Tallgrass Kansas to share and explore

Painting some rock outcroppings 

Red-winged blackbirds can be seen in the flint hills tallgrass

A collared lizard will become part of the program

Tools of the trade...

Preparing for a visit to the Flint Hills Discovery Center (Manhattan, Kansas) this weekend. I'll be giving a children's program there on Saturday, July 28th, at 1:30pm.  I've added to a large mural I travel with, to better represent the tallgrass prairie of the flint hills area. The grasslands I know of Iowa don't have the abundant limestone outcroppings that the tallgrass in Kansas did (and does). The rockiness made it tougher,  less desireable for the european settlers to plow, a blessing for 21st century citizens as much of this tallgrass remains undisturbed because of this. I plan to learn as much as I share!

The kids and I will color and create a multi-foot long prairie of our own. Come and take a peek!

Here's a link to the Flint Hills Discovery Center of Manhattan, Kansas.

 Flint Hills Discovery Center

Illustrations in giant full bloom!

Last summer, I worked on a project that involved many illustrations from the Tallgrass Prairie ABC book, and new ones, too. Now this work is part of the main lobby and children's area exhibits in a new natural history museum in Manhattan, Kansas. The Flint Hills Discovery Center opened it's door April 14th, and now interprets the beautiful native prairie (similar to our own Iowa Tallgrass) in a lovely, spacious facility. My work was enlarged into a big mural. You can see it on the mezzanine that surrounds the lobby. Don't let 8 foot-high Greater prairie chickens scare you off!

Here's a photo of the mural taken by Kansan studio Szel Photography. It's the first I've seen of the finished interior. Looks fabulous! I can' t wait to go down in early summer to see the place in person.

Thanks to the Szels for letting me post their photo:
http://www.szelphotography.com/site

More information on the new Center:
http://www.flinthillsdiscovery.org