The Prairie Ecologist

I spent a couple days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve this week. I’ll be back again next week for our plant identification/habitat workshop on Tuesday May 19 (9am-2:30pm). If you’re interested in joining us for that (it’s free!), it’s not too late to sign up. Just email Kate (kate.samuelson@tnc.org) to RSVP. There might even be some housing available on the preserve if you act fast!

The prairie is just waking up in the Sandhills. The dry spring hasn’t helped much, but things are starting to bloom here and there. This week’s warm temperatures are speeding up growth and the weekend shows at least some chances of rain, which would really help. Still, there was plenty to see, even if we had to search a little to find flowers.

Hairy puccoon (*Lithospermum carolinense*)

Great Plains bladder-pod (*Physaria ludoviciana*)

Some of the early prairie sedges were already done blooming. These are some of the most abundant plants in the mixed-grass prairie, but often overlooked. They’re easiest to see and identify when they have flowers or, better yet, seed heads.

Insect galls on prairie wild rose (*Rosa arkansana*)

Sandhills prairie all the way to the horizon in the east bison pasture (10,000 acres)

Sandhills prairie with the river bluffs in the background

As the sun was setting Monday night, I climbed a hill to watch the sun and clouds over the river. I was not disappointed. I found a western wallflower in bloom and was able to frame it in front of both the sun and the river by lying down and putting my camera right on the ground. (I wonder what percentage of my life I’ve spent lying on the ground in a prairie? Not enough, I’d argue, but surely much more than most people.)

Many shrub species are in full bloom at the Preserve right now, including chokecherry and currant, and skunkbush sumac is about ready to open.

Chokecherry blossoms (*Prunus virginiana*)

Tuesday morning started with a nice and peaceful a sunrise as one could hope for. Once that sun got up, the wind started showing off a little, which was a little less pleasant, but it’s hard to complain too much when you’re exploring a place like this.

The Niobrara Valley Preserve headquarters

It’ll be fun to see how much changes between this week and next. We’re getting to the time of year where there are new flowers blooming each day, new birds migrating in, new bees emerging from the ground, etc. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll take my camera with me next week, too…

When I woke up early last Saturday, I rolled very slowly out of bed and said to myself, “This is fun. You do this because it’s fun.”

I looked at the clock (6am) and then looked at the outside thermometer (31 degrees F). “Fun, I thought. This is fun.”

Normally, I really don’t mind getting up early for photography, but it had been a long week and I was behind on sleep. I had set my alarm because it looked like it might be a frosty morning and I very much enjoy photographing frost-covered flowers. Now that I was up, I wasn’t as sure about that plan but since I was awake and vertical, I plowed ahead. I had time to beat the sunrise to our family prairie, but only if I kept moving.

And you know what? As soon as I got to the prairie and started walking around, I did have fun. There was a really nice frost on the ground, especially in low-lying parts of the prairie. I had a little time to scout before the sun got high enough to hit the frostiest spots, so I picked out the flowers I liked best and then waited for the light to reach them. Then I just admired the beauty and tried to capture what I could before the ice crystals melted and sunlight got too bright. Here are some of the highlights from that morning.