Category: Nature
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Things Collected During My Morning Mile
I have a housefull of things collected. Some I actually do get around to using, some stay on a shelf gathering dust. A few of the most prized collected things are just there for me to look at and enjoy, …
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Pixies – Miniatures by Madison Woods
UPDATE 2023: I’m not making these little pixies anymore, but there is a new line of little people in the works. Meet Ada, the first of her kind. The Coalescence Project The Pixies from 2017: Pixies are the most …
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Driveway Flowers in September
It’s been bone dry lately. This morning I brought my camera with me so I could take pictures of the driveway flowers. Ordinarily this would have been an “exercise walk” and I wouldn’t have brought the camera because that would …
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Orange Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
In keeping with the “spotted” theme of my last post, here’s an orange spotted jewelweed flower. I’m always trying to get the perfect photo of this flower. A dream set-up would be when the sun is shining just *so* on …
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Rocky Mountain spotted fever
I feel about as close to a miserable death as I’ve ever been. If not for Rob who has been vigilant in his care, and his promises to hold my hand if I have to go back to ER so …
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Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) at the creek’s edge in late August. It’s one of the showiest Lobelia species that grows in the Arkansas Ozarks.…
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What is Nature Immersion? It’s NOT being immersed in natural disasters.
Posting an article about nature immersion probably wasn’t the best idea in the world right now, with Harvey decimating Houston and south Texas. I’m sorry. I didn’t think about the context in which the topic could be taken. However, since …
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Nature Drawing in Progress: American ginseng in October
Two years ago I made a nature drawing of American ginseng in October, with yellowing leaves against the dark backdrop of the Wild Ozark forest. Repeating the Same Nature Drawing Since that time I’ve learned a little more about certain …
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Wild Ginseng in August at Wild Ozark
If you’re looking for my posts on ginseng, please visit ginseng.wildozark.com. Most of the posts have been moved over there. Email me if you’re having trouble finding the information you’re looking for and I’ll be glad to help!madison@wildozark.com A …
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Just a few Photos of Butterflies, Kings River, and a Ginseng
Not enough time to make a decent post lately, so figured I’d at least put up a few of the photos I’ve taken in the past few days of August. Click on them to make them larger.…
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Kings River, Looking at Rocks and Evading the Rain
Rain’s a’coming. We hiked around a few gravel bars along Kings River yesterday. Wild Ozark is not far from the headwaters of this locally important waterway, but other than what we see from the window as we drive over the …
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Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)
Thimbleweed is a graceful, interesting native Ozark plant that grows along forest edges (also native to many other areas of the eastern United States). It is most often found in the dappled shade of liminal spaces between forest and clearing.…
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Don’t Pick the (Hemlock) Flowers
Take it from our grand-daughter. Don’t pick the hemlock flowers. A couple of weeks ago, Karter’s bouquet caused painful blisters. She picked wildflowers on an outing with her mom and friends down by the river. All the grandkids always love …
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Elderberry Flowers Oil Infusion
Elderberry flowers have a light, sweet fragrance and all manners of pollinators love them. Which Elderberry Flowers? The variety I’m using for this is Sambucus canadensis, which is the native elderberry in our area. Black elderberry (S. nigra) is …
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Little Phoebe Leaves the Nest
We host a nest of phoebes each year in the front porch rafters. I’m never sure if any of them survive the relentless predation of our cats, but each year I hope. Yesterday one of the little babies flapped wings …
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Woodland Flowers of June at Wild Ozark
It’s been awhile since I’ve wandered with the camera, but this morning on my way to town I brought the camera just so I could capture some of my favorite woodland flowers blooming along the driveway and county road. The …
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Downtown Rogers Farmers Market
Update to our market schedule: We’ll be at the Rogers, AR Downtown Farmer’s Market on Cherry Street today and the rest of the Saturday’s until October! …
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Wild Ozark’s Plant ID Challenge: May’s Mystery
This month’s Star Plant Guesser is Janet Webb, who correctly identified May’s Mystery plant as Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum). Each month, around the middle of the month, I’ll post a plant ID challenge for readers to test their identification …
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PawPaw Seedling Hiding in the Hickories
There’s a hickory hiding in there with the pawpaw seedlings. PawPaw seedlings look a lot like hickory seedlings. In the photo you can see who’s who, but without the labels it’s easy to mistake one for the other. One way …
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Pretty Birds! Grosbeak at the Feeder
Two new birds for us here at Wild Ozark. We’ve never seen either of these before. They’re both males.…
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Rain Makes Waterfalls!
Three of our favorite waterfalls hide in a steep little holler. They’re beautiful and when it rains, they really flow. Over the past twenty-four hours we’ve had 5″ of rain. That’s a lot for us here at Wild Ozark, and …
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In Honor of Forests- Two Worthy Fundraisers for Earth Day
We all depend on trees. A single tree planted in an urban lawn is better than no tree, but the larger collectives of forests are needed, too. The Earth needs large swaths of unbroken forests to maintain habitats that support …
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Black Cohosh or Doll’s Eyes? Companion Look A-Likes
Black Cohosh or Doll’s Eyes? Trying to differentiate between black cohosh and doll’s eyes before they come into bloom, has been frustrating. It’s very easy to tell once they begin the blooming process as the flower stems originate in different …
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Earth Day Festival in Bella Vista, AR at the ARC
Saturday April 22, Wild Ozark will bring the Nature Boutique to the Earth Day Festival in Bella Vista (Arkansas) at the Artist Retreat Center otherwise known as “The ARC”. We’re sorry to say the flood has torn up the driveway …
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April Spring flowers in the Ginseng Habitat
Lots of flowers in the ginseng habitat right now. The following are just a sample. Wild Ginger If you don’t mind getting down on the ground, you can see the wild ginger (Asarum canadense) blooming. Flowers are usually just below …