Chuck Lura
Host, Natural North DakotaChuck Lura has a broad knowledge of "Natural North Dakota"and loves sharing that knowledge with others. Since 2005, Chuck has written a weekly column, “Naturalist at Large,” for the Lake Metigoshe Mirror, and his “The Naturalist” columns appear in several other weekly North Dakota newspapers.
Lura has was a long-time biology professor at Dakota College at Bottineau, publishing research on ecological aspects of grasslands in the northern Great Plains. In retirement, he continues to share his Natural North Dakota essays for the Prairie Public audience.
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Spring is often punctuated by a series of new sights and sounds as winter gives way to summer. It seems like each new sighting of a bird, for example, is duly noted and announced to others. Sighting the first robin of the season is probably the best example, but don’t forget to pay attention to the many other varied sounds of spring. -
If you grew up in or before the 1950s or 1960s, butterflies were likely a common sight during the summer months, including monarchs, painted ladies, red admirals, swallowtails, blues, whites, sulphurs, and mourning cloaks. Many kids even had butterfly collections. That is not the case these days. Things have changed, and not in a good way. -
It is officially spring. The spring equinox, you may recall, occurred back on March 20. And if your senses seem to have been dulled a little over the winter months, getting out in nature can help give them a boost. Consider going for a walk through the woods, grassland, or other places to soak up what nature has to offer in the spring. And while you are out there, keep an eye out for deer sheds, or perhaps elk and moose for that matter. -
Most everyone has heard the news of the tragic passing of two-time Academy Award winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife (Betsy Arakawa). His wife, you may recall, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantavirus exists in North Dakota, and a reminder of the virus and disease might be helpful and timely. -
I happened to notice that Dances with Wolves was running on one of the cable stations recently. That 1990 film starring Kevin Costner had some great scenes of bison herds and a bison hunt. I could not help but imagine what those immense herds of bison looked like before European settlement. -
If you have not seen any Canada geese yet this year, you should soon. The migration is on, and some stay in the state year-round — for example, along the Missouri River. -
Kelly’s Slough National Wildlife Refuge, near Grand Forks, is well-known to area bird enthusiasts as being a great place to do some bird watching, particularly during the spring and fall migrations. Depending upon weather, bird watching should be quite good from around the late March through May. -
Are you ready for spring? March 1 is the first day of meteorological spring, while the spring equinox which marks the first day of astronomical spring is coming up on March 20. As that old saying goes “if March comes in like lamb it goes out like a lion” and vice versa. -
Are you up for checking out the night sky? Whether you are familiar with the winter constellations, interested in learning a few, or just want to gaze up at the cosmos, the next few nights might be a great time to do so if the sky is clear. That is because there is a new moon coming up on February 28. And of course, it could also be good for several nights after the new moon as well. -
Occasionally we need to be reminded that before pharmacies, cultures had to rely on native plants and animals as sources of medicine. I was reminded recently when I was going through some papers and came across a copy of a manuscript titled “Lakota Medicinal and Culturally Important Plants,” authored by Wilbur Flying By, Sr. and Linda Different Cloud Jones, copyrighted by Sitting Bull College in 2003. The manuscript contains the scientific name, common name, Lakota name, and use of the plants.
