Chuck Lura

This time of year, the prairie landscape is awash in color. Two of the more commonly known wildflowers, prairie coneflower and purple coneflower, will soon be flowering across the state.

When was the last time you laid back and savored the cosmos on a warm summer night? The stars, of course, are brightest during a clear night with a new moon. There was a new moon on July 5, so we are heading toward a full moon on July 21.

I mentioned in last week’s Natural North Dakota that estimates for how many seeds a cottonwood tree could produce in a year may range up to 48 million. Clearly all those small seeds do not develop into cottonwood trees. But a very small number do fall on the ground with the right conditions of soil, moisture, sunlight, little competition, and other factors to become the next generation of cottonwood trees. It is a different story for some other plants — acorns from oak trees, for example.

If the cottonwoods in your area have not started releasing their cotton, they will be soon. It is that time of year!

If you spend time around marshes during the summer months you are likely to become familiar with the yellow-headed blackbird. The name of this bird is quite descriptive, but it is occasionally referred to (with tongue firmly in cheek) as a “black bodied yellow bird.”

I encourage you to consider a trip to the International Peace Garden this summer. There is much to see and do there, including exploring a little Natural North Dakota and Manitoba in the Turtle Mountain aspen forest.

Summer is upon us! It seems that every year, questions come up on how to identify poison ivy, and what to do if a dog has been sprayed by a skunk. A little reminder of identification of poison ivy and treatment of skunk spray might be helpful.

The Amphibians and Reptiles of North Dakota website lists eight species of snakes documented in the state. I assume that most North Dakotans are familiar with many of these snakes, but I suspect that few have ever heard of or seen a smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis).

Whether it's watching robins in the yard, seeing an eagle soar overhead, or trying to identify a bird making that sweet call from some thick brush, birds seem to draw our interest. But many among us may not be aware of a couple aids that can help enhance our birding experiences.

I was perusing Robert Stewart’s Breeding Birds of North Dakota (1975) recently and noticed that he listed three species of gulls nesting in the state: California, Franklin’s, and ring-billed. He also noted that herring gulls were nesting on Stump Lake back in 1884.