Chris Helzer @prairieecologist

I’m Always Glad I Went Out I don't ever plan to write an autobiography, but if I do, the title might very well be, "I Was Always Glad I Went Out". And, of course, it will sell badly because that's not a very catchy title for a book. Plus, no one wants to hear about my childhood. Although it's a terrible book title, it really is something I feel whenever I kick myself out out of the house and into the prairie.

I’m Always Glad I Went Out

I don't ever plan to write an autobiography, but if I do, the title might very well be, "I Was Always Glad I Went Out". And, of course, it will sell badly because that's not a very catchy title for a book. Plus, no one wants to hear about my childhood. Although it's a…

17.02.2026 13:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Ask The Prairie Ecologist (Again) I'll get to the Ask The Prairie Ecologist part of this post below. First, though... One of the best things about this blog is that it has connected me to amazing people and stories all over the globe. The most recent example came last weekend, when I got an email from Sri Harsha in Gundmi, India. He reached out because he had recently started a project to document all the insects he could photograph in a square meter near his house.

Ask The Prairie Ecologist (Again)

I'll get to the Ask The Prairie Ecologist part of this post below. First, though... One of the best things about this blog is that it has connected me to amazing people and stories all over the globe. The most recent example came last weekend, when I got an email…

13.02.2026 00:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – February 5, 2026 I'm very grateful to have been featured in a short (6 1/2 minutes) video on Nebraska Public Media's Nebraska Stories. A terrific film crew spent two days with me at the Niobrara Valley Preserve and the final product came out really beautifully. I hope you enjoy it. (If you're reading this in an email, either click on the title of the post to make the video active or just click on…

Photos of the Week – February 5, 2026

I'm very grateful to have been featured in a short (6 1/2 minutes) video on Nebraska Public Media's Nebraska Stories. A terrific film crew spent two days with me at the Niobrara Valley Preserve and the final product came out really beautifully. I hope you…

06.02.2026 03:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Post-Grazing Year At the beginning of the 2025 growing season, I picked out three sites I could visit repeatedly to photograph/document how a prairie responded to having been grazed the previous year. That turned out to be overly ambitious, but I did manage to focus on one of those sites - an 80x80 foot square marked out at our family prairie - and visited it frequently throughout 2025.

The Post-Grazing Year

At the beginning of the 2025 growing season, I picked out three sites I could visit repeatedly to photograph/document how a prairie responded to having been grazed the previous year. That turned out to be overly ambitious, but I did manage to focus on one of those sites - an…

04.02.2026 15:18 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – January 24, 2026 Well, I was out sliding around on the ice again this week. I made two trips up to the tiny reservoir north of Aurora to search for photo compositions on its frozen surface. I was not disappointed. Hemp dogbane seed (Apocynum cannibinum) Dogbane seed. Dogbane seed. Some recent windy days had blown seeds of both dogbane and milkweed on to the ice, where they'd ended up perched on their comae (their fluffy parts).

Photos of the Week – January 24, 2026

Well, I was out sliding around on the ice again this week. I made two trips up to the tiny reservoir north of Aurora to search for photo compositions on its frozen surface. I was not disappointed. Hemp dogbane seed (Apocynum cannibinum) Dogbane seed. Dogbane…

24.01.2026 15:47 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Prairie Boy Visits the Ouachita National Forest Well, Kim and I had another ultramarathon vacation last weekend. We were down in eastern Oklahoma for the Ouachita Switchbacks 50K race. While Kim and her fellow runners were performing insane feats of athleticism on very steep, rocky trails, I wandered around a little with my camera, looking for anything visually-interesting in the dormant forests of the Ouachita Mountains. No one cheered for me.

Prairie Boy Visits the Ouachita National Forest

Well, Kim and I had another ultramarathon vacation last weekend. We were down in eastern Oklahoma for the Ouachita Switchbacks 50K race. While Kim and her fellow runners were performing insane feats of athleticism on very steep, rocky trails, I…

19.01.2026 18:07 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – January 16, 2026 I spent several days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week engaged in long brainstorming discussions about conservation and land management. It was invigorating, but we basically worked from dawn until dusk, so I didn't have much time to wander with my camera during daylight hours. Working from dawn until dusk, of course, isn't that hard this time of year, since the days are so short.

Photos of the Week – January 16, 2026

I spent several days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week engaged in long brainstorming discussions about conservation and land management. It was invigorating, but we basically worked from dawn until dusk, so I didn't have much time to wander with my…

16.01.2026 12:50 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Prairie Pet Peeves (Part 1) I'm generally a pretty happy person. Negativity tends to slide off my back. I hope this blog reflects that. I try to keep it pretty positive and full of wonder and exploration, not loaded with complaints, gripes, and negativity. I also appreciate alliteration, actually. However. Even I, Mr. Optimistic, have a few pet peeves related to my favorite topic of prairie conservation.

Prairie Pet Peeves (Part 1)

I'm generally a pretty happy person. Negativity tends to slide off my back. I hope this blog reflects that. I try to keep it pretty positive and full of wonder and exploration, not loaded with complaints, gripes, and negativity. I also appreciate alliteration, actually.…

07.01.2026 12:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Year – December 24, 2025 Quick announcement. We are hiring a land steward for the Niobrara Valley Preserve. This person will join our land management team and work with prescribed fire, cattle and bison grazing, invasive species suppression, and much more, across 56,000 acres of Sandhills prairie, woodlands, and one of the most scenic rivers in the Great Plains. It will be a lot of manual labor, but also a terrific opportunity to contribute to an innovative stewardship team looking for ways to manage for biological diversity and ecological resilience.

Photos of the Year – December 24, 2025

Quick announcement. We are hiring a land steward for the Niobrara Valley Preserve. This person will join our land management team and work with prescribed fire, cattle and bison grazing, invasive species suppression, and much more, across 56,000 acres of…

24.12.2025 17:56 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – December 15, 2025 First, a quick announcement that we are again offering up to five $1,500 grants to graduate students working on research related to conservation in the Great Plains. Read more about the Weaver Grant program here. Yesterday, I headed out to watch the sunrise over my favorite frozen wetland at the Platte River Prairies. It was a beautiful, calm morning with temperatures in the low single digits (Fahrenheit).

Photos of the Week – December 15, 2025

First, a quick announcement that we are again offering up to five $1,500 grants to graduate students working on research related to conservation in the Great Plains. Read more about the Weaver Grant program here. Yesterday, I headed out to watch the sunrise…

15.12.2025 16:25 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – December 5, 2025 It has finally gotten cold enough for my favorite winter wetland to freeze over. Mostly. I made two quick trips this week to the restored wetland at the Platte River Prairies. It's a former sand and gravel mining site and we converted it from a sandpit lake to a stream with side channel and backwater habitats about 15 years ago. It's one of my favorite places to visit, especially in the winter, when I can slide around on the ice looking for frost and ice patterns - and, of course, ice bubbles.

Photos of the Week – December 5, 2025

It has finally gotten cold enough for my favorite winter wetland to freeze over. Mostly. I made two quick trips this week to the restored wetland at the Platte River Prairies. It's a former sand and gravel mining site and we converted it from a sandpit lake to…

05.12.2025 15:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Yet Another Intentional and Valuable Post People sometimes ask me if I have a certain number of posts I'm supposed to write in a year. A quota, if you will. I always tell them that if that were the case, you'd probably know because I'd occasionally post something that was clearly a space-filler. A post that didn't really serve any purpose other than to be a post that counted toward a quota.

Yet Another Intentional and Valuable Post

People sometimes ask me if I have a certain number of posts I'm supposed to write in a year. A quota, if you will. I always tell them that if that were the case, you'd probably know because I'd occasionally post something that was clearly a space-filler. A…

20.11.2025 15:34 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – November 19, 2025 Recently, I've spent some time mining my photo library for images to use in a couple different projects. While I was down that hole, I took advantage of the process to build some collections of some of my favorite photos and post them on their own web page. I hope the photos help inspire people to see prairies as something worth caring about.

Photos of the Week – November 19, 2025

Recently, I've spent some time mining my photo library for images to use in a couple different projects. While I was down that hole, I took advantage of the process to build some collections of some of my favorite photos and post them on their own web page. I…

19.11.2025 13:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – November 14, 2025 I mean, you knew this was coming, right? If you're on any social media platforms, you've already seen enough northern lights photos this week to last a lifetime. Well, guess what? I took some too. Then I waited until everyone was already saturated with images from other sources before dumping mine out there into the world. It's a terrible marketing strategy.

Photos of the Week – November 14, 2025

I mean, you knew this was coming, right? If you're on any social media platforms, you've already seen enough northern lights photos this week to last a lifetime. Well, guess what? I took some too. Then I waited until everyone was already saturated with images…

14.11.2025 14:29 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – October 31, 2025 I got my first frost photography morning of the season yesterday. I'd been watching the forecast and had blocked out a couple hours on my calendar to make sure I had time to get out enjoy it. I woke up early and drove out to our family prairie well before sunrise. I'm glad I got there early because there was a terrific explosion of color in the sky before the sun came up.

Photos of the Week – October 31, 2025

I got my first frost photography morning of the season yesterday. I'd been watching the forecast and had blocked out a couple hours on my calendar to make sure I had time to get out enjoy it. I woke up early and drove out to our family prairie well before…

31.10.2025 15:22 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Value of (Some) Non-Native (GASP) Wildflowers in Our Yard This might be an awkward week to laud the value of having a non-native wildflower in my yard. I'm an invited speaker at the Indiana Native Plant Society's annual conference this coming weekend. It's probably (?) too late for them to cancel my appearance. I'm mostly kidding. Today's post is not intended to diminish the importance of native plants, either in ecological restoration or in suburban landscapes.

The Value of (Some) Non-Native (GASP) Wildflowers in Our Yard

This might be an awkward week to laud the value of having a non-native wildflower in my yard. I'm an invited speaker at the Indiana Native Plant Society's annual conference this coming weekend. It's probably (?) too late for them to…

22.10.2025 16:35 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – October 17, 2025 I've had too many hours in front of the computer this week and my eyes were complaining this morning. I looked outside and saw that some high clouds were nicely-diffusing the sun and decided that was enough of an incentive to take a prairie break. I scooted over to Lincoln Creek Prairie and spent about a half hour looking for milkweed seeds, milkweed bugs, and other treasures before heading back to the computer.

Photos of the Week – October 17, 2025

I've had too many hours in front of the computer this week and my eyes were complaining this morning. I looked outside and saw that some high clouds were nicely-diffusing the sun and decided that was enough of an incentive to take a prairie break. I scooted…

17.10.2025 18:58 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – October 10, 2025 The fall migration is in full swing through our prairies. Dragonflies, birds, butterflies, and more are moving southward. Going out on dewy mornings is a great way to check up on butterflies and dragonflies because I can find them immobile and covered in dew on their overnight roosts. This week was a big week for variegated meadowhawks (dragonflies), apparently. I found dozens of them at our family prairie one morning (more photos toward the end of this post).

Photos of the Week – October 10, 2025

The fall migration is in full swing through our prairies. Dragonflies, birds, butterflies, and more are moving southward. Going out on dewy mornings is a great way to check up on butterflies and dragonflies because I can find them immobile and covered in dew…

10.10.2025 14:34 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – October 1, 2025 Over the weekend, my wife Kim ran 100 miles. On purpose. The Cowboy 200/100 race has become an annual event for people who think marathons are more fun when you string a bunch of them together end-to-end. There were lots of those people on the Cowboy Trail (an old railroad right-of-way) this weekend. Some of them were running 100 miles like Kim, but even more of them were running 200 miles.

Photos of the Week – October 1, 2025

Over the weekend, my wife Kim ran 100 miles. On purpose. The Cowboy 200/100 race has become an annual event for people who think marathons are more fun when you string a bunch of them together end-to-end. There were lots of those people on the Cowboy Trail (an…

01.10.2025 15:51 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

How to Photograph Flat Prairies For some reason, there are people who find it difficult to see the aesthetic beauty of places with limited topographic variability. First of all, that sounds like a "them" problem, doesn't it? Who needs mountains, or even steep hills to feel good about their surroundings? Not me. Not you. Then, of course, there are others who struggle to find joy in places without trees.

How to Photograph Flat Prairies

For some reason, there are people who find it difficult to see the aesthetic beauty of places with limited topographic variability. First of all, that sounds like a "them" problem, doesn't it? Who needs mountains, or even steep hills to feel good about their…

26.09.2025 13:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The One-Hour Square Meter Photography Challenge! Do you remember that square meter photography project I did? Twice? Whew, that was a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, it was more than worthwhile, but it was definitely a big commitment. I may try it again someday, but not right now. I continue to enjoy writing and talking about those two year-long projects and I hope to have another product or two come from those initial efforts.

The One-Hour Square Meter Photography Challenge!

Do you remember that square meter photography project I did? Twice? Whew, that was a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, it was more than worthwhile, but it was definitely a big commitment. I may try it again someday, but not right now. I continue to…

23.09.2025 12:59 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Hiring Now! The 2026 Hubbard Fellowship with The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska It's time! We are now accepting applications for our 13th class of Hubbard Fellows. Please forward this to anyone you know who might be interested. I supervise our fellows each year, and can't wait to meet the next two. The Hubbard Fellowship was built to help people bridge the gap between what you learn in college and the skills and proficiency needed to start a career.

Hiring Now! The 2026 Hubbard Fellowship with The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska

It's time! We are now accepting applications for our 13th class of Hubbard Fellows. Please forward this to anyone you know who might be interested. I supervise our fellows each year, and can't wait to meet the next…

12.09.2025 13:23 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Celebrating Sticky Seeds Early autumn is a season of surprise and wonder. Colors are changing and animals are scurrying all around, trying to check off all their pre-winter tasks. For nature enthusiasts like us, it’s also a great time to appreciate the complex and sophisticated ways plants move their seeds around the world. For example, there’s the unexpected prick of joy when you accidentally sandwich a heretofore unseen sandbur between calf and hamstring as you kneel down to re-tie your boot laces.

Celebrating Sticky Seeds

Early autumn is a season of surprise and wonder. Colors are changing and animals are scurrying all around, trying to check off all their pre-winter tasks. For nature enthusiasts like us, it’s also a great time to appreciate the complex and sophisticated ways plants move…

09.09.2025 19:14 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – September 2, 2025 August really flew by but it was a fun and interesting month. In addition to a full calendar of work and home events, I made time to explore several of my favorite prairies, including The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies, Niobrara Valley Preserve, and our own family prairie. I caught numerous sunrises and sunsets, foggy mornings, stormy evenings, and some bright overcast days.

Photos of the Week – September 2, 2025

August really flew by but it was a fun and interesting month. In addition to a full calendar of work and home events, I made time to explore several of my favorite prairies, including The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies, Niobrara Valley Preserve,…

02.09.2025 12:43 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

What Is High-Quality Prairie Anyway? Does this look like a high-quality prairie? What about this one? What if I told you the first one was 2 acres in size and the second was part of a 20,000 acre grassland block? Would it affect your opinion if you knew the first site was isolated from any other prairie habitat by miles of cropland and was directly adjacent to a busy highway?

What Is High-Quality Prairie Anyway?

Does this look like a high-quality prairie? What about this one? What if I told you the first one was 2 acres in size and the second was part of a 20,000 acre grassland block? Would it affect your opinion if you knew the first site was isolated from any other…

20.08.2025 11:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Hiding On Their Favorite Plant I've been working with prairies a long time, and there are some individual sites I've been studying, managing, or visiting for 30 years or more. Even so, I keep finding new species I didn't know about and stories I can't believe I'd not heard before. I made a quick trip to our family prairie last week to check on grazing progress and to enjoy a quiet evening.

Hiding On Their Favorite Plant

I've been working with prairies a long time, and there are some individual sites I've been studying, managing, or visiting for 30 years or more. Even so, I keep finding new species I didn't know about and stories I can't believe I'd not heard before. I made a quick…

15.08.2025 15:03 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

A Frosty Mountain Morning Kim and I just got back from a week in the mountains of Colorado. As part of the trip, we camped several nights in the Lost Creek Wilderness. A year ago, we learned some lessons about how best to vacation together in the outdoors, and I think we applied those lessons well this year. We set up a base camp from which Kim had access to running trails and I could quickly access photographic opportunities when the light was good.

A Frosty Mountain Morning

Kim and I just got back from a week in the mountains of Colorado. As part of the trip, we camped several nights in the Lost Creek Wilderness. A year ago, we learned some lessons about how best to vacation together in the outdoors, and I think we applied those lessons well…

04.08.2025 16:20 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Photos of the Week – July 18, 2025 Quick Announcement: We are hosting two Plant Identification/Habitat Management workshops in August. The first is at The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies on August 12 and the second is at the Niobrara Valley Preserve on August 19. During the workshops, you'll learn how to identify lots of prairie plants and get whatever additional information I can think of for each of them.

Photos of the Week – July 18, 2025

Quick Announcement: We are hosting two Plant Identification/Habitat Management workshops in August. The first is at The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies on August 12 and the second is at the Niobrara Valley Preserve on August 19. During the workshops,…

18.07.2025 13:09 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Learning How to Live With Shrubbier Grasslands – Part 2: Experimentation In Part 1 of this topic, I wrote about the uncomfortable situation many prairie stewards find ourselves in - that our grasslands are getting "shrubbier" and it's increasingly difficult to prevent that. Because the drivers for that change are mostly beyond our control, it seems obvious that we need to start thinking differently about grassland management. There are still plenty of grasslands where we should work to prevent woody encroachment.

Learning How to Live With Shrubbier Grasslands – Part 2: Experimentation

In Part 1 of this topic, I wrote about the uncomfortable situation many prairie stewards find ourselves in - that our grasslands are getting "shrubbier" and it's increasingly difficult to prevent that. Because the drivers for…

16.07.2025 12:33 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Learning How to Live with Shrubbier Grasslands – Part 1: The Why Back in 2022, I wrote a post about the increasing competitiveness of woody plants - especially clonal shrubs like dogwood, sumac, and others - in prairies. There are lots of factors that have led to more shrubs moving into grasslands, but increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere probably play the biggest role. Regardless of the reasons, more and more prairies are becoming something different than we've been used to.

Learning How to Live with Shrubbier Grasslands – Part 1: The Why

Back in 2022, I wrote a post about the increasing competitiveness of woody plants - especially clonal shrubs like dogwood, sumac, and others - in prairies. There are lots of factors that have led to more shrubs moving into…

16.07.2025 12:32 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Chris Helzer

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