Tallgrass Prairie

[altivo]

Well, at least a glimpse of it:



For my friends who have never seen what the North American prairie may have looked like before the Europeans came and plowed it up. A friend has several acres that have been reseeded and tended for a number of years. There are still alien species in it in some places, and of course the proper insects, birds, and animals are not all here, but these photos I took this afternoon do offer a suggestion of what was there.



To see more, follow this link.

Comments

[avon_deer]

Those daisies have pink petals!

[altivo]

Lavender colored, actually. Those are purple coneflowers, Echinacea purpurea, and one of the best known prairie flowers.

[avon_deer]

Is that cow parsley there too? The big brother of that thing is quite nasty apparently.

[altivo]

Cow parsley, if it does occur in the US, is not common in our area. If you mean the white umbelliferous flower clusters in the first photo, those are wild carrot or queen anne's lace (in the UK you may know it as bird's nest or bishop's lace. The botanical name is Daucus carota. (At least, this month. They change Latin nomenclature so often now that it is sometimes more confusing than the common names.)

Wild carrot is classified as an "alien" weed here, one that does not belong in the picture, but it is now indigenous to the entire eastern US. Barb said they have tried to eradicate it, but any time the growth is trimmed, it pops up immediately. I saw this in places where they had mowed paths through the prairie. As invasive species go, it is fairly benign. The whole plant is useful as a dye source (shades of yellow and greenish-yellow,) and native butterfly caterpillars do find it palatable.

[avon_deer]

Daucus carota

Ah yes...that seems to be what I was getting at. Cow Parsley looks like this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogweed

And the Giant version is very toxic indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Hogweed

[altivo]

And this is why I try to include Latin names for plants when I can. I did not know cow parsley at all, and looked it up, but was directed to Anthriscus sylvestris, a related plant but one that is in fact edible and not poisonous. The cow parsley article warns you not to confuse it with hogweed.

I don't think we have hogweed here either. We have our own poisonous plants that cause nasty dermatitis, of course. Most notable are the members of genus Rhus or Toxicodendron (poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac) that are widespread throughout North America.

[avon_deer]

I can now see how easily it is to be mislead by the names of things.

[altivo]

Actually, I think the most picturesque name among the flowers in these photos is the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium,) which is the cluster of white, ball-shaped blossoms in lower right center of the first photo above. The name derives from native American medicine, where the root was used as a treatment for snake bites. It has very tough, prickly leaves that can give you quite a bite of their own.

[avon_deer]

Rattlesnakes do look quite nasty.

[(Anonymous)]

Hey 'Tivo,

It's been too long since we conversed, my friend. I miss exchanging missives with you. I still pet the pony you sent me regularly :)

My life is all a-hustle and a-bustle right now, but I'll be glad to make time to e-mail you if you'd like to have a virtual conversation (in your copious spare time, I know). But even if not, you should know that I think of you fondly and hope that all is well with you and your sweetie.

Be well and happy, and know always that you are loved.

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

P.S. I thought of this just before I hit Send: are you or anyone you know interested in a 12-harness koa-wood loom? I can get you more detailed info if you want (it's my wife's and she has finally realized she's not going to get back to weaving). Please let me know if you have any suggestions as to how we could find someone who'd like to buy it. If you personally want it, I think I could see to driving it out to you, and then we'd finally get to meet! I love driving long distance, and what a reward that would be ;)

[altivo]

E-mail sent, if the address I had is still good. You should use your OpenID from LJ here, then your comments won't be screened.