F.W. Kent Park is a great place to visit. On any day, it offers a variety of nature’s wonders. Today, was bright and sunny. The naturalists were demonstrating bird banding. Lots of families brought small children. The kids enjoyed watching as a Downy Woodpecker was banded.
We then set out for a hike along a few trails. The wildflowers were gorgeous. Enjoy. Click any pictures for larger views.
Our View From Iowa 
Hello there 😁.. sounds like you have a wonderful time thank you for sharing beautiful photos!
Stephen
On Sat, Sep 18, 2021, 4:26 PM Our View From Iowa wrote:
> Jim R posted: ” F.W. Kent Park is a great place to visit. On any day, it > offers a variety of nature’s wonders. Today, was bright and sunny. The > naturalists were demonstrating bird banding. Lots of families brought small > children. The kids enjoyed watching as a Downy” >
We did have a good day. Thanks for stopping by.
Sort of nature’s orgasmic explosion of beauty the result of a summer’s long effort.
I like that description. Very graphic. 🙂
You have duckweed, too! I’m not seeing much of the color I’ve become used to at this time of year, thanks in part to the continuing heat and substantial rains. The summer flowers aren’t what they were, and the fall flowers are coming on slowly. So — it’s great to see these reminders of what’s yet to come. It looks like a great place for a little get-away.
The lakes and ponds are all much lower than normal for this time of year. No good rains to flush them. Duckweed is dominating them all. Farm runoff of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and animal waste is a really big problem. For cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys, their waste is equivalent to over 180 million people living in IA. We only have 3 million actual residents. Duckweed has plenty to feed on. Drinking water, especially in Des Moines, is not safe.