Adventures in the Prairie

If you “Like” my Author Jannifer Powelson Facebook Page, you will have noticed several wildflower pictures posted on a regular basis during the past several months. In the spring, it was spring woodland wildflowers, and now that it is summer, I have posted several prairie species photos.  I enjoy posting these pictures to generate interest and familiarity with the featured plants and to help promote both my Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk books, as well as Nature Station Mysteries. I also want to share something positive on social media to help offset all the negativity we see every day. 

However, there is another reason I’ve been posting so many, and that’s because I’ve been taking so many! Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 putting a damper on traveling too far, plus the huge workload I've had this summer with my work as a conservationist, I have not been able to take a vacation this summer. We hope to go somewhere this fall but are waiting to see how this unusual school year goes for our daughters before we make firm plans. Our one quick trip to Iowa for a school shopping getaway was perfectly timed for the weekend before the historic Derecho hit. The area where we stayed was hit particularly hard. It’s sad that the country backroad scenery we enjoyed traveling through now looks entirely different.

Luckily, I’ve been able to take even shorter trips to local prairies to photograph some of my favorite plants. My own backyard prairie has been a hotbed for photo opportunities. It’s buzzing not only with a variety of colorful and diverse plant life, but it’s also a haven for bees, butterflies, other insects, and songbirds. I’ve also visited Center Prairie, west of Princeton, the Hennepin Canal near Wyanet, Princeton Library’s pollinator garden, and Stark County’s Route 40 Rest Stop to capture some of my favorite bloomers. We’ve had some beautiful blue skies with white puffy clouds that make beautiful backgrounds.

Even though I have hundreds of wildflower photos in my collection, I can’t seem to stop myself from taking more! I don’t mind, though, as taking and sharing the pictures gives me much joy and stress relief. I’ve had fun getting down on the ground to get the same old wildflowers from a different angle. Getting up again isn’t so much fun, but the pictures are well worth the effort.

One of these days I’ll be able to travel to my favorite places, plus those on my bucket list, again. In the meantime, I try to make the most of sticking closer to home. If you look closely you can see nature’s beauty no matter where you are.