I have a blog post rattling around in my head, but don’t have time to get it written this week. There’s too much spring going on. Between finalizing data collection plans, tracking the progress of spring wildflowers (almost blooming), and prescribed fire, I’m a little distracted. It’s a really good blog post, though, and I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it when I have time to put it together. In the meantime, here is a lazy post consisting only of recent spring photos. I’ll try to be better next week.
Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) getting ready to bolt and bloom at our family prairie late last week.More pussytoes.Sun sedge (Carex heliophila) looking like it wants to bloom, but just isn’t quite there yet.This gorgeous jumping spider was soaking up some sunshine on the side of a livestock water tank (made from a giant rubber tire).A Siberian elm, scorched by our prescribed fire yesterday. Because this is a visual medium, you can’t hear the tree mocking us, knowing that it will soon send up three or four new stems, making it that much harder to kill later. I guess we at least knocked it back for a few months…
The Prairie Ecologist 
Your blog is the best, Chris. I hope to get to see your prairies sometime in person soon.
Even your “laziest” of posts are a treat to my mornings! And, btw, this is in no way a lazy post!
The jumping spider and the fire pic are spectacular.
How did the Niobrara preserve survive the flooding??
I’m just curious.
Barlow Rhodes
bnrhodes@empacc.net