat or short-tailed weasel, (Mustela erminea), the least weasel (Mustela nivalis) or a mink (Mustela vison). If you see Read More »
Marbled paper craft
The first session of No School Day Camp was so much fun, and we’re excited for our sold-out second session in a couple of weeks. During the 2019 No School Day Camp, kids were able to make marbled paper, which is a simple craft that you can do at home Read More »
Iowa winter birds
Pine siskins, purple finches, dark-eyed juncos, American tree sparrows — these Iowa winter birds are really only just a few of the birds that make winter a bit more fun in this cold state. Red-breasted nuthatch Red-breasted nuthatches live year-round in many parts of the western United States and Canada, Read More »
Fabric paint window decal
Sometimes you go through the craft supplies and wonder how to use up the excess that you have. Let’s say you bought some puffy fabric paint to make a costume for Halloween, an ugly Christmas sweater or for a play one of your kids was putting on for school. (Have Read More »
How a snake breathes while it eats
Just because they work for a conservation board doesn’t mean that naturalists know everything. Just last week, naturalist Ashley Hansen was feeding Rosie the corn snake when she noticed a hole open up in the snake’s mouth while it was eating a mouse — the Dickinson County Nature Center snakes Read More »
Iowa Winter Birds: Pine Siskin
When I started working for the Dickinson County Conservation Board five years ago, I didn’t know much about identifying birds. I could pick out a cardinal, a robin, a goldfinch and a bald eagle. I remember when I was watching the birds in the avian courtyard with a volunteer, and Read More »
Taking inspiration from the natural world
Many inventions have come about when humans have looked at nature to see how problems are solved and mimicked those solutions — it’s called biomimicry. There are many examples of biomimicry in today’s world. Kingfisher/bullet train The kingfisher bird inspired the design of the Shinkansen Bullet Train in Japan. The Read More »