Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge Complex Lake Andes NWR, Lake Andes WMD, Karl E. Mundt NWR

crawfish/crawdad are found on six out of seven continent-- seventh being Antarctica? Commonly found in streams and lak...
08/31/2026

crawfish/crawdad are found on six out of seven continent-- seventh being Antarctica? Commonly found in streams and lakes, these lobster relatives can be found under rocks and logs in the water. While many different species of crawfish can come in a variety of colors, this one has excellent camouflage to blend in with the rocks of the streambed. Crawfish should be mating soon, as they will mate in the fall and lay eggs in the spring. The female will carry the eggs under her tail for safe keeping. Keep your eyes out as you explore streams and lakes around you!

Photo of a crawfish/crawdad in shallow water by Marcie Button/USFWS

to this slide from August 1978 of an eared grebe colony nesting area on the North unit of Lake Andes NWR. These birds...
08/27/2026

to this slide from August 1978 of an eared grebe colony nesting area on the North unit of Lake Andes NWR. These birds like to nest in shallow lakes or wetlands that don't have many trees. Attaching their nest to the surrounding vegetation, they create a "floating" nesting platform. Eared grebes can lay 1-8 eggs and the eggs are white in color. Once their chicks are born, they can climb, swim and eat within one hour of hatching!

Photo slide from 1978 of multiple eared grebe floating nests on Lake Andes NWR by USFWS

If you've been on our Owens Bay Nature Trail this summer, you might have caught a glimpse of the American mink that call...
08/25/2026

If you've been on our Owens Bay Nature Trail this summer, you might have caught a glimpse of the American mink that call the prairie ponds their home. Resembling a brown ferret, these wild creatures are slender and cunning hunters. They feast on fish, small mammals, eggs, birds, frogs and crustaceans. Mink are semi-aquatic mammals meaning they spend a lot of their time in the water hunting but they do live in dens on land and will hunt shorelines or wetland edges for food.

Trail camera photo of an American mink on the shoreline of the prairie pond along the Owens Bay Nature Trail by USFWS

08/23/2026

porcupines can be found across the prairie landscape? They just aren't as abundant as say in a forested area. Down on the Karl E. Mundt NWR, we have plenty of trees to intice a porcupine to dine on. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves and bark. Which, if a porcupine eats enough bark off one tree, it could actually make the tree fall down!

Video of a porcupine walking on the Karl E. Mundt NWR by Liz Julian/USFWS

Prairie ironweed, or just ironweed, is another lovely addition to your native prairie garden. Primarily attracting skipp...
08/19/2026

Prairie ironweed, or just ironweed, is another lovely addition to your native prairie garden. Primarily attracting skipper butterflies, it is also a larval host plant for the American painted lady butterfly! They can get very tall, up to 6 feet! Blooming time occurs in the heart of summer, July, August, and September. Add some desirable purple to your garden!

Photo of blooming ironweed by Marcie Button/USFWS

08/17/2026

🐝This bumble isn't entertaining the spiders nonsense. While the spider tries to shoo away the bee with its legs, the bee plays the game right back without missing a nectar beat. Some species of spiders will choose a flower for it's home base of waiting patiently for it's prey to come visit the sweet nectar. Since their eyes are not as big as their stomach, they know what insects are the eating kind and the annoying neighbor kind. You never know what drama you'll find on flowers. 🕷️

Video of a spider smacking a bumble bee from it's white prairie cone flower home by Liz Julian/USFWS

Aptly named, the pincushion cactus can be found across our district but because of it's size, you have to take your time...
08/15/2026

Aptly named, the pincushion cactus can be found across our district but because of it's size, you have to take your time looking around to see it. Blooming time ends in August so see if you can locate any blossoms of bright pink on the ground. The plants are white and woolly when in their younger age which seems opposite of humans. They also can be formed into multiple spherical tubercles with many spines. Be careful and don't touch!

Photo of a pincushion cactus on Broken Arrow WPA by Kate Lahr/USFWS

to this slide from 1984 of a black-crowned night heron in a tree on Owens Bay. A shorter heron, these unique birds hav...
08/13/2026

to this slide from 1984 of a black-crowned night heron in a tree on Owens Bay. A shorter heron, these unique birds have red eyes and a long white plum on their head. You can tell the adults apart by the color of their bill, adult bills are all black where immatures have a yellow-black bill. Even though their name is based on their nightly foraging habits, they do grace our presence in all hours of the day. Dawn and dusk are always perfect times to go birding for all species however. Keep your eyes peeled along the shorelines of Lake Andes lake and our wetlands.

Photo slide from 1984 of a black-crowned night heron by USFWS

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38471 291st Street
Lake Andes, SD
57356

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+16054877603

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