While working in the 100 Acres Art & Nature Park a couple of weeks ago to get it ready for the opening, I spotted a Scarlet Tanager:

(image via dave.lipper)

Of course, covered in mulch and mud and shovel in hand, I had no chance to whip out the camera and snap a shot. So, thank you Dave Lipper for this picture! Nonetheless, I stopped digging for the moment to enjoy the handsome fellow.

There are so many more beautiful birds in our 100 Acres. IMA’s photographer, Tad Fruits caught this Pileated Woodpecker in flight.

And this Blue Heron seems to have taken up residence along the banks of the lake.

What I would suggest to every visitor to the park is to sit a spell in Alfredo Jaar’s Park of the Laments (or anywhere for that matter!) and just listen. Listen to the different songs of our feathered friends. Maybe too, you’ll see a flash of color for an Oriole or Indigo Bunting!

Indigo Bunting (via Nature Nook)

Baltimore Oriole (via Harrier)

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

Planting for wildlife is quite the rage these days. And a fine thing it is. We need to do more to support the creatures that are essential for life itself. And look at the ornamental value of, say, an eastern bluebird perched on an orange butterfly weed creating ideal color echoes and contrasts. Or the think of economic value of our many pollinators. Sometimes though, the wildlife takes a bit too much. Many folks deal with the ravages of the whitetail deer for example. Then, there is the beaver. People near water can experience this toothy neighbor’s appetite.

Recent plantings at 100 Acres are fine examples. A few trees were planted near Kendall Buster’s Stratum Pier. The first night two cottonwoods were removed at ground level. An oak was girdled, its impending death certain. The next day the beaver came back to finish the job.

Hardware cloth was put around a remaining hackberry and cottonwood. The hackberry got the tall piece of wire. The cottonwood got the short piece.

It’s all part of the reality of working in and with nature. No making it rain when you want it. No making it sunny when you need it. No stopping the wind. So you adapt.

No hardware cloth. No tree.

Know beaver. Know hardware cloth.

Thanks to Tad Fruits for the photos in this blog.

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

Here at IMA TV, we do whatever it takes to bring you the story- even if it means putting our lives on the line. You heard me. Lives. Our most treacherous assignment yet involved us getting up close and personal with the IMA’s bee hive.

Soon after our arrival, Chad Franer, Manager of Horticulture (and part-time bee whisperer) put our minds at ease with some calming words and a bee smoker.

Check out the video below to learn more about beekeeping at the IMA. No bees (or Nuggets) were harmed during the making of this video.

Filed under: Horticulture, IMA TV, Local, New Media

Vixen. The very word conjures up an image of a slightly dangerous woman of questionable morals. The dress a little too tight. The cleavage a little too exposed. The hips as she walks with a little too much sway in their motion. The heels of her stilettos a little too rounded if you know what I mean. But the word vixen is also the name for a female fox. And we have one. A female fox I mean. We have plenty of the other kind too, just so you know. But I’m talking about the fox now.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

Speaking of art and nature, I’d like to recommend getting outside and savoring the beauty of the night sky a little bit after sunset, because for a while you’ll be able to see the conjunction of Venus and Mercury.

Yes, those are our planetary neighbors… hold your hand up at arm’s length and they’re just about three fingers apart. Trust me, it’s a whole different experience seeing this with your own eyes. Which you can, but binoculars might help if you’re in an area that suffers from light pollution.

Enjoy contemplating the universe!

Filed under: Current Events