The Joyce Road Neighborhood

On our recent trip to Iowa I had a few of the local grasshoppers pose of photos. The dominate local grasshopper in Iowa is the Differential ...

During our recent dry spell one plant didn't seem to be effected, the Horse Nettle ( Solanum carolinense ). Horse Nettle is not a true ...

I've heard the loud buzzing sound of Cicadas at our cabin property but haven't been able to locate them in the trees. On our recent ...

After spending a week and a half in Iowa, we returned home to find a sea of red tomatoes in our garden. There were only a few ripe tomatoes ...

Our granddaughter, Myra, is now a year old and we traveled to Iowa to help Chuck and Nikki celebrate this special occasion. The big girl s...

The blooming of the Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) in the neighborhood marks the mid-point of summer as we start to approach the start of...

The fields in the neighborhood are turning white as the large flower heads of Queen Anne’s Lace ( Daucus carota ) tower above the dried up ...

For the second time this summer I have encountered a Praying Mantis while mowing a hay field. This time the praying mantis was green and muc...

The hot/dry weather of this summer has taken a toll on some of the wildflowers in the neighborhood. Much of the Common Milkweed ( Asclepias...

Jewelweed ( Impatiens capensis ) is an annual plant native to North America. Jewelweed prefers damp areas and is common in bottomland, ditc...

The Allegheny Monkey Flower ( Mimulus ringens ) is a native perennial that prefers swampy areas and wet meadows. The small lavender, snapd...

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), also known as Beebalm is a member of the mint family and a widespread native plant in much of North Ameri...