Is it really Friday already?

[altivo]

Rain here was insignificant, in spite of the weather forecasts. Sun was scarcer today than predicted as well, and in consequence it was darned cool. I'm not sure we made it to 70F, and that's probably the first time since early June or so.

Had a great visit with my friend Susan, but we got no sketching or painting done. We haven't had a good talk in several months and had to look at flowers, birds, gardens, knitting, and various other stuff. I did get a bucket full of black walnuts that Gilbert had been picking up under one of their trees. Those are steeping by the back door now, and will be simmered in their own juices tomorrow if all goes according to plan.


Susan and Gilbert have been engaged in a major prairie restoration on their land over the past few years, and have recovered vernal pools, bird habitat, and acres of native wildflowers. Most of the flora did not have to be brought in and planted. Instead, they just stopped mowing what had been horse or cow pastures in the past, and let the native plants that were still there grow. Combined with burning and judicious weeding of non-native or aggressive species, this tactic has produced a veritable ocean of native plant life, and draws birds, insects, and small mammals in great numbers. Here a late blazing star stands amid a sea of goldenrod.


Here are the September wildflowers and grasses, primarily goldenrod and little bluestem, framed by the native oaks that form the open canopy of the typical wooded savanna found in our area.

(As usual, click any thumbnail for a larger view of the image.)

Comments

[hrrunka]

It's good to see indigenous flora being encouraged, wherever it may be. That this example's so colourful is a bonus.

[altivo]

There's a lot of interest in prairie preservation and restoration around here. Of course, there are a lot of naysayers as well, and they do their best to obstruct it where they can. At the moment, though, the preservationists are in the lead.