Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~

Category: Ozarks

  • Dirt Road Photos – Ozark Sunset Silhouettes

    Scene from the dirt road in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas.
    Scene from the dirt road in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas.

    The Ozarks from a Scenic Dirt Road

    I was driving home from my daughter’s house this evening as the sun began setting on our beautiful Ozark hills. Just so happened …

  • The First Flowers of Spring at Wild Ozark

    Nature lovers began the frenzy of watching for the first flowers of spring a few weeks ago. Here at Wild Ozark, we’re in a little eco-microcosm that is often more than a week behind surrounding areas in spring. Our temperatures …

  • Stone Tool – Relic of a Long Bygone Era

    I knew when I saw the rounded hand-sized rock that it was more than “just a rock”. It was a stone tool, & probably several thousand years old.

    Stone tool of early Native Americans in the Ozarks - a rounded grinding stone.

    There is something special about holding a stone I know once was …

  • Coyotes at Midnight

    I had trouble getting to sleep last night. Then there were coyotes at midnight, just as the drift of dreams was beginning to take hold. It went on for so long I had time to turn on the audio recorder …

  • Kings River Falls – Photos from our hike

    Kings River Falls – Photos from our hike

    On Sunday I went hiking with my two oldest children and their children, one of my daughter’s friends and her children, and my parents to the Kings River Falls. This trail is a little north and east of Fallsville, AR …

  • With a departing roar

    [Image of a departing storm] With a departing roar the storm rolled off to the east. Clear skies between broken clouds filled the southwestern wake.
    With a departing roar the storm rolled off to the east. Clear skies between broken clouds filled the southwestern wake.

    Nature is my muse.

    I’ve been working hard on my novel, trying to get the first draft finished by the …

  • Symbols of Warmth and Sustenance

    I brought the camera with me this foggy morning to capture some of the beauty that surrounded me in the hushed quiet of our little Wild Ozark valley.

    When I came back in I sat on the porch and listened …

  • Feeding critters under a gentle patter of rain

    This morning I was feeding critters under a gentle patter of rain. There are times when I am tired or don’t feel like going out on my regular chore round, but for the most part I enjoy this part of …

  • Coffee Break Reading and some pretty cool Leggings

    No Qualms by ertwitch serial cover imageGet “No Qualms” delivered to your inbox in daily short bites. Perfect for coffee break reading. And check out the cool leggings featuring one of my nature journal entries.

    One of my passions that I haven’t indulged much in lately …

  • It’s beginning to look like fall here at Wild Ozark

    Yesterday it really felt like fall, and it does again today, too. It was almost 40*F this morning.

    I took a few photos yesterday, but was in a hurry to get somewhere so didn’t bring the monopod and the quality …

  • Photos Ginseng Roots from 2015 Season

    9/14 (Ohio) Holy Cow- Looks like a man!

    The rich Ohio soil sure turns out some nice roots.

    From Marcia: “Second day out digging roots and I had a new person with me. So I was showing him what other …

  • This Beaver is One Heck of an Optimist

    Beaver Chewed Tree
    This beaver must possess tremendous optimism. Either that or he’s a long-term strategist, or both!

    Most farmers dislike beavers with a passion bordering hatred. The reason why that is, at least for the ones I asked, is because they’re always …

  • Disappearing for a while

    Just a notice to anyone who might wonder why there’s been no posts for a while…

    I’d been really busy finishing up some projects (10 Common Plants and American Ginseng & Companions). Now that those are done I’m taking a …

  • The Slow Descent of an Ozark Mountain Landslide

    I’ve been observing and recording our slowly descending Ozark landslide. Leaning trees and driveway encroachment, photographed day by day.

    Since the flood last Monday I haven’t done a whole lot of cleanup. The main reason for that is the landslide.…

  • Rattlesnake at the Gate

    Rattlesnake at the gate

    Gnats have made it nearly impossible for me to stand being outside at my potting bench for very long.

    Yesterday I did the little bit of work I needed to do at it while trying not to breathe so the …

  • Unripe Fruit

    I have a hard time believing I have no pictures – at all – of ripe elderberry fruit. After digging through file after unfruitful file, I thought it might be faster to just go get a new photo.

    Not quite.…

  • What’s Blooming at the end of May?

    Wild Ozark plants blooming at the end of May

    I took a little walkabout yesterday to photograph some of the flowers that are setting berries, blooming, or getting ready to bloom right now.

    Yesterday’s post highlighted the orchid I’d been waiting …

  • Talk about Delayed Gratification! (Twayblade Orchid)

    I’ve been waiting a whole year to see this flower.

    When I first found the plant last summer there was only the two leaves. Without seeing a flower, it’s hard to positively identify a plant, unless that plant has something …

  • Water Over the Bridge-Videos

    When you can hear the roar of the wet-weather waterfall from the house, you know the water’s up. If you can see the waterfall from the front porch, it’s a fair bet the creek is way over the bridge.

    When …

  • Rainy Days are Writing “Bounty Hunter” Days

    Rainy Days are Writing “Bounty Hunter” Days

    It’s been raining off and on here since last night. It seems like it’s been raining every day since I can’t remember when. I’m tired of it and will be glad when the ground is dry and the creeks are …

  • A Woodland Habitat – Dragons among the Nettles and Cohosh

    There’s a particular woodland habitat at the far corner of our property that I love.

    The variety of plants that grow there is amazing.

    It’s the perfect place for American ginseng, but those plants have nearly been extirpated by diggers …

  • Dragons Hatching, Clematis Blooming, and Feeding Horses in the Rain

    Dragons Hatching, Clematis Blooming, and Feeding Horses in the Rain

    Dragons Hatching!

    Last fall I collected seeds from a large Green Dragon. I put the berries directly into pots and kept them overwinter in the ginseng nursery. The other morning I noticed they were hatching – er, sprouting! The …

  • What’s that plant good for?

    “What’s that plant good for?”

    A curious thing I’m noticing by selling plants at the market is that people almost always have the same question, phrased in various ways.

    It’s often the first thing they ask, in general about any …

  • A Ginseng Sanctuary at the Compton Gardens in Bentonville

    American Ginseng Sanctuary at Compton Gardens UPS signWild Ozark is honored and excited to be embarking on a long-term project in conjunction with Compton Gardens in Bentonville, Arkansas. This American Ginseng Sanctuary project is made possible, in part, by a grant from the United Plant Savers.

    This …

  • Sleuthing the Bellwort. Sessilifolia or Perfoliata?

    Sleuthing the Bellwort. Sessilifolia or Perfoliata?

    Sessilifolia or Perfoliata?

    Three species of bellwort are found in Arkansas: Uvularia grandiflora, U. sessilifolia, and U. perfoliata. The one I see most often around here is the grandiflora, or Large-flowered bellwort as it’s commonly called.

    Bellwort in the Ginseng

    …