In the prairie (and no little house to be found)
This morning I had prairie class for my naturalist class. One of the defining characteristics of a prairie is the lack of trees.
Lack of trees means no shade. And it was very hot today.
As with all my classes so far, I learned the importance of this particular eco-system. I suppose most people (including myself) would just look at it and think “oh a field. hmm.” or maybe wonder why someone isn’t growing corn there.
Turns out there are many species of animals that live there and it also important for erosion control & water issues.
Who knew?
Here are some folks in my class. They are all hot and wanting a drink of water right about now.
Here is the instructor standing in some of the taller grasses. This prairie is newer so the plants are not real tall. Over time they can grow to be 8-10 feet. Historical accounts tell of people getting lost in prairies because they are so tall.
Unfortunately most of those have been turned into farm land or housing developments. There are people working on reconstructing those or like this park, creating new areas.
We saw a ton of different flowers and grasses in this small area. My head was overflowing with info by the end of class!
