prairies

(Scene near Tipton, on the Missouri Prairies,) Blacksmithing in the Ar...

A group of soldiers, one relaxing in foreground, one stoking a fire, and two putting shoes on horses. Signed lower left margin: A.S. Leclerc. Title inscribed below image. Note on mat indicates that A.S. Leclerc... More

Bull Snake on tracks west of St. Mary's Station

A group of men working on the tracks west of the St. Mary's Station. They are looking at a large bull snake on the tracks. ..1905.black and white photograph .Physical Condition Excellent .Acquisition source Ano... More

Asclepias welshii (6306865159)

Asclepias welshii

Bear River MBR Sunset June 12 2021 (51555316263)

Sunset at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Tour Route June 12, 2021 Photo: Sandra Uecker\USFWS Summer at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah

Colorado River Basin (51277700664)

Electrofishing boat during an endangered fish monitoring expedition within the Colorado River Basin led by the Grand Junction Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in 2016. Photo: USFWS

Graham’s beardtongue (9421872167)

Graham’s beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) is a perennial plant known from the Uintah Basin in Utah and Colorado. This species is susceptible to impacts from energy exploration and development, as well as the c... More

Great Blue Heron Bear River MBR (52101378695)

A Great Blue Heron seen on the Bear River MBR tour Route. Photo: Sandra Uecker\USFWS

Leadville National Fish Hatchery (4857683808)

Credit: Stephanie Raine/ USFWS

Least Chipmunk at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (51539656856)

Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Mills Lake (51330012862)

Mills Lake, Rocking Mountain National Park, Colorado - site of a Bozeman Fish Health Center fish health survey in 2017. Photo: Tammy Weiss/USFWS

Muskrat Grooming (20820456844)

Marsh wrens squabble amongst themselves as a plump muskrat grooms himself. Muskrats make underwater trails through marshes that they continue to use through the winter. Muskrats also build feeding platforms i... More

Morning View on the Refuge (50563309156)

Want to snap beautiful photos on a National Wildlife Refuge? Get out at sunrise! Fall mornings on the National Elk Refuge are frosty and cold, making the air crisp and clear for beautiful scenic views. Photo:... More

Northern River Otter Eating White Sucker on Seedskadee NWR (2298453544...

What did you have for your Thanksgiving meal? This northern river otter was feasting on white suckers at Seedskadee NWR. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Prairie Dog Pups (4818835713)

Prairie dog mothers give birth to litters of 1 to 8 babies in April or May. Look for the pups playing around their burrows when you visit Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in the spring. Photo Cr... More

Radio-collared Mountain Lion

Mountain lions are present on the west end of Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and a study is currently underway to learn more about these big cats. Credit: USFWS Français : Un puma (Puma concolor)... More

Rufous hummingbird at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (51354928012...

Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Sunrise over the National Elk Refuge (50855665623)

Taking in the sights, sounds, or feel of sunrise can truly be a moment to remember forever. A spectacular sunrise like the one in this photo stops us in our tracks. The gentle pastel tones eases our eyes into t... More

Swainson's Hawk (15127252617)

Swainson's hawks have one of the longest migration routes of raptors. They spend the winter in Argentina and migrate back to western North America for the summer, a roundtrip journey of up to 17,000 miles. Ph... More

Trumpeter Swan Pair on Seedskadee NWR (24191786736)

Standing tall to get a better view. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Waterfowl at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (6432465937)

Credit: Dan Severson / USFWS

Visiting Saratoga National Fish Hatchery (14096775263)

In April of 2014, regional office employees visited Saratoga National Fish Hatchery to learn more about its efforts towards recovering the Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri). The hatchery adopted a unique role in beco... More

Wyoming Toad Habitat (5375677999)

Saratoga Fish Hatchery biologist take samples of the toads natural habitat for analysis. Credit: USFWS

Wyoming Toads (5375679443)

Credit: USFWS

Bald Eagle (8601174760)

The lands of Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge were established to protect and provide habitat for migratory birds that cross State lines and international borders and are by law a Federal trust responsibili... More

Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (12910991124)

Sage grouse. Photo by Keith Penner

Colorado River Near Fisher Towers (51275807457)

Colorado River near Fisher Towers, photographed during an endangered fish survey led by the Grand Junction Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. Photo: USFWS

Dr. Paula Kahumbu, wildlife conservationist and CEO of WildlifeDirect,...

Photo Credit: Gavin Shire / USFWS USFWS ivory crush at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge on November 14, 2013

Eagle in a Tree (50779484477)

Eagles are commonly spotted perched high up in cottonwood trees or on telephone poles during the winter months on the National Elk Refuge. Photo: Kari Cieszkiewicz/USFWS Scenes from the National Elk Refuge

Exhibit in Visitor Center (9160093509)

A new exhibit in the Visitor Center features exhibits on wetland and grassland habitat, migratory birds, night life of the refuge, John James Audubon, Refuge history, and more. Credit: USFWS

Franklin's Gulls (14168651634)

The Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is found across the prairies. This gull will follow as farmers work their fields in order to make easy pickings of the worms, grubs, insects, and mice that are exposed... More

Full Moon On The Refuge (8453443601) (2)

We get some amazing sunrises at the Refuge. You can see why Montana is nicknamed "Big Sky Country!" Credit: USFWS

Great Blue Heron in Flight (4818819823)

Great blue herons are frequently seen wading along the shores of the lakes at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, searching for a meal. Photo Credit: Rich Keen / DPRA

Great Horned Owl (4819455826)

Great horned owls have excellent night vision and are able to turn their heads more than 180 degrees. Photo Credit: Rich Keen / DPRA

Great Horned Owl (15290759696)

A great horned owl is seen perched on a log at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Photo Credit: USFWS

Guest speakers prepare to load ivory into the crusher (10861112073)

Left to right: Dan Ashe - Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Judith Garber - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scient... More

Krider's red-tailed hawk (16197071607)

Credit: Rick Bohn

Northern Pintails in Flight (5197275166)

Northern Pintails in flight over Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. Credit: J. Kelly, from 2008 photo contest.

Partridge Pair near Green Lake (17616529706)

These gray partridge (Perdix perdix) were tough to spot under the trees along a wetland that was being surveyed for duck pairs in McIntosh County, North Dakota. Partridge are a game species that was introduced... More

Pied-billed Grebe (17719406698)

Pied-billed Grebes have also been referred to as "helldivers" for their knack at diving and "apparent" lack of resurfacing. They have the ability to trap water in their feathers, giving them control over their ... More

Rainy Spring Morning (14383452092)

A robin keeps watch outside the administrative offices as elk browse in the background at the National Elk Refuge. Credit: Lori Iverson / USFWS

Ready to Take Flight (4819447648)

Bald eagles fly at about 30 mph and can reach speeds of up to 100 mph when diving. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army / Rich Keen, DPRA Inc.

Red-eared Slider (21660392215)

Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

Rufous hummingbird at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (51354920727...

Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Short-Eared Owl on Seedskadee NWR (24005631946)

A short-eared owl on Seedskadee NWR has just caught and eaten a meadow vole during the last light of dusk. As the temperatures will drop well below zero this night, a full meal of a meadow vole will help it t... More

Sublette Range rising out of Cokeville's meadows (20691700971)

The tail end of the Sublette Range rises above the town of Cokeville, north of the sea of wet meadows in the Bear River Valley. K. Theule/USFWS

Sunrise on Lake Ladora (15063655666)

A landscape photo of the sun rising over Lake Ladora won first place in 2012. Photo Credit: Dennis Fluman

Sunrise on Sleeping Indian Pond at Jackson National Fish Hatchery (497...

Photo:Liz Sunshine/USFWS Jackson National Fish Hatchery

The Splits! (14168644684)

This yellow-headed blackbird is perched rather awkwardly between two cattail stems. The female of this species is not nearly as brightly colored. She will weave a nest into the cattails, reeds, or rushes over s... More

Unnamed (15668125427)

Great Blue Heron standing on a grassy bank between two water bodies. Entrant in Bear River Refuge 2014 photo contest in bird life category. Photo Credit: Michelle Rochette / USFWS

Watching bird 00

Polski: Zdjęcie ma przedstawiać grupę młodzieży w terenie, obserwującą osobliwości przyrodnicze (drzewa/ rośliny/ zwierzę) (ujęcie wykonane w sposób uniemożliwiający rozpoznanie twarzy) This image was uplo... More

Western honeybee gathers pollen from rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria na...

A western honeybee gathers pollen from rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Tom Koerner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Western Meadowlark Sings of Spring (13695556664)

It's April 6th and spring is upon us! This meadowlark is the state bird of North Dakota (and many other states), and makes its nest on the ground in prairie and pastures. Photo Credit: Krista Lundgren/USFWS

Wetlands (9160120469)

Scenery and wildlife and Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. Credit: USFWS

Cottonwood Creek, Sunday April 10th 1859

Drawing shows a man sketching while seated on a saddle and horse blanket in a field. Cows and horses graze in the tall grass to the left. In the distance, upon the horizon, is a log cabin to the right and tents... More

Badlands, South Dakota - Carol M. Highsmith photo. Public domain image...

Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, United States preserves 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United Stat... More

A bunch of tall grass with a cloudy sky in the background. Grass tall ...

Tall grass with a cloudy sky in the background / Tall grass against a cloudy sky public domain stock photo.

Public domain stock image. Cattails reeds plant.

Workmen's ranche [sic], on Alum Creek, Kansas, 7 miles east of Fort Ha...

Kansas stereoscopic card. Robert Dennis's stereographs collection includes more than 72,000 stereoscopic views organized primarily by geography. The collection bears the name of the native New Yorker who assem... More

A Frosty Morning (49704479738)

Observing a sunrise on the National Elk Refuge is truly a memorable experience. Photo: Kari Cieszkiewicz/USFWS Scenes from the National Elk Refuge

American Bison (25107718492)

Taken at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, just outside of Denver, Colorado. Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

American Bittern at Cokeville Meadows NWR (21416937786)

K. Theule / USFWS

Asclepias welshii 1

Asclepias welshii

Bald Eagles on Seedskadee NWR (24028046510)

Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Baldhill Dam NFH (49525886308)

Aerial of the Baldhill Dam NFH and Lake Ashtabula, ND

Bird Quilt (25903314073)

A photo quilt composed of bird photos taken on National Wildlife Refuges in Region 6, Mountain Prairie Region, USFWS. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Bison at the Arsenal (16627847363)

This female's patience began to wear thin as several cars stopped to snap photos of her as she munched on forage mere feet from the road. Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (12910455033)

Striped skunk kits. Photo by Keith Penner

Common Tern (17640376202)

This tern hovers, watching for an unsuspecting minnow or other small morsel, over the Bender Waterfowl Production Area in the Kulm Wetland Management District, North Dakota. Photo Credit: Krista Lundgren/USFWS

Dot-tailed Whiteface (9167013599)

Leucorrhinia intacta commonly found on the Refuge near wetland habitat. Credit: Bob Danley/USFWS

Eggs in upwelling jars (9161982126)

Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in North Dakota. Credit: USFWS

Gadwall Brood (13107592793)

A brood of gadwall under the care of the mom at Bowdoin NWR. Credit: USFWS

Hatchery Crew at Work (50539610553)

Paddlefish stocking is typically a two-week endeavor at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery (Yankton, SD). Most years 50,000 to 100,000 10-12" fish have to be harvested from rearing ponds and trucked up to 200... More

Hoary Puccoon (14258043857)

This perennial native wildflower is found blooming in high-quality native prairies during April and May. Each flower produces four nutlets (seeds). This flower was used to make dye by Native Americans. Photo C... More

Interpretation sign (9162337560)

Scenery and wildlife and Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. Credit: USFWS

Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge sign (9160674012)

Credit: USFWS

Louis Bacon donating Historic Conservation Easement in Sangre de Crist...

Louis Bacon donating Historic Conservation Easement in Sangre de Cristo Mountains, In June 2012. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mounta... More

Monarch caterpillar at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (5137123449...

Monarch caterpillar feeds on showy milkweed at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Monarch caterpillar at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (5137124316...

Monarch caterpillar feeds on showy milkweed at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Muskrat on Seedskadee NWR (23322272692)

Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

National Elk Refuge (49592974761)

Wetland habitat is critical for migratory birds. In the winter months, this wetland area is frequented by Trumpeter Swans, Northern Pintails, Mallards, Buffleheads, and Goldeneyes. Photo: Gannon Castle/USFWS S... More

Northern Shoveler Ducklings (8455945147)

Northern Shoveler ducklings. The lands of the refuge were established to protect and provide habitat for migratory birds that cross State lines and international borders and are by law a Federal trust responsi... More

Pasque Flower - Kulm WMD (17026070569)

These small, but hardy flowers are some of the first to appear on the prairies of North Dakota in the spring. Photo Credit: Krista Lundgren/USFWS

Ponderosa Pine and winter understory (16156982631)

The Ponderosa Pine at the Wildlife Viewing Area average 105 years of age. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, SW Montana, USA.

Prairie Smoke (8206390634)

This beautiful native prairie flower is called Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum). As you can see, it was named for its feathery flowers which resemble a puff of pink smoke. Credit: Neil Shook / USFWS (2012)

Pronghorn at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (51374451463)

Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Sagebrush sparrow at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (51535093082)

Photo: Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Sunrise Views (51132941272)

Mornings on the National Elk Refuge give us all of the feels. The drama of the sun keeps us coming back for more. Photo: Kari Cieszkiewicz/USFWS Scenes from the National Elk Refuge

The drop-off (23495956000)

This is the sixth in a series of seven photos that show a research project on the National Elk Refuge related to bighorn sheep health and monitoring. After researchers finished their health assessments and coll... More

Trout Slide (9518199084)

Our trout go through a crazy transition stage when they are released into a new area. Here is what they see coming down the pickup tube and into a new raceway. Photo Credit: Spencer Neuharth / USFWS

Trudging through the Snow (23397440346)

A group of buffalo trudge across the landscape at the National Elk Refuge. Credit: Lori Iverson / USFWS

USFWS is sending a clear message that the nation will not tolerate wil...

Photo Credit: Gavin Shire / USFWS USFWS ivory crush at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge on November 14, 2013

Wetland at Air Force Base (51252288807)

Wetland at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota during 2016 wetland surveys. Photo: Daniel James/USFWS

White tailed deer at sunrise Lacreek NWR (14099427360)

A white-tailed deer backlit by the rising sun at Lacreek NWR. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Youngin's (22315999049)

Two young kits peek out from their burrow. Black-footed ferrets are one of the nation's most endangered mammals. Thanks to recovery efforts, however, their numbers are bouncing back. Credit: USFWS

Coyote-clown of the prairies - Public domain book illustration

(DLC/PP-1934:0119). Forms part of: Cabinet of American illustration (Library of Congress). Published in: Watched by wild animals / Enos A. Mills. New York : Doubleday, Page & Co., 1922, p. 69.

Workmen's ranche [sic], on Alum Creek, Kansas, 7 miles east of Fort Ha...

Kansas stereoscopic card. Robert Dennis's stereographs collection includes more than 72,000 stereoscopic views organized primarily by geography. The collection bears the name of the native New Yorker who assem... More

A Teton View (50722875256)

The area photographed is an excellent wildlife corridor, bridging Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge. Just out of site of this photo is the Gros Ventre River, which creates a natural boundary... More

American Bison (24595337504)

Taken at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, just outside of Denver, Colorado. Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (10599939913)

Credit: Seth Willey / USFWS

Bison at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (23536853501)

Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS