Uncategorized | Prairie Rivers of Iowa

Glitter in Your Grass: The Secret Lives of Fireflies

by Jessica Butters | Aug 2, 2023

While the season of twinkling twilight in Iowa has nearly ended, fireflies (aka “lightning bugs”) live in Iowa year-round! What do you really know about these mysterious sparks of light? They are not just magical glittering displays – they are real insects that serve important ecological and medicinal roles and are threatened by habitat loss and light pollution. Nearly 30% of firefly species in the US and Canada may be at risk of extinction. But how can you support firefly populations? Where do they live? Should you collect them in jars? Here, we discuss all things fireflies, from their terrifying larval traits to their endearing embers of light. Read to the end for tips to attract fireflies to your yard!

A species of dark firefly found in Iowa called the Black Firefly, or Lucidota atra.

Fire Beetles

What is a firefly? Fireflies are actually beetles in the family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 species worldwide, with about 170 in the US and Canada. Here in Iowa, we commonly have 7-9 with the potential to have up to 13 species(see Insects of Iowa and The Xerces Society – pg 4). Because most fireflies are nocturnal, we know very little about them despite their popularity. They go through complete metamorphosis, the same life cycle that butterflies and other beetles go through.

There are actually three kinds of fireflies in the world: flashing fireflies, dark fireflies, and glow-worms. Flashing fireflies are what we are most familiar with. They blink and glitter at dusk or during the night. Dark fireflies are active during the day and do not light up much, if at all. Lastly, glow-worms are fireflies in which the adult female looks a lot like it did when it was a larva (worm). They give off a near-continuous glow, giving it the name “glow-worm”. Male glow-worm fireflies look similar to the flying adults of dark and flashing fireflies. Iowa has mostly flashing fireflies, several dark fireflies, and so far has no glow-worm observations (but read here about another kind of glowing grub that can be found in Iowa).

Bioluminescence in Fireflies – and Our Food!

The firefly’s sparkle is created through a process called bioluminescence, which is the production of light by a living organism. There are few bioluminescent species outside of the ocean, so fireflies are pretty special! Flashing fireflies have an organ near the tip of their abdomen called the “lantern” where chemical reactions cause the enzyme luciferase to activate the light-emitting compound luciferin, causing the lantern to glow. Firefly light is one of the most energy-efficient lighting techniques in the world, with almost 100% of the energy used to emit light, and nearly zero energy lost as heat. In comparison, the most energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs give off 90% light and 10% heat. Firefly bioluminescence has been re-created synthetically since the 1980s, and has been medically significant for decades for identifying everything from blood clots to bacterial contamination in food. Fireflies, however, use their light to communicate to potential predators and lovers. For predators, their flicker warns that they contain a terrible-tasting compound called “lucibufagin” (more like luci-barf-again – ha!). For lovers, the glimmer means the firefly is looking for love.

A bioluminescent firefly in the grass.

A firefly larva, or “grub”. Yes it glows!

Baby Fireflies

Fireflies lay their eggs in sheltered, moist places such as leaf litter, shallow tunnels, rotting logs, or moss. Some species’ eggs even glow! From the eggs hatch glowing larvae. They spend most of their lives (up to a few years) as larvae, living under or near the ground and hunting soft-bodied animals such as slugs, snails, earthworms, and grubs. Moisture is important for firefly survival – much of their prey requires moist soil. The larvae gorge themselves with soft-bodied victims, and are extremely beneficial in the garden, keeping food such as cabbages and strawberries safe from slugs and other pests. Firefly larvae survive winter if there is enough moisture and cover in the form of leaf layers, logs, mulch, rocks, or moss. Come spring and summer, the larvae pupate, and in a few weeks emerge as adult fireflies.

Adult Fireflies

Because most adult fireflies don’t eat, their chief concern is finding a mate and laying eggs. For flashing fireflies, males fly around and blink to communicate with females. Each species has a unique flashing pattern (see the flash chart image below). The time of night, the duration of each flash, the height of the flash, and the pattern or shape of the flash come together to communicate the species, their sex, location, and willingness to mate. For example, the big dipper firefly emits a flash pattern that dips, making the shape of the letter “j”. For most species, female fireflies don’t move much. Many can’t fly at all and instead find a perch, respond with their own signal, and let males come to them. Once a male finds a female, they mate and the male passes a “nuptial gift” in the form of extra protein and nutrients to the female. This is important because most adults don’t eat, and the extra nutrients allow the female to be a more successful egg layer and ensure a healthier next generation. Depending on the species, mating displays can last anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours. These displays are special and are one of the few kinds of insect communication that humans can see with the naked eye and distinguish which species is “speaking”!

An adult firefly of the “flashing” firefly group. Note the white underside of the abdomen, where the lantern is located.

A flash chart for the different species of fireflies created by Mass Audubon, a nonprofit in Massachusetts that heads Firefly Watch, a community science program.

Femme Fatales

A big exception to normal flashing behavior is in a group of fireflies known as “femme fatales”. Females in the genus Photuris are deceptive and carnivorous. They purposely flash the signal of the female Photinus genus instead of their own. The male Photinus firefly approaches the carnivorous female, thinking it’s a friendly female of its own species. The Photuris female strikes and eats the male. Females eat males not out of spite, but to acquire the predator-repelling lucibufagin toxin that tastes bad. These femme fatales evolved to glow but did not evolve to create their own lucibufagin. Eating these male fireflies of a different species provides them with energy and the protective toxin.

Shine Little Glow-Worm (glimmer, glimmer!)

Less intense glow-worm fireflies are trying to find mates as well. The flightless, larvae-like females emit a continuous glow to attract flying males. Males have a weak glow, if any. They mate, and the male leaves unscathed. Lastly, the dark firefly group doesn’t glow much, if at all. As adults, these fireflies are active during the day so communicating with light is pointless. We all know how hard it is to see a flashlight or a phone screen on a bright day. So instead of flashing or glowing, dark fireflies communicate using chemical signals called pheromones.

See the graphic above from a Xerces Society brochure. Carnivorous fireflies are depicted on the left, larvae and glow-worms are along the bottom, and dark and flashing fireflies are on the right. Click the image to read more!

Habitat for Fireflies

Fireflies need specific habitats to survive. Firstly, they need darkness. Over 75% of firefly species communicate at twilight or during the night by flashing or glowing. Artificial light from windows, garage lights, street lights, etc. contributes to light pollution. We have all witnessed light pollution – it is obviously harder to see the stars in the city versus the country. Fireflies have a similar problem seeing each other’s flashes through light pollution at night. This is a major issue because if they cannot find each other, they cannot mate and produce the next generation. Dark Sky International has great resources on this subject, including the graphic depicting light pollution.

Secondly, fireflies need their natural habitats. This means a diverse set of native plants with varying heights, including trees, undisturbed streams, and other water features. Plant diversity gives females different heights to perch on for mating, and water resources ensure a moist environment for larvae. So what can you do at home to support and attract fireflies?

Attract Your Own Light Show

To make your home firefly-friendly, lower light pollution. This is simple, and saves energy and money! It also helps migrating birds and moths. Use curtains, not just mini blinds, to seal light inside. Put outdoor lights on a timer or use a motion sensor. Opt for red or warm-colored light bulbs (or add several layers of a red filter to your current LED bulbs). Red light doesn’t bother wildlife nearly as much as white or blue LED lights. Trees can help shade out the glow of street lights, and lights that shade the light down rather than up and out also help. Ask your neighbors to take similar steps – light pollution doesn’t stop at property lines! Another simple step is to stop using grub and slug killers on your lawn and garden – they harm not just slugs and grubs, but the firefly larvae that feed on them. Mowing less helps a great deal and an easy step to take. Add native plants when you can. Add flowers, bushes, and grasses as you go to create different kinds of perches for female fireflies and safe places to hide during the day. Leave leaf litter and logs retain moisture and give overwintering fireflies a cozy place to stay. Fireflies aren’t very mobile (think of how easy they are to catch), and if something happens to their habitat, they are not able to move quickly to a better location, especially when they are larvae.

Firefly flashes can be seen in the above picture. Photographers use long exposures with cameras to capture the light of many fireflies at once, and to “see” better in the dark.

There are few pictures more nostalgic than fireflies in a jar. The amount of fireflies captured in this jar is a good amount – it’s not too crowded. Adding some leaves and sticks to perch on, along with a piece of damp paper towel, would make this jar even better.

Fireflies as Night-Lights

In my opinion, and the opinion of Dr. Sara Lewis, it is perfectly fine to collect fireflies in a jar responsibly. It’s great that kids and adults alike want to observe them closely! The best place to observe fireflies is a place with taller or native vegetation, with trees, near a river or stream. Start looking for flashes around dusk. Watch for different flash sequences and see if you can identify different species! Gently catch fireflies with your hand or a net and place them in a large jar with a damp (not sopping wet) piece of paper towel or a small piece of apple. You especially want to include a damp paper towel if your jar lid has “air holes” in it (fireflies can dry out quickly). I recommend letting captured fireflies go in the place you caught them before you leave or go indoors for the night. This is because Iowa does have carnivorous fireflies, and if you accidentally capture them and the kind of fireflies they eat, you will have an all-night feeding frenzy. Not the end of the world, but it can be upsetting. Also as previously mentioned, fireflies can dry out in the jar overnight. Lastly, if you caught the fireflies in a public place like a park, please let them go before you leave so that others can enjoy those fireflies – you don’t want to keep the magic from others.

If you catch fireflies in your own backyard and periodically want to wait until morning to let them go, you can learn ahead of time what the carnivorous firefly looks like and remove them before you go to sleep – they won’t bite and can’t hurt you. Also, don’t collect so many fireflies that they cover the sides of the jar. I remember waking up as a kid with a jar full of dead fireflies on my nightstand and feeling sad and guilty. Not overcrowding the jar and keeping it slightly moist will make firefly collecting a positive experience! Don’t forget to release your overnight guests in the morning in vegetation near where you caught them.

There is a sort of magic that happens when kids catch a firefly for the first time. However, these little jewels are real insects, with real problems we can help solve. We also don’t know much about these shining beetles, and need more community scientists reporting what they see. By reporting firefly sightings, choosing a few light-reducing options, and creating more native and pesticide-free habitats, we can experience the joy of watching fireflies each summer for generations!

More Resources and Fun Links:

Firefly-Friendly Lighting Practices (The Xerces Society).

The Firefly Atlas – Community Science by The Xerces Society.

Firefly Watch – Community Science by Mass Audubon.

Fantastic children’s book: The Very Lonely Firefly.

Dr. Sara Lewis’s website.

The Firefly Experience – an Iowan’s beautiful firefly photography and videos!

What are synchronous fireflies?

What are blue ghost fireflies?

Drainage “Improvements”

by Dan Haug | Jul 31, 2023

Sometimes, cutting down trees and moving earth along a stream is necessary to ensure adequate drainage for crops or prevent destructive flooding. Sometimes, it is necessary to reconnect a stream with its floodplain after centuries of hydrologic alteration, erosion and siltation. Sometimes cutting down trees and moving earth isn’t necessary at all, or could be done in a much smaller footprint. You can’t always tell which is which unless someone who knows the land goes to the trouble of reading dull engineering reports and attending dull meetings.

In 2020, a group of landowners successfully petitioned to reclaim trusteeship of their drainage district from the Clay County Board of Supervisors in order to block what they see as a “huge, costly, and environmentally destructive improvement on Pickerel Run.” I share this story, related by Steve Swan, in hopes it encourages more people to go to the trouble.

-Dan

Drone footage of Pickerel Run (source: pickerelrun.com)

By Steve Swan

Pickerel Run is a tributary of the Little Sioux River, located east of Spencer. Drainage District #37 was formed in 1917 to improve drainage by dredging, straightening and widening parts of this stream. Pickerel Run is unusual in that it has not silted in and in many places is almost twice as wide as originally constructed, and therefore is capable of carrying more water than the original design. These days, fewer farmers are grazing livestock and trees have grown up along the banks. Trees can impede drainage when they fall into the channel or when they grow too close to the normal waterline, so some need to be removed, but most are not causing problems and seem to be stabilizing the bank.

Our understanding of the situation was not reflected in the 2018 report by Bolton & Menk, which took several years to complete and cost over $100,000. Landowners were oblivious to what was going on until the report was done and a $3.6 million improvement was recommended, which would remove all trees within a 300-foot work area, level the spoil banks, and dredge the stream. The engineers were sure that 55,000 acres of land upstream could be annexed once the project was completed and be made to pay a significant portion of the bill. This proposal came at a time when cash rents in Clay County had been falling for several years.

The highlighted stretch of Pickerel Run in included in D.D. 37

In many counties, the county supervisors act as trustees for the drainage districts. Iowa code is clear that trustees are obligated to make repairs if necessary, desirable and feasible. However, Iowa’s drainage laws (Section 468) make easy for engineering firms to initiate a massive drainage project—a single signature on a petition—and very difficult for the landowners who must ultimately pay for the project to stop it once it gets rolling. The remonstrance process requires representation of 70% of the acres and 50% of the owners to vote against the project, with parcels held the government or still in the name of a deceased owner defaulting to count in favor of the project.

Once they found out what was happening, landowners began the remonstrance process, and were assured that time would be given for owners to register their opposition of the project. The supervisors called the remonstrance vote early and an initial reading of the results showed a shortfall of the votes needed to stop the project, but the spreadsheet used to calculate the remonstrance contained many errors. A lawsuit ensued.

Realizing that the supervisors were going to stay their course, landowners took advantage of the law and forced a vote to make the trusteeship of the drainage district private. There were more irregularities and another lawsuit for which our landowners had to pay both sides.

Eventually landowners won control of Pickerel Run/DD#37. After the successful privatization of our district, the “drainage industry” successfully lobbied for an amendment to Iowa Code 468 making it more difficult for other districts to follow suit.

Since the landowner trustees have taken office, a plan has been developed to keep water flowing while still maintaining some of the wonderful habitat that had developed over the past 100 years. Some trees have been cut, but many have been saved. Money is being spent, but much less than what would have been spent. The bed of the creek, which supports five species of native mussels and seventeen species of fish, has been spared a clean sweep by big earth moving equipment. The banks are still a haven to a multitude of wildlife species, including a great blue heron rookery, bald eagles, countless waterfowl, and deer in a sea of corn and soybean fields.

Iowa is a farm state and water does need to drain. Perhaps the simplest and best way to ensure that drainage projects are only done when truly needed would be to amend the threshold required for a remonstrance to stop a project.

My dream would be that all the groups that support quality of life in Iowa would become aware how important Iowa Code Section 468 is to life in Iowa and come together to lobby and oppose self-serving engineering firms in the drainage industry that are mainly looking for additional projects to generate revenue, regardless of damage done.

How to Start Caring About Pollinators: A Guide for Iowans

by Jessica Butters | Jul 14, 2023

Now that the City of Ames has its own Pollinator Plan, we know how the city feels about Iowa’s native pollinators. But what about individual Iowans? We asked three central Iowans from vastly different backgrounds about how they 1) came to appreciate pollinators and wildlife in general, 2) what catalyzed their appreciation into action, and 3) how they stay energized and hopeful for the future of pollinators and our natural environment as a whole. Lori Biederman, Lynn Kellner, and Todd Burras share their journeys with us here.

A trout lily at Brookside Park, where Lori has spearheaded a Plant Corps with Friends of Brookside Park to remove invasive plants.

Lori Biederman – Ames, Iowa

I grew up on a 10-acre hobby farm in southern MN and both of my parents are biologists. I spent much of the summer playing outside. I was tuned into the natural world, but mostly for plants, and did not think too much about insects.

I started appreciating pollinators relatively recently. Although I have two advanced degrees in ecology, my focus has been on plants and the soil. Animals in general were just not my focus area. However, now when I’m outside working at field sites or in my garden, I like noticing the activity of birds and insects around me. This suits me as I get older and cannot move as quickly as I used to; plants don’t mind activity around them, however animals such as pollinators require sitting still and watching.

As an ecologist, my gardening philosophy aligns with my training – plants will sort themselves out to the conditions they like. Because native plants are adapted to local conditions, they are the easiest to grow! Now I have lots of plants to enjoy. My backyard is forested and unmanaged; I buy forest seed every year from Prairie Moon Nursery and spread it around – plants pop up when they are in a good place that matches their sunlight and moisture needs. Right now my backyard is full of purple giant hyssop and it’s covered with various bees, from big bumble bees to small little sweat bees!

I am in despair about the loss of biodiversity, but people can only appreciate what they know. I try to share my excitement about different organisms, and I am also learning new things too, which is always fun!

Lynn Kellner – Des Moines, Iowa

Growing up, my mother always had a yard full of flowers, fed the birds, watched butterflies, and loved the natural world. She was always reading, learning, and sharing. She inspired me, and I count it as one of her greatest gifts to me. No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always had flower gardens, vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and bird feeders, and I’ve learned more as time has passed. I started deeply appreciating pollinators in 1981 when my then 5-year-old daughter and I searched a country road’s ditch for monarch caterpillars for a school project. As the class watched the caterpillars transform to butterflies, we learned all about milkweed, host plants for other moths and butterflies, and learned that some flowers are better than others for supporting bees, wasps, and other insects.

I started to become concerned about insects and bees when I learned about colony collapse disorder. Since then, I’ve become even more interested in pollinators, native plants, and other wildlife. I see myself as a realist, and that’s why I have hope during insect declines and climate change. I believe in the change of seasons, in science, and I believe in the goodness and perseverance of humankind. It may not be a direct line, but we will always keep moving forward.

A longhorn bee in just one of Lynn’s pollinator-friendly gardens.

Todd’s business, Wild Birds Unlimited, Ames, hosts many presentations about our native wildlife.

Todd Burras – Ames, Iowa

I grew up on a farm in north-central Iowa, with parents who took a great interest in birds, animals, insects, trees, and flowers. My dad was very active in implementing soil and water conservation practices, and he and my mom planted many windbreaks, shelterbelts, waterways, and bufferstrips. It was probably inevitable that I would adopt an appreciation for the same things in which my parents were interested.

Many things that raised my curiosity converged to eventually interest me in pollinators. To complete the Story County Master Conservationist program, I started a weekly outdoors page for the Ames Tribune that ran for over 20 years. While I learned about hunting and fishing, I was introduced to federal habitat programs that, while created to help pheasants and waterfowl, had the added benefit of providing habitat for songbirds, butterflies, amphibians, and other wildlife. But it was while learning about the native flowers incorporated in the seed mixes used in these programs that I became interested in prairie and the natural history of Iowa. Through this interest, I was introduced to an entire niche group of prairie enthusiasts that opened my eyes to the wonder of what Iowa was like prior to European settlement. The desire and urgency to learn more and to be actively engaged in conservation practices took root and has been growing ever since.

My wife, Stephanie, and I started supporting wildlife and pollinators by planting trees, shrubs, and flowers – not exclusively native ones at first. We eliminated pesticide use on our property, and Stephanie started keeping honey bees. I know that honey bees can be seen in a negative light, but they really were a “spark” insect that accelerated our interest in learning about and helping other pollinators and wildlife. Lastly, our deepening friendships with other conservation-minded people have been instrumental in our evolution of trying to become better stewards of the land and all creation.

In terms of insect decline and climate change, I’m encouraged when I see people make connections between their favorite birds or butterflies with their specific habitat requirements. Once that connection is made, they begin to understand how they can steward their land to provide for, and hopefully secure a better future for, the wildlife they are interested in and all creatures that play an integral role in the ecosystem. The pollinator project undertaken by Prairie Rivers of Iowa and the City of Ames is going to accelerate these connections for countless residents, and help change the trajectory of how our community grows more environmentally friendly for years to come.

A tiny sweat bee foraging pollen on a native flower, purple prairie clover.

Celebrating 100 Years of the Reed/Niland Corner on the Lincoln Highway in Iowa

by Jeanie Hau | Jul 14, 2023

The Colo Historical Association and Kelsey Reed, manager of Niland’s Café and the Colo Motel, are looking toward the future while celebrating 100 years of the Reed’s Standard Service Station and the Reed/Niland Corner.

The Reed/Niland Corner sits at the crossroads of two transcontinental highways, in the small town of Colo, Iowa. The corner represents the history of auto transportation in the United States of America. This place is where the Lincoln Highway (the West-East motor route officially announced in 1913), and the Jefferson Highway (the North-South motor route officially announced in 1915) meet, join, and eventually separate in the center of the United States.

The Beginning
In 1923, a soft-spoken, kind-hearted, generous man, Charlie Reed needed to supplement his small farming income to support the farm and his mother, whom he cared for until she passed away at 95. He saw an opportunity where the Lincoln and the Jefferson Highways meet, which happened to be at the SE corner of his property. Charlie started selling gas to travelers and set up a small gas station on his property.

He called his station the Lincoln-Jefferson Station (the L & J for short). It was not long before Charlie allowed travelers to camp on his land and to make them more comfortable, he added several “cubby hole” tourist cabins. To feed all of the travelers, Charlie soon started to sell sandwiches and cool beverages next to the small station. There is little chance that Charlie knew at the time that he had just started what was to become known as the traveler’s “one stop.” The corner may hold the claim that it was the first one-stop on the Lincoln Highway in Iowa, and it quickly became one of the first that was open 24 hours as well.

Early days of Reed's Standard Service Station - Colo Historical Association Photo

The Gas Station
The L & J Station relocated to the west side of the one-stop in 1930 (the original location was east of the current motel). Charlie renamed the station Reed’s Standard Red Crown Service Station. The architect of the station is unknown but the design shows design details of the Arts & Crafts movement of the early twentieth century with its awning and pillars.

Charlie’s gas station sold gas, oil, tires, batteries, cigarettes and cigars, soda pop, and candy and until 1940, the station offered oil change and tire repair services.

According to Herb Owens, who interviewed Charlie for the Des Moines Tribune in 1952, the station employed 11 people besides Charlie, had four pumps and served as a bus station for two major bus lines, the Greyhound and the Jefferson. The station was open 24 hours and boasted of a TV in the waiting room with two old leather Morris chairs. Owens says that Charlie liked to hang out at the station watching football or wrestling on the TV or playing checkers at the station on a Sunday afternoon.

Charlie Reed could be seen at the station most days until he passed away on June 26, 1967, at the age of 91. The Station closed and has not been open on a regular basis since then.

The Café
In 1926, Charlie decided to build a building for his lunch sandwiches and located it across from the L & J Station on the south side of the Lincoln-Jefferson Highway and fittingly called it, the L & J Café. Charlie’s nephew, C. Reed Niland helped Charlie run the station and C. Reed’s wife, Florence, ran the café. In 1930, when Charlie moved the Standard station to the west, he relocated the café to the north side of the road at the present-day location, and he enlarged the kitchen and seating areas. He likely renamed the cafe to Niland’s Cafe at this time or some time in the early 1930s. The restaurant would continue to go through small size changes over time.

The café was renamed Niland’s Café. In 1932, C. Reed Niland passed away unexpectedly so another one of Charlie’s nephews, Claire Niland, helped at the station and Clare’s wife, Margaret, ran the café. Later, the husband/wife team took over the café. In 1952, Herb Owens reported that the couple still ran the café and described that there was, “a counter, booths, and a 100-selection jukebox; seven people were employed, and an extra girl worked in the summer.” The café was run by the Nilands until their son John took over and decided to close the café in 1995.

The Motel
The motel also offered a shower house and electricity before other motels along the highway did. Around 1947, Charlie decided to expand the campground and sold the “cubby holes.” He built 21 heated cabins for year-round use. Herb Owens reported in 1952, that there were two chambermaids employed and that Charlie, “loved to handle the rental of the motel space and that repeating guests loved him…he would always give them extra bars of soap and twice as many towels as they needed.”

The Corner
In 1930, when the Jefferson Highway (US 65) was paved from the corner to the north, a sweeping curve was built on the north side, or backside, of the building. This curve created a triangle form of roadways around the buildings. The corner or, “the operations on the triangle,” as Owens called it, had become known as the Reed-Niland Corner. Three generations of the two related Colo families had served auto travelers for more than seventy years because a small, quiet man needed to supplement his income and in doing so had discovered that he enjoyed the interaction and service to others.

Keeping the Historic Corner Historic
In 1995, the Reed/Niland Corner became the property of the City of Colo. The Colo Development Group was formed and appointed to plan a renovation to preserve the history of the corner and plan for the operation of the café and motel. A Des Moines architectural firm was hired. It was decided that the station, the café, and the motel would be restored to a 1940s-1950s design. A pedestrian walk was added to the corner with several interpretive signs to tell the Reed/Niland story. The project cost nearly $1 million including $663,000 in grant funding from the Iowa Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Enhancement Funding, plus about $270,000 in local donations.

Reed’s Standard Service Station and Niland’s Café were renovated in 2003, and the motel finished renovations by 2008. You cannot get gas at Reed’s but it is now a museum outfitted with vintage Red Crown gas pumps, the original cash register, and other small items left from the working station. Signs for the bus station and the historic Lincoln and Jefferson Highways can be found inside. The station museum was only open to visitors by request or during special events until recently. Several bus tours and many visitors from nearby and abroad have stopped by the restaurant and received a special tour of the Station.

History inside the Reed's Standard Service Station.

The Future
The Reed-Niland corner is not currently on the Register of Historic Places. With the rich history and significance as a one-stop and unique crossing of the Lincoln and Jefferson transcontinental highways, there is a real possibility for a listing in the future.

Early in 2022, the Reed Station was opened to visitors by the Colo Historical Association as their local history museum. The Association’s main focus is displaying the history in and throughout Colo including but not limited to Lincoln & Jefferson Highways, the railroad, the Reed-Niland Corner, and all of the local Colo history. The following is a statement from the Association:

“With the Reed-Niland Corner being a complete one-stop complex left in the Nation along the Lincoln Highway, the museum has been pleasingly overwhelmed with the number of visitors and their wonderful comments and support for having the Station opened to view, not only for the station history and artifacts but those of the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways, Niland Café & Colo Motel, the nearby railroad and our vast local Colo history!”

“Each month we have several visitors at the Station from all over Iowa. Many also visit Niland’s Café next door. We have had several visitors stop as they pass through, traveling the Lincoln Highway as a specially planned trip. The Station had many out-of-state visitors in June as we hosted a food stop for the Jefferson Highway Caravan as they traveled to their annual conference in Mason City, Iowa. As the new school year approaches, the Historical Association will be reaching out to our local schools to schedule tours to share with the younger generation the most interesting history and stories from the past!”

Kelsey Reed (no relation to Charlie) holds the current lease for managing Niland’s Café and the Colo Motel. Kelsey says that it was a fluke that she found the management posting on Facebook and that she was only expecting to be the manager of a restaurant where the menu was already set, the employees in place, and building repairs were not her responsibility. She was excited when she found out that she could make her own menu, set her own hours and make the changes she sees to become successful. Kelsey had run her own restaurant in Baxter, Kelsey’s Kitchen, for two years and didn’t want to close that location, but managing two restaurants was not an option for a single mother of a ten-year-old boy, Jaxon.

Kelsey said that for the restaurant, she had to do some deep cleaning, a slight remodel and update the wiring when she took over management. She is a bit frustrated going into the heated days of July with only air conditioning in the dining room. The windows of the building are very old and there is likely no insulation, so the kitchen can be unbearable on these warm summer days. She found two experienced cooks John Fritz (retired owner of the Country House) and Jessica McKinney who have worked as a team with the menu and processes. Travelers can expect a traditional homemade dining experience that includes homemade pies and hot beef sandwiches. Reed would also like everyone to know, “I have had great support from the community and welcome any and all ideas to continue to make the business successful.”

The motel’s six rooms rent out per night, week, or month. Reed says that she is almost completely booked out until winter with many of her customers being construction workers, migrant workers, and travelling nurses. Additionally, the City of Colo manages four apartments on the corner.

100 Years of the Reed-Niland Corner Celebrations

To celebrate the 100 years since Charlie Reed began serving gas to travelers on the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways, the Colo Historical Association hosted an open house at the Reed Station Museum in June. Visitors ranged from local citizens to a caravan of motorcyclists who took cover under Charlie’s awning and visited with the historians.

I gathered a great deal of historical information from the museum and was shown the curious “bat” the station attendants used for protection (a deer’s leg fashioned with a handle for “handling”). My husband and I also frequented Niland’s Café for the first time and I ordered my standard café order of a hot beef sandwich and slice of pie. It was the best hot beef sandwich I have ever had, and the pie was great too!

No one can say that Kelsey Reed is not on board with celebrating the history of the Reed-Niland Corner. From the photographs, she looks at every day on the walls of the café to the postcards she sells and the celebration that she has planned for the corner on Saturday, August 5th. Reed’s Service Station Museum will be open as well.

The celebration will feature a band from noon until three and food specials outdoors as Charlie did back in 1923. They’ll be slinging burgers and hot dogs in addition to the regular menu. The kitchen closes at 8 p.m. and the bar will remain open until 11.

Find the full details here.

The Colo History Museum/Reed Station is open the last Saturday and Sunday of every month from 10-2 and for special events.

Niland’s Café and the Colo Motel are located at 24 Lincoln Hwy in Colo.

Café hours May 1– Oct 31: Tues-Fri 11-8, Sat 8-8, Sunday 8-2 , Nov-April closes, at 7 p.m.

Morel rooms can be reserved in advance by calling 641-377-3662.

Nearby recreation can be found at the Colo Bogs Wildlife Management Area less than a mile to the east on the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, and at Story County Conservation’s 445-acre park Hickory Grove Park which includes a 98-acre lake featuring fishing, swimming, canoeing, picnicking, and camping.

Thank you to the Colo Historical Association for the history and to Herb Owens, for the article he wrote in the January 25, 1952, Des Moines Tribune.

Tallgrass Prairie – A View from the Fly on the Gall

by Jessica Butters | Jul 13, 2023

The North American Prairie Conference was a big conference (638 people from 24 states and 2 countries) but not all the sessions dealt with big mammals, tall grasses, and wide open spaces. During a break from working the registration table, I caught some delightful talks by MJ Hatfield and Chris Helzer about the tiny creatures you can meet and the stories you can learn if you “walk slow, look close, and be curious” – MJ Hatfield.

Howdy! I’m a goldenrod gall fly (formally, Eurosta solidaginis). Have you ever seen flower stems with an odd, ball-shaped growth? These round growths are called galls, and if you’ve seen one on goldenrod, I may have been the architect that created it. But what exactly is a gall? To me, a gall is a highly specific and comfy nursery, created with a little hijacking (picture to the left © MJ Hatfield).

A gall can be about anywhere on a plant, including flowers and leaves, and are created by hijacking the plant’s hormones. You read that right. I’m a hormone hijacker. In spring, before I was born, my mother inserted her egg (me!) into the goldenrod’s stem. Later, when I hatched into a larva inside the goldenrod, I started eating the inside of the stem. My saliva contains chemicals that trick the plant into thinking the saliva is its own hormones. My saliva signals the goldenrod to grow more tissue in the feeding area (or nursery, as I like to call it). The goldenrod ends up creating a beautiful, round nursery. In short, I’ve built my very own gall. I’ll eat and grow in this goldenrod gall throughout the summer until fall. In autumn, I chew a tunnel near the outside of the gall and then pupate, waiting until spring to emerge. But how the heck am I supposed to get out of the gall?!

This is where it gets seriously interesting. I have an air bag like structure on my head between my eyes. I inflate this air bag against the gall, and bam! I break through, seeing the outside world for the first time. Also, this whole process doesn’t hurt the goldenrod. It nearly always flowers like normal and continues enjoying life as a goldenrod plant.

My species can’t survive in any other plant. Because I’m a weak flier, I will probably stay in the same neighborhood that I grew up in. I hope nothing happens to this patch of goldenrod…I’m not sure if I could make it to a different prairie patch. Maybe if there were more prairie plantings, it wouldn’t be so drastic if changes came to my neighborhood. The prairie restorations could act as a safety net.

Goldenrod gall with gall fly, by MJ Hatfield

As the goldenrod gall fly, my entire life and future requires the presence of goldenrod. And I’m not the only one! At least two moth species also make galls on goldenrod. There are quite a few bees that rely solely on goldenrod pollen. You might think we are picky, but can you imagine how hard it is to find a home that you can not only live in, but also eat? And us gall flies have to develop specific chemicals in order to hijack specific plant hormones to even make our home and food. It’s very complicated, and we can’t just change all that with a snap of our wings!

Stiff leaf goldenrod, photo credit Dan Haug

Many people now know that monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed, and are planting gardens with milkweed to help them. That’s great, but monarch butterflies are not the only insect that needs a certain plant for food or shelter. Sawtooth sunflower has four different species of gall-forming insects that dependent upon it. The blue sage bee requires pollen it can only get from blue sage flowers. Swallowtail butterflies rely on plants in the carrot family (such as golden alexander). Make room for a diverse prairie planting and you could be supporting ten times as many species of insects, many of them so small or well-camouflaged that few people have ever met them!

Tallgrass Prairie – A Butterfly’s View

by Dan Haug | Jul 13, 2023

The tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres, and at the 2023 North American Prairie Conference, I was reminded of that continental scale. Between assisting presenters with technology, I heard sessions about protecting orchids in the aspen-prairie parkland of Manitoba, time lapse photography along the Platte River in Nebraska, surveying insects in Alabama’s “Black Belt”, restoring spring wildflowers on the Kankakee Sands of Indiana, and building out the native seed supply chain in South Dakota, as well as lots of good information from friends and colleagues in Iowa. The following are a few insights I picked up from the conference, written from a butterfly’s perspective.

Hi, I’m a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Like the meadowlark, I continued to thrive in Iowa long after the prairie was broken. For me, the tipping point was when GMO soybeans and copious use of herbicides replaced “walking the beans” as a method for weed control. No more milkweed in farm fields! Like the meadowlark, I’m a strong flier and not too picky about my habitat, but I’ve got two pairs of eyes (two compound eyes and two ocelli) so my perspective is a little different!

Monarchs on meadow blazingstar, photo credit Monarch Butterfly Garden

For me, it’s all about the forbs—broad-leaved herbaceous plants. I know, you can’t have grassland without grasses, but I need milkweeds to feed my caterpillars and nectar-producing flowers to drink. I’m visit whatever flowers are blooming (I’ll even use non-native forage plants like red clover and weeds like musk thistle) but since Dr. Benedict and his students are asking, yes, I do have some favorites. In addition to milkweeds, I’m partial to plants in the sunflower family, which have heads packed with nectar-producing, short tubed flowers that make for easy sipping. At the Central College prairie, compassplant (Silphium laciniatum) is my top choice, but that’s just because you don’t have any meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulostylis). As native plant nurseries and seed producers can attest, we monarchs go nuts for that!

In some remnant prairies, we’ve seen the forbs get crowded out by aggressive grasses like big bluestem and switchgrass. It’s even worse in restored prairies that used too much grass in the seed mix—we see this with older CRP plantings. On the other hand, a seed mix without any native grasses won’t have all the functions of a prairie and won’t hold up well against invasive weeds. In an intact prairie, the big warm-season grasses are important, but they’re kept in check by a combination of fire and grazing—the fire makes the grass green up and then the bison chow down! Hemiparasitic plants like lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata) and bastard toadflax (Commandra umbellata) also set back the grass by sending a modified root into the grass roots and sucking out their juices. Prairie isn’t just a collection of native plants, it’s a web of relationships!

Few reconstructed prairies have bison or hemiparasitic plants, so check out this NRCS publication for other ideas to increase forb diversity in grass-dominated stands.

If you’re starting from scratch, be sure to use a seed mix like CP25 or CP42 that includes plenty of native flowers. We’re happy to learn that over 600,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have been planted with these mixes.

Iowa can be an inhospitable place for an insect, but thanks in large part to the efforts of the Tallgrass Prairie Center at UNI and the Iowa DOT’s Living Roadway Trust Fund, we have a better supply of native seeds than many other states, and many miles of roadside ditches planted to prairie. Next step, find some more room for prairie plantings on farms and in cities!

NAPC field trip to Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge

This article is based on sessions presented by Laura Jackson (University of Northern Iowa), Tom Rosburg (Drake University), Russell Benedict (Central College), Justin Meissen (University of Northern Iowa), Brian Wilsey (Iowa State University), and James Cronin (USDA-NRCS).

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