Neil Smith Reserve

One of my favorite places in Iowa was the Neil Smith Prairie Reserve. Neil was a congressmen and has his name all over the state. This bit of the state, however, is an attempt to reconstruct the original prairie and has three different hiking loops. It's very strolly and not very hikey at all, but if you ever need to hike in a wheelchair, this is totally the place to do it. They also have bison and elk and is a great place to go to see spring happen.

My last hike there is in this set. (Set has bugs in it.)

The light wasn't great, so the photos are a bit grainy.

This is my favorite:

I think they're aphids of some sort.

( Highlights )

Pella Wildlife Company

For those of you who are not watching the debate tonight... kitty pictures.

The cat in this set is a Geoffroy's cat. This is not a cat one typically finds in zoos, and it's hard to find in the wild, so I really never thought I'd get to see one. Then, shortly before I left Iowa, a wildlife center got one for an education animal. The cat in these pictures is full grown... they really are this small.

They are also really this wild. Even though these shots are of a kitty on a leash inside, I have to caution anyone reading this that a Geoffroy's cat is a wild animal. Do not try to get one and expect it to be a lovely domesticated cat. It will be like having a little tiger in your house, which sounds neat until you realize that, left to its own devices in a house with no easy prey, a tiger may well try to eat you. If you want to play with one as the girl in these photos is doing, volunteer at a wildlife center. What else you going to do with your life? Play games on the Internet?

Here is my favorite:

That's my coat she's on. She needed something to crouch behind and believe me, she needed it.

( Highlights )