November 26, 2008
A hike among the grasses of the tallgrass prairie is the best way to discover the importance of this landscape.
The question struck me right between the eyes. It was even a little bit like a poke right in my eye. “What does one do in a tallgrass prairie?” At first that question upset me, but after a little reflection, I realized it was a legitimate one and deserved an answer.
The answer seems so obvious to me, and perhaps it does to you too, if you have spent some time among the tall grasses of the prairie and have taken strength from the experience. So when an outsider asks, and with more than a hint of condescension, what one “does” in the prairie, I get defensive. It’s sorta like someone looking at my lovely wife and sniffing, “what do you see in her anyhow?” Or perhaps it’s like me showing off a picture of my one-year-old granddaughter and hearing someone ask, “what is so special about her?” We all tend to get upset when someone heaps scorn on what we consider precious.
After a little more thought, however, I realized this analogy is a little over the top because it’s not a fair comparison. I have never met anyone who failed to see the beauty of my wife and even total strangers have praised the cuteness of my granddaughter. The prairie, on the other hand, is appreciated best when its character is understood fully. And outsiders who have never really looked at the prairie with some of that understanding might fail to see the value of the place. So please allow me the chance to respond to the question by discussing what I do in the tallgrass prairie.
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November 10, 2008
Be sure and look for this picture in the current edition of the Flint Hills Heritage Newsletter
Okay, I know. My productivity in writing posts about the Flint Hills and the tallgrass prairie has been lacking recently. If you need something to read, then let me recommend the Flint Hills Heritage Newsletter.
This newsletter, created by the Heritage Task Force of the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition, is now available for downloading. It features several great articles about upcoming events, the heritage of the Flint Hills, and some suggestions on ways you can get involved in the efforts of the task force.
In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should let you know I was involved in the production of the newsletter. I submitted a couple of those articles. Before you turn up your noses at the self-serving nature of this post, let me say I will try to make it up to you by dedicating the remainder of this entry to some other newsletters I enjoy. I have nothing to do with the production of the following newsletters, which gives them an advantage.
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October 31, 2008
Look hard and you can see the reddish hues of the Flint Hills in the fall.
Ah yes, autumn. Time to get out and enjoy some good fall color. As the landscape changes with the seasons, summer fading to fall, then green turns to red.
If you’ve read Flint Hills, Tall Grass long enough, then you know I am certainly not referring to trees. Of course, for most people, the changing color of the trees is the highlight of fall. Folks take long driving trips to woods and forests, just to see the trees change color. In the prairie, however, another color change occurs, but like many aspects of the prairie, you have to look harder to appreciate it.
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October 10, 2008
Hints of reddish hues begin to show up in the prairie in October as the grass matures. The grass is a resource we should not neglect.
The Flint Hills tell a story. I’m learning some of that story, but I believe there is plenty more story to be told than what little I can say. So I listen, every chance I get, I listen.
This week I took the opportunity to drive north on K-57 from the little town of Dwight to Interstate 70. The road parallels Dry Creek, which is a branch of Clarks Creek, as it flows down from the high hilly region of Geary County to the Kansas River. This wonderful drive gave me the chance to listen again to the Flint Hills’ story and this time I heard a little something new.
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October 5, 2008
Was your home town once a field of tallgrass prairie?
Now I know. I recently made the pleasant discovery that my childhood home has a close connection with the tallgrass prairie. During my childhood, however, no one ever mentioned it. I would have liked to have known sooner that I was a child of the prairie. Maybe some of you might be able to discover a similar connection.
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