We spent October learning the history of the property. Key points we discovered: The treaty of September 26, 1833 ‘removed’ the Pottawattamie Indians. This treaty was not proclaimed until February 21, 1835, and the Indians were ‘allowed’ to remain in the territory until August 1836. (So many comments and thoughts about this.) Settlers started toContinue reading “October 2022 Sightings”
Author Archives: Aull About U
September 2022 Sightings
September continued to be more ‘doing’ than ‘sighting’. The focus was more on the administrative side; creating and submitting documentation. Efforts were still made to keep the non-natives from going to seed. We did spot some things that made us smile. The thrillers were; an American Woodcock flew up while we were walking the Preserves,Continue reading “September 2022 Sightings”
August 2022 Sightings
August has been more of ‘doing’ than ‘sighting’. We have been trying to keep the loosestrife and teasel from going to seed. We have also been cutting the grape vines to keep them from getting bigger; some of the vines are huge. It is amazing how thick the vines can get! The good news isContinue reading “August 2022 Sightings”
July 2022 Sightings
July ended with the coyotes serenading us with their multiple sounds. It is fun to hear their chorus after a siren goes off. After close to 7″ of rain on July 22, the ponds are looking good. At this time of year, we see how much work we have ahead of us. As you’ll seeContinue reading “July 2022 Sightings”
June 2022 Sightings
June gave us the opportunity to see the preserve without as much water. Both ponds did get smaller and the main pond has a healthy about of duckweed. It is amazing how fast things grow! Every time we visit we try to keep the grapevine and buckthorn under control, which feels like a futile task.Continue reading “June 2022 Sightings”
May 2022 Sightings
May was filled with exciting new discoveries! The water level fluctuated a great deal, however, the main pond stayed stable. We were able to spot at least five Painted Turtles, Wood Ducks, and Duckweed! It is fun to try and sneak up on the wildlife. Most times we hear the turtles plunk into the waterContinue reading “May 2022 Sightings”
April 2022 Sightings
April was filled with rain, cold and more rain and cold. We did see a Kinglet, a tiny friendly bird overflowing with energy. It seemed to be just as curious of us as we were of him. There were numerous Crayfish burrows, filled with water. A couple snags fell during one of the storms. LookingContinue reading “April 2022 Sightings”
March 2022 Sightings
The ice is melting and the water is receding. The red-winged blackbirds returned early in the month. The second week of the month we had a wind storm, causing a large snag in the middle of the pond to fall. We’re bummed the snag fell, it had a number of woodpecker holes in it. OnContinue reading “March 2022 Sightings”
February 2022 Sightings
The majority of the preserve is covered with ice. It was fun to walk around the pond. With the warmer weather at the end of the month, we did have to walk lightly. Our exciting views this month! There is a deer carcass (all bones) that keeps showing up in different spots. A leg wasContinue reading “February 2022 Sightings”
