Wildlife of Riverside and Kalona, Iowa: Summer Insects and Farmland Life

This area of rural Washington County in eastern Iowa, around Riverside and Kalona near the Iowa River, is a mix of farmland, gardens, wooded edges and fresh water. The author's sightings are mostly insects and other small animals: a Giant Burrowing Mayfly by water, a Hieroglyphic Cicada, Monarch Butterflies and Japanese Beetles in gardens and fields, plus American Toad, Eastern Cottontail and Eastern Gray Squirrel. The author visited on six days in July and August and logged most finds at midday and in the afternoon, with a couple at dusk and one after dark, when a Chinese Mantis turned up. August produced the most sightings. This is a virtual guide written by someone who has watched wildlife here, not a tour. You get the author's notes on each species and can message the author with questions about timing and habitats. Wildlife is wild, and sightings are never guaranteed.