A Circuit through Iowa

The "Driftless Area" covers 16,000 square miles in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. It is so called because the most recent glacier that receded about 10,000 years ago missed this area. Therefore, the limestone bluffs and talus slopes escaped the grinding action of the ice sheet which turned rock into "glacial drift" elsewhere. Hundreds of small cold-water creeks, some home to native brook trout, flow down through deeply carved limestone bluffs to the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

An aerial image of the deeply carved landscape along the Mississippi River

in the Driftless Area of Iowa and Wisconsin

(Image from the Effigy Mounds National Monument)

As cold warm seeps down through the soluble limestone and sandstone bedrock, caves, sinkholes, and underground streams form. We visited one such small ice cave in the scenic Town of Decorah, in northeast Iowa.

Several sets of steps lead to the Ice Cave in Decorah, Iowa

Our travels through the Driftless Area took us along scenic Route 60 as it follows along the north side of the Wisconsin River. We crossed the Mississippi River in Prairie de Chien, Wisconsin over to Marquette, Iowa. North three miles on an equally scenic Route 76, we stopped at Effigy Mounds National Monument.

About 1,400 years ago local Indians began to build effigy mounds, thought to be religious sites or clan symbols used in seasonal ceremonies. The mounds are of low relief and in the shapes of animals, often bears. The mounds are best seen from above, so some suggest that perhaps these formations connected people to their land and the spirit world. There is still much mystery surrounding the purpose of these mounds. We did not have the time or group stamina to spend much time here, but there are rugged hiking trails that lead to many of the effigy mounds and excellent views atop the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.

After a night in Decorah, Iowa (and a dinner of paninis at Happy Joes) we drove southwest toward Waterloo and then on to Ames. The wooded bluffs and steep valleys gave way to flat expanses of what was once prairie and is now corn and more corn. The cornfields in much of Wisconsin were more than a foot tall, whereas most of the fields that we passed in Iowa were just getting planted. Heavy rains in May and June seemed to have wiped out the first attempt to plant corn and soybeans.

Between Waterloo and Iowa we saw another land use plopped in the midst of planted fields--wind turbines. In 2012, Iowa generated 24% of its energy from wind. We passed a 100-turbine wind farm located northeast of Ames, the giant blades were turning slowly in light wind. Several smaller groups of turbines were visible along our route. The turbines are huge and visible, but I did not feel in this landscape that they marred the view. Rather, it reduced the monotony of the corn rows.

In this part of the country I take pleasure in even the smallest undulations

of the landscape, in a patch of grass or prairie or alfalfa.

A Ferry to Madison

We left Baraboo behind yesterday morning, driving south on Route 113 passed acres and acres of corn not quite knee high. In the small Village of Merrimac, Wisconsin (population 420), Route 113 crosses a wide section of the Wisconsin River to the Town of Okee.

Since 1848, a ferry has shuttled Rte 113 traffic across the river. In the early days, passengers were charged five cents, horses cost 25 cents each, and a team of oxen was 75 cents. The State of Wisconsin took over the ferry in 1933 and the ferry has been free to people and cars every since, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week from April 15 to November 30.

The Merrimac to Okee ferry crossing

I am always reminded of and impressed by how much more recycling occurs in the Midwest than back home in New England. At the ferry landing, this small village has a row of recycling bins for aluminum, brown glass, green glass, clear glass, plastic, and tin, along with two trash bins and free public rest rooms.

After the fun ferry crossing we pushed on south to Madison, to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately it was closed for a fundraiser, so I Googled our next destination -- the Wisconsin State Capitol. We had only planned a drive by, but now had time for a full visit. The Capitol square was bustling with visitors and shoppers to the weekly Saturday Farmer's Market that lined the sidewalks surrounding the building.

The Capitol building is ornately decorated with murals, 43 types of stone from around the world, hand-carved furniture, paintings, and with the only granite dome in the country.

The ceiling of the rotunda

Interior Scenes

The Supreme Court

And my favorite sculpture -- the Wisconsin badger!

By now it was lunchtime and after a bit of driving to and fro we found Olin Park on the shores of Lake  Monona in Madison. We enjoyed a picnic lunch under a huge burr oak tree.

Baraboo, the Leopold Shack, and Rare Cranes

We've had two spectacular days in a row, weather-wise -- blue sky with puffy white clouds and temperatures in the mid-70s -- as we travelled from Geneva, Illinois to Baraboo, Wisconsin. Our travels took us on Interstate 90 and on smaller highways and back roads, the latter being the most preferred. This is the land of cornfields, farm ponds, small woodlots, prairie remnants, gently tolling topography, low wooded hills, and wide open spaces in between sprawling cities and less prosperous small communities.

My parents and I spent yesterday in Baraboo, Wisconsin at two special places north of the town proper: the Leopold Center and Shack and the International Crane Foundation.

In 1935, Aldo Leopold bought a worn out farm on the Wisconsin River and brought his family there on weekends from Madison. They set about fixing up the "shack" and restoring the land from past abuses and the ravages of the 1930s drought. Leopold was a forester, conservationist, writer, and keen observer of the natural world. He wrote, Game Management, the first textbook in the new field of wildlife management. A year after his untimely death in 1948 while fighting a wild fire on his neighbor's land, his book A Sand County Almanac was published. Leopold wrote profoundly about the relationship of people to the land and the importance of a land ethic.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation carries on Leopold's legacy, furthering his ideas of a conservation ethic, land health, and managing lands holistically. The Leopold Center includes "the shack" and trails as well as an education center. It is a rustic, low-key site with many trails and opportunities for personal observation and reflection, just as Leopold would have done seventy years ago.

The entrance to the Leopold Center, educational building and headquarters

My parents enjoy the trails at the Leopold Center

that wander through prairie and oak savanna

The prairie along the path to the Leopold Shack;

native prairie wildflowers in photo: spiderwort (purple),

white false indigo, and butterfly weed (orange)

The Leopold Shack

One of the trails from the shack leads down to the wide and beautiful Wisconsin River

After our morning visit to the Leopold Center we drove in search of a picnic area, in particular a place near Baraboo called Man Mound County Park. The last time that I took a long road trip with my parents was in 1984 and on that trip and every one before that stretching back to my toddler days, we always stopped for picnic lunches. So, I packed a table cloth for this trip, anticipating these lovely midday lunches. We searched to no avail for Man Mound, but found a wide shady spot in the road not far from the Leopold Center and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

From there, it was a short drive west to the International Crane Foundation on Shady Lane in Baraboo. This facility, tucked into rolling prairie and woodland, is dedicated to the conservation of all 15 crane species in the world. The ICF is a leader in the captive rearing of the endangered whopping crane, one of two native species found in the United States, and the most endangered crane in the world. Thanks to the work of this group, the species is expanding and a wild pair is now nesting in Wisconsin.

A visit to this site is a must. It is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 crane species and wow are they beautiful. We walked the paved pathway past outdoor exhibits of African cranes, around the "Johnson Pod" that houses another half dozen pairs of crane species, and the whopping crane exhibit that includes an active nesting pair that you can watch up close.

The Spirit of Africa exhibit is home to four species of cranes. Their outdoor pens are a mix of wetlands and grasslands -- the natural habitat of cranes. Here are the four species of African cranes.

The Grey Crowned Crane

The Black Crowned Crane

The Wattled Crane

The Blue Crane; the pair stands in front of a huge, gorgeous mural

The Sandhill Crane, the other crane native to the United States

A collection of cranes left to right: Siberian, Sarus, Black-necked

One of my favorite was the White-Naped Crane, native to the far east. 
Such a lovely feather coloring on the neck

The Whooping Crane exhibit, where a captive pair attends to a nest.
While we were there the male was incubating the eggs, 
while the female was off fishing and preening.

By the 1940s the whooping crane population was down to just 15 birds and today there are nearly 600 birds thanks to the conservation efforts of the International Crane Foundation and its partners. 

There are two distinct migratory breeding populations of whooping cranes. One group nests in northwestern Canada and migrates to the coast of Texas. The other population nests in central Wisconsin and flies to the southeastern U.S. for the winter. These birds had to be taught initially to migrate by following an ultralight powered by a human dressed in a crane costume. The young birds assumed they were following their parent. Once on their wintering grounds they were then able to find their own way north in the spring. A small, non-migratory population was also established in central Florida and coastal Louisiana. 

The cranes species of the world number only 15. All are graceful, beautiful birds in need of our stewardship and care across the five continents on which they breed and migrate. The International Crane Foundation continues to lead the effort. 

On the drive back to the hotel we made one last attempt to find Man Mound County Park. Our perseverance paid off and we found this tiny pocket park, the site of an effigy mound in the shape of a huge man. It is thought to represent a powerful Indian spirit, perhaps dating back 900 years ago.

An Adventure

Yesterday my 91-year old parents and I left on a two-week adventure together. We woke at 3:30 am for a 6 o'clock flight from Manchester to Midway in Chicago. At the time of booking, the non-stop flight and inexpensive airfare seemed like a good idea. Yesterday it seemed a little crazy to start our trip in the wee hours of the morning.

My mother reluctantly agreed to be transported by wheelchair from the airport curb to the plane on departure and arrival. She is a good sport and would have preferred to walk, but waiting in lines and trekking a long way to boarding gates would have been weary for her. The wonderful part of this free service (but for the tips that I gladly paid to the wheelchair drivers) provided by the airlines is that we scooted to the head of the security checkpoint (although we still had to empty our pockets, remove shoes and laptop, and any scrap of metal on our body). And we were able to board the plane first. It was a nice perk and I think Mom appreciated the ride, while Dad and I hustled along behind.

Our adventure together will take us to the Leopold Center and International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, Effigy Mounds in Marquette, Iowa, Iowa State University in Ames where I attended graduate school and met Srini, southern Illinois to visit family, and many places in between. My brother Mark and his family live west of Chicago. Our midwest tour starts and ends with them, a nice bracket to the road trip that we start today.

The 6 am flight from Manchester to Midway was smooth and on-time. We flew through cloudy skies, but the air was calm. I like a smooth flight, although the tiny bag of peanuts or pretzels offered by the flight attendants was still not appetizing, especially as breakfast food. After we arrived and settled in for the day at my brother's house, the weather forecast called for heavy rain, severe winds, possible large hail, maybe a tornado. Around 5 pm the tornado sirens sounded and we all piled into the basement for 30 minutes or so. The storm passed uneventfully, but it added some excitement to the start of the trip and we were glad after-all to have arrived early in the calm morning air.

A Wisconsin sky

A fawn holds tight in the roadside grass as we drive by. 

Mill Pond Road, Beloit, Wisconsin

Turtles on the Move

Roads are deadly for turtles. A few days ago we were traveling on a busy road and saw a painted turtle crossing the road. By the time we turned around and went back to help the turtle safely across it had been run over. The turtle was crushed and so were we.

This is the time of year to be aware of these fantastic creatures crossing roads, to drive slowly, and to help them across when you can. Female turtles are on the move in late May and June and sometimes into July. They leave wetlands and ponds and wander into the surrounding uplands in search of a good nest site -- gravel roadside, compost or sawdust pile, garden, field or pasture, or other site with loose soil. Once she finds a suitable site, she digs a hole with her hind feet, lays the eggs, covers the nest, then heads back to the wetland from which she came.

 A painted turtle returns to a wetland after laying eggs

New Hampshire has seven native turtle species: Blanding’s, box, musk, painted, snapping, spotted, and wood. Four of the seven (Blandings, spotted, wood, and box) are of conservation concern because of low or declining populations. The Blanding’s and spotted turtles occur in southeast New Hampshire and are uncommon enough to be on the State’s threatened and endangered species list. The spotted turtle is rather small, only 3-5 inches, and is noted for the yellow spots on its head and legs and dotting its smooth, black shell. The Blanding’s turtle is bigger and is best identified by its yellow chin and throat, along with its smooth, helmet-shaped carapace (top shell). Spotted turtles are secretive and harder to observe than some of the other turtles. Blanding’s turtles are also shy but will bask on logs with painted turtles, although they slip into the water much sooner than the painted. So, to see a Blanding’s turtle you must sneak up on a wetland quietly and scan the logs with binoculars.

A Blanding's turtle with its yellow chin and throat eyes me through the cattails

A spotted turtle glistens after crawling out of a wetland

The wood turtle has a highly sculpted brown shell and orange neck and front legs. It is found along slow-moving streams and rivers. The wood turtle is widespread in New Hampshire but declining due to a host of reasons: loss of habitat, road mortality, collecting, changes to stream channels, and predation by skunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, and coyotes. I think it is one of our most beautiful turtles, which is perhaps why it is illegally collected for the pet trade.

A wood turtle showcasing its beautifully sculpted shell

The two turtle species most commonly seen in wetlands throughout New Hampshire are painted and snapping turtles. Despite their abundance, I always enjoy seeing painted turtles basking on sun-draped logs, sometimes ten or more to a log, and occasionally several piled on top of each other. As its name suggests, the painted turtle is a beautiful reptile. The head and neck have streaks of red and yellow, two yellow spots are located behind each eye, and the margins of the carapace have reddish markings.

A painted turtle lays her eggs in our vegetable garden;

a quarter-sized painted turtle hatchling crawls across our driveway in spring

The snapping turtle, or “snapper,” is wrongly maligned for aggressive behavior and for eating ducklings. Unlike our other native turtles, the snapping turtle has a small bottom shell (the plastron) so that it cannot pull itself completely inside its shell for protection. Instead, it relies on a powerful, hooked upper jaw and its formidable stature for defense. The snapper is most comfortable in the water and will slip quietly away if disturbed. On land it shows more aggressive behavior when disturbed, which is when people often encounter one crossing the road. Picking up a snapper by its tail can damage its backbone and anyway it is best to avoid its sharp jaw. The preferred option is to carefully nudge a snapping turtle in the right direction and eventually it will move. I find that most drivers are fond of turtles and will wait for the crossing to be completed. Snapping turtles eat a variety of foods, such as fish, snails, frogs, birds, mammals, plants, and they sometimes scavenge and on occasion will catch a duckling.

A snapper lays her eggs in gravelly soil

I am not as familiar with the musk and box turtles. The musk turtle, or “stinkpot,” rarely emerges from water so it is difficult to observe. Box turtles are rare in New Hampshire; those that are here may have been released as pets. A non-native pet turtle should never be released into the wild as it may carry diseases harmful to our native turtles. In New Hampshire and some other states, it is illegal to collect, possess, sell, import, or harm Blanding’s, spotted, wood, and box turtles. Wild turtles should not be collected or moved, but helping them across a road is okay and a welcome assist.

To further aid in conserving our native turtles you can report sightings to the Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program at RAARP@wildlife.nh.gov (other states likely have similar programs) and support the permanent conservation of large landscapes with a mix of wetlands and uplands – places without roads so that turtles can safely travel from pond to nest or foraging sites and back again.