I made a quick trip up to our Niobrara Valley Preserve this week to help set up time lapse cameras that will help document recovery from last year’s massive wildfires. More on that next week…
The weather followed the same pattern we’ve seen the last couple weeks; cold and wet early, followed by gradual warming. We delayed the trip a day to wait for the latest snowstorm to move through, but three inches of snow were waiting when we arrived mid-day on Tuesday.
Late April snow covers the Niobrara Valley. The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve – Nebraska.
Most of the snow had melted by Tuesday evening, leaving barren post-wildfire soils exposed once more. The cool spring has slowed early vegetation growth, though there were some sedges and a very few other species starting to green up in the prairies.
A rivulet of water runs out of melting snow in the burned pine woodland north of the river.
Some of the cameras we set up will watch for soil erosion. I was pleased not to see any evidence that severe erosion started over the winter – even with some decent rain and snow events. There has been some, of course, but less than I’d expected. Some of the erosion created interesting patterns in the ashy sandy soils (below).
A bur oak leaf lies in a pattern of sand and ash.
The next several weeks and months of green-up will bring big changes to the appearance of the Niobrara Valley, which has been largely barren and drab-colored since the wildfires last July. It’ll be really nice to see some green there again.
The Prairie Ecologist 
Chris – no more snow pictures! Didn’t you know Spring finally started yesterday in Nebraska :)
One good thing to come out of these cold, wet weather patterns is I got 4.3″ of liquid precipitation over the past few weeks. You get good moisture your way?
Mike – we’ve had good moisture here too. Not sure how much total, but we have water in our wetlands, which makes the world feel like a better place!
Reblogged this on The Great Plains Trail and commented:
This is very interesting information along with some nice late spring photos from the Niobrara River.
I really like the sand patterns – cool. Thanks for the update. Hopefully we’ll get more spring moisture. Thanks for the info.
I loved the post on the niobrara but what’s with the sick advertisement for Amy Schemer? Can’t you get that off, it’s degrading your post!
Jeanne – sorry about the advertisements. Nothing I can do about them, and they don’t have anything to do with me (I certainly don’t get paid for them!). They seem to be especially prevalent on tablets…
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