Kaw Valley Almanac
Note from the Times: The Kaw Valley Almanac is a contributed piece that runs each week. Find more information and older editions at kawvalleyalmanac.com, and follow @KVAlmanac on Twitter.
this week’s Almanac

Kaw Valley Almanac for March 20-26, 2023
Sycamore trees are easy to spot this time of year due to their white bark and tendency to grow along creeks and wet areas.
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Kaw Valley Almanac for Aug. 15-21, 2022
Pitcher’s sage, also known as blue sage or Salvia azurea, has begun to bloom in some northeast Kansas prairies and will continue to grace late summer prairies for the next month or so.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Aug. 8-14, 2022
Ornate box turtles are found in every county in Kansas. These fine omnivores beat the heat this time of year by burrowing and being active in the coolest parts of the day.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Aug. 1-7, 2022
Sumac produces seedheads that can be collected and the crushed berries soaked and strained create a delicious “sumac-ade.”

Kaw Valley Almanac for July 25-31, 2022
This beautiful little moth with furry legs is found throughout eastern North America. Take your own photos of moths and submit them to nationalmothweek.org all week long!

Kaw Valley Almanac for July 18-24, 2022
Ironweed is a sturdy perennial that attracts butterflies and other pollinators this time of year. The purple blossoms are like a daisy without the “petals” and supposedly provide a brief, sweet chew.

Kaw Valley Almanac for July 11-17, 2022
Pollinators and their predators are very busy these days: flies, moths, butterflies, beetles, as well as spiders, wasps and other predators. Watch a clump of flowers to catch the unfolding drama.

Kaw Valley Almanac for July 4-10, 2022
This spray of butterfly milkweed blossoms feeds pollinators who help it produce seed-filled milkweed pods, which open up and are carried away in the wind to produce new plants and feed new butterflies.

Kaw Valley Almanac for June 27-July 3, 2022
A hummingbird moth (top left) is working over these blooming purple prairie clovers. Pollinators will only get more active as summer progresses and nectar flow continues to increase.

Kaw Valley Almanac for June 20-26, 2022
This rattlesnake master emerging seedhead is something to behold. Go out on the prairie and find one for yourself!

Kaw Valley Almanac for June 13-19, 2022
When they first emerge, these Echinacea pallida ray flowers on the edge of the seed disk shoot skyward, then flatten out, finally relaxing enough to point down to the ground or even curve under toward the stalk.

Kaw Valley Almanac for June 6-12, 2022
Many roadsides are currently showcasing clusters of white dogwood blossoms. Many pollinators love their four-petaled flowers, including this summer azure butterfly.

Kaw Valley Almanac for May 30 – June 5, 2022
It’s been a good year for blooming spiderworts, and you might still see a few of these, joined this week by echinacea, penstemons, daisy fleabane, and delphiniums, along with already blooming yarrows, oxeye daisy, and yellow sweet clover.

Kaw Valley Almanac for May 23-29, 2022
Oxeye daisy is a “naturalized” prairie wildflower that some consider invasive, but it is an important food source for many pollinators, such as this beetle.

Kaw Valley Almanac for May 16-22, 2022
This wild hyacinth was one of many blooming at the Prairie Park Nature Center prairie. Expect more wildflowers to be blooming this week.

Kaw Valley Almanac for May 9-15, 2022
Prairies are coming alive, as evidenced by the yellow star-eyed grass to the left, white strawberries, lower right, and wood betony, upper right.