Prairie

Last week I visited the Chippewa Prairie out near Lac Qi Parle.  This prairie has been grazed but never tilled.  The topsoil goes down more than 5 feet.  The diversity of plants and animals is very high.  As we walked through the prairie picking off wood ticks, bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks, and grass hopper sparrows graced us with their presence.  I've never lived on a prairie.  One advantage there is you can see storms coming hours before they arrive.  Trees don't get in the way of your view of the clouds nor the stars.

Prairie smoke is still blooming here although all the seeds have flown away.

There is lots of beauty here on the prairie but now that I have studied the 3 major biomes of Minnesota I have to say that an oak savannah holds the most interest in my search of natural beauty.