Ray Harden
Editor's note: Dallas County Conservation Department Naturalist Mike Havlik led a group of five volunteers Wednesday in the latest phase of the kestrel box project, a coordinated effort of county conservation and the Perry High School science department. The project...
This was not what I expected to see -- a wide river valley flood plain, with oak savannahs and tall grass to the river's edge. It was the first time I had been on this northern part of the...
Be careful! There is an alien species in the road ditches and the idle fields around Perry that might cause you harm. It is a poisonous plant called wild parsnip. Sometimes it is called wild dill.
Its scientific name is...
Just outside the window in my den there is a 4-foot-tall hedge of yew bushes, with very gnarled and dense branches.
For the past week to 10 days, I have been watching a pair of cardinals fly into the hedge...
The North Raccoon River was nearly bank full, and the current was moving swiftly when Joe Warnock, Dr. Steve Sohn and I launched our kayaks at Henderson Park near Jefferson. Our destination was the boat ramp at Adkins Bridge,...
A dozen members of the Perry Lions Club met on Earth Day, Friday, April 22 a 5 p.m. at the intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and F Avenue, two miles east of the Dawson corner, to "walk the ditch."
Club...
One of the prettiest little birds at the feeder this time of year is the male house finch. His red head and streaked red breast makes him stand out more distinctively than the sparrows, gold finches and juncos.
The female...
The Perry Lions Club set out flags Thursday morning in the downtown area as part of their Flags Over Perry project. The flags were displayed Friday and Saturday, with the local Lions removing the banners each evening and raising them...
Rick Carpenter, director of the DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy, was the guest speaker at last Monday's meeting of the Perry Lions Club.
Carpenter told the Lions about all the programs offered at the VanKirk Career Academy and how students...
Saturday, April 22 is Earth Day. This is a national day of observance to reflect on the earth’s environmental issues and think about what we can do to help solve some of the problems.
Rachel Carson’s 1962 classic, “Silent Spring,”...