March 2021

Sunset beyond a old country school

The first part of March was quite difficult to get out of doors and into the great wide open for photography. The weather was fine, but I was swamped with work at the day job. A couple images shown here are composites of time lapses I created for said day job. The traffic light photos of downtown Sioux Falls were created from around 20 to 25 minutes of multiple long exposure traffic shots. These images were all pulled together into time lapses used to support Midco Sports Network's basketball tournament coverage. Later in the month I found the first blooming pasqueflowers (for me) of the young spring season. Then at the very end of the month I took a trip to the Fort Pierre area to sit in a blind in order to watch the Greater Prairie-chickens dance and boom for their hens on a lek in rural Stanley County. All in all, it was pretty photogenic month as far as Marches go. Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

About 20 minutes of traffic on 6th Street in downtown Sioux Falls

Traffic composite looking north over Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls

Spring equinox sunset in rural Lincoln County

Frost melt reflects the sunlight and trees above a newly blooming snow trillium wildflower in Newton Hills State Park

Snail shell found in the leaf litter of Newton Hills State park

First pasqueflower of the year in rural Hanson County, SD

A bouquet of South Dakota's state flower

Sunset in rural SE SoDak

Greater Prairie-chicken dancing to impress a hen

Greater Prairie-chicken at Fort Pierre National Grasslands

Pronghorn in the morning light

 

September 2017

Sunset over Spirit Mound in rural Clay County, SD

September in South Dakota is a joy for a rambling photographer like me.  Summer thunderstorms give way to soft fall evenings as the month progresses.  Birds and butterflies make their way through the state on their migrations south.  The leaves in the high country start to change in the latter weeks, paving way for a colorful October and cooler weather.  It was an exceedingly hard month to trim my favorites into 12 photos this time.  I started with nearly 80 photos and some were very hard to leave on the cutting room floor.  That is a good problem to have I guess.  As always, click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

A beam of aurora that made it's way almost directly overhead and westward early in the month... taken a few miles northwest of Hartford, SD

The Painted Lady Butterflies were particularly thick this month.  Here is one on a sunflower at Lake Herman State Park near Madison, SD

Sunrise through the tall grass at Mokoce Washte Native Prairie near Wall Lake, SD

White Pelican at sunset at Dewey Gevik Nature Area also near Wall Lake,  SD

A mountain bluebird amidst the fall colors of southern Lawrence County, SD

Spearfish Falls at Savoy, SD

First light on Badlands National Park

Badlands Bighorn in the early morning light

A favorite fall view from Vanocker Canyon in the northern Black Hills

Autumn evening above Lake Oahe in Campbell County, SD

The Missouri River hills in Campbell County, SD

August 2017

Sunrise on a hazy morning at Badlands National Park

August of 2017 was a month dominated by road trips, interesting skies and the Great American Solar Eclipse.  From sunrise in the Badlands to storm clouds over the flatlands of Eastern SD, the views were spectacular as usual.  Sprinkle in a couple nice wildlife encounters... Like my first bobcat in the wild at Badlands National Park and a trip to Poole, NE for a glimpse at the total solar eclipse... It was quite a month.  Here are twelve of my favorites from the month that was.  Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

Evening storm cloud in Moody County

Rural sunset in Minnehaha County near Wall Lake, SD

Storm clouds brewing over Zell, SD

Evening thunderheads with lighting as seen south of Bridgewater, SD

Sunrise in Badlands National Park

Bobcat at Badlands National Park

Sunrise at Badlands National Park

American Bison dusting itself at Badlands National Park

A second after totality when the sun starting coming out of the moon shadow during the Great American Solar Eclipse as seen in Poole, NE

Full white rainbow, or fogbow above Lowry Pilgrim Community Church in Walworth County, SD

Monarch in migration mode at Sica Hollow State Park

April 2017

An exquisite sunrise scene on the first of April from Fort Pierre National Grasslands

April provided plenty of starts and stops to spring in South Dakota this time around.  The month started relatively warm and pleasant but ended in a rainy, snowy mess.  I was able to get out to Fort Pierre National Grasslands and sit in a blind on April 1st to watch Prairie Chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse vie for their hen's attention.  It was a near perfect early spring day with a gorgeous sunrise across the grasslands and soft, evening sunset which I enjoyed with some pasqueflowers in Hanson County. As always, click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

Two cattle trucks on US Highway 83 against the red dawn horizon

Greater Prairie Chicken 

Greater Prairie Chicken roosters fighting for the best lek location

Pasqueflowers at sunset

Chorus frog doing his thing

The first plum brush buds of the year

Ruby-crowned kinglet 

Early Morning Rain

Rainbow over the Missouri River Hills

Green dragonfly amongst the buds

An Aurora surprise - reflected in a fishing hole near Hartford, SD

March 2016

The Milky Way rising behind the Divine Infant Mission Chapel in northwest Lower Brule Indian Reservation, SD

Over the years I have always thought that March was one of the toughest months to find beautiful scenes to photograph in South Dakota.  Usually the winter's last battle with spring are cold, wet and messy.  This month proved me wrong.  There was warmer weather than usual which brought our first wildflowers along earlier than usual, then winter counter attacked with a couple snow storms that actually provided some very interesting scenes to photograph.  As usual, click on a photo for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

Pre-sunrise color at Ft. Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota

Twin one-room schoolhouses in southern Meade County, SD

Mid-March sunset over Immanual Lutheran of Leona, SD

Flurries adding snowflakes to some pasqueflower above ground in Hanson County, SD

Photographed the day before the first day of spring

Snow Trillium in bloom on the first day of spring at Newton Hills State Park, SD

A close-up of Snow Trillium soaking up the early spring sun

Pasqueflower patch in the early evening light

A single pasqueflower in the early evening light.  I love how the spider gossamer trails off the edge and the stem looks like grinch fingers holding the blossom.

A late March, heavy snow fell at the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus and I was able to find this colorful Cedar Waxwing foraging on last year's berries.