A Year of Iowa Nature: Discovering Where We Live

July

July 70 HICKORY HAIRSTREAK STHot weather is favored by insects such as the hickory hairstreak, a small butterfly about the size of a dime. Butterflies are important pollinators of many flowers.Most species respond to changing weather conditions; thus, they vary in abundance from one year to the next. The strong wind currents of weather fronts or storms may help species migrate from one part of the country to another. 72 PRAIRIE COMPANIONS STThere is scarcely elbowroom in mid-summer tallgrass prairie. A host of species compete for space to grow;however,they also give each other physical support. Competition below the soil surface for root space is not readily apparent, but likely fierce. It keeps individual plants in line and prevents them from becoming rank and unruly. Competition coupled with diversity gives the community stability; if you are out of your element soil- or waterwise , you are out of the picture. Tall blazing-star and prairie cinquefoil dominate the front row, while purple prairie clover, pale purple coneflower, stiff goldenrod, and showy tick-trefoil are apparent in the background. 74 LEOPARD FROGS STSmall ponds with emergent vegetation such as water lilies provide good habitat for amphibians such as leopard frogs. They are part of the food chain feeding on a wide variety of aquatic insects, butterflies, worms, and even other small frogs or birds, when given the opportunity. In turn they provide food for fish, turtles, and large birds such as herons and egrets. These pictured juveniles may be huddled together for protection—many eyes have a better chance of detecting a predator. 76 DESIGN STDesign is an arrangement that leads us to believe there is order in chaos , but in a way it may not necessarily follow the rules we think are part of good design. The detail in the wing of a common butterfly, in this case the underside of a red-spotted purple, has both consistency in its repeating pattern and randomness in its arrangement of its irregular shapes. It is a mystery how this all came about, but it must serve the species well. The world is full of intricate details that are part of nature’s grand design. 78 BLUE-WINGED TEAL STShallow-water marshes provide not only habitat for breeding ducks such as blue-winged teal, but also a fall food supply that includes plants such as water smartweed. When there is adequate rainfall, these wetlands provide places to raise young birds.Generally a drying-out period is required to aid in the germination of species like smartweed. As a result many birds that use wetlands move about each year to find suitable water conditions for nesting and raising their young. The mystery remains: how do they know which direction to go? ...