Kaw Valley Almanac

This wild hyacinth was one of many blooming at the Prairie Park Nature Center prairie. Expect more wildflowers to be blooming this week.

Prairies are coming alive, as evidenced by the yellow star-eyed grass to the left, white strawberries, lower right, and wood betony, upper right.

The leaves of the walnut, on the left, emerge much later than the cottonwood. If you look carefully you will see a little splash of red from the cardinal perched among the walnut branches. Many migratory songbirds are returning right now, as are the tree leaves.

Green elm seeds, blooming redbuds, wind and rain were all in play across much of our area last week, as we head into the last week of April.

Groundplum milkvetch is a native legume currently found blooming in area prairies. The beautiful pea-like blossoms grow into tasty edible fruit later in the spring, so now is a good time to locate them.

Look closely and you’ll see a flock of turkeys picking over the newly burned prairie. It is always interesting to poke around a burned prairie.

Here are some raccoon tracks in the wet creekside soils, one of their favorite haunts. Wet weather this week should enhance your ability to see animal tracks, and even if it doesn’t rain where you are.

Leaves are emerging from woodland gooseberries in northeast Kansas, with a few false rue anemone emerging. The dry weather has meant a slower spring woodland wildflower season, but this week’s rains may change that, so go take a look!

Sandhill cranes migrate by the hundreds of thousands annually through Kansas and Nebraska. Now is the time to see them. Spring woodland wildflower plants have emerged as well.

A seagull-seeking field trip coming up; bobcats, raccoons, skunks and coyotes are in the midst of their mating seasons; plus a surprising amount of conflict between feathered foes in this week’s Kaw Valley Almanac.

Learn what to do with new seeds; watch for geese, moonrise, and blooming crocuses; and more from this week’s Kaw Valley Almanac.

This opossum seems to have a real sense of purpose after selecting a piece of hedge apple to take back to the den.

Looking for color in the dead of winter? Look in the woods, under trees, up close and you might be surprised by the wide variety of mosses amongst the leaf litter.