Lora Conrad

Nov 13, 2024 | bleedingheartland.com | Lora Conrad |Laura Belin |Gerald Ott |Matthew Thornburg

Lora Conrad lives on a small farm in Van Buren County. Sassafras. One of my favorite smaller trees, Sassafras albidum, is considered native to Iowa. However, it has been found in the wild only in one or two counties along the Mississippi River, one of which is Lee, adjacent to Van Buren where I set out two in my yard. Sassafras is prevalent across the southeast and northeast, including adjacent Missouri and Illinois. It is a member of the Laurel family.

Oct 16, 2024 | bleedingheartland.com | Jeff Ewoldt |Lora Conrad |Randy Evans |Rick Morain

A wildflower tour of the Iowa Great Lakes region Wednesday, Oct 16 2024 0 Comments Jeff Ewoldt grew up in northwest Iowa, currently practices law in Des Moines, and has always had a keen interest in nature and conservation. He thanks Lora Conrad for her dedication and assistance in providing identifications of most of the species shown here.

Sep 18, 2024 | bleedingheartland.com | Lora Conrad |Rick Morain |Nick Covington |Laura Belin

Lora Conrad lives on a small farm in Van Buren County. The American Hog Peanut is also called American Wild Peanut. Amphicarpaea bracteata is a vining annual plant in the Pea family (Fabaceae). It can also be a short lived perennial. It is somewhat unusual for a legume in that it thrives in shady areas. Amphicarpaea is reported to mean either “two kinds of flowers” or “two kinds of fruit,” both of which it has.

Jun 15, 2024 | bleedingheartland.com | Laura Belin |Lora Conrad |Rick Morain |Nick Covington

Full Iowa wildflower Wednesday archive Saturday, Jun 15 2024 1 Comment Bleeding Heartland’s weekly wildflower series has grown far beyond what I envisioned when I published the first Iowa wildflower Wednesday in March 2012. The search for material to publish in the spring, summer, and fall has taken me to many parks and nature preserves I’d never explored.

Dec 28, 2023 | bleedingheartland.com | Katie Byerly |Laura Belin |Lora Conrad |Kara Grady

Photo by Kara Brady of Lesser yellow lady’s slipper (Cypripedium caleolus), found in Jones CountyGuest authors carried the load for most the twelfth year of Bleeding Heartland’s wildflowers series. Although I have been getting around pretty well (despite a catastrophic ankle fracture in early 2022), the pace of Iowa political news was relentless in 2023. In part for that reason, I spent less time on trails and prairies than I would have liked.