The beauty of prairie grasses

When I set out to describe the beauty of prairie grasses, I made three discoveries. First, and most important, I discovered that the closer you look, the more there is to see. It’s easy for us to drive by a patch of prairie grass and ignore it, or perhaps just say, “Oh, that’s pretty.” But when we stop, get out, kneel down and look, really look, it’s then that the prairie grasses really come to life. The colors, shades, textures and varieties are a creative masterpiece.

My second discovery was that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” How true that is for the prairie grasses. So many varieties, so many angles of sunlight, so many backgrounds . . .

And I also soon discovered that others have written more eloquently, and more informatively, than I ever could. Not to say that I’m speechless, only God himself has that effect on me. I’ll tell you that for me, the best aspect of prairie grasses is walking through them with the wind blowing. The grasses wave, of course, but it’s the sound that gets to me. It varies from the quietest whisper to the loudest roar. And the grasses don’t break, they just bend. . . think about it.

I especially want to tell you about my all-time favorite place to walk on the prairie. It’s at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, in the Flint Hills of Kansas. If you’re ever in that area, kind of between Emporia, Council Grove, and Wichita, take the time to see it. It’s a detour you’ll never forget!

So here’s a small collection of articles about prairie grasses.

“What is it about prairies? What fascinates us so about the grasslands that gird our continent?”

Can you identify six different types of prairies?

How is prairie land being protected in Colorado?

How can students learn more about prairies?

What is range, or shortgrass prairie?

Hope you enjoy the beauty of the prairie. Let me know your comments about the prairie.

micro.Westinspect

Have you checked out the micro.Westinspect? It’s full of all sorts of frequent observations, quick tips, interesting sites to visit, photos of life as an inspector, and and maybe a little trivia thrown in, too. Check back often, or better yet, subscribe with an RSS feed to micro.Westinspect. See you there . . .

What do you like about living Out West?

Let’s start a conversation about Life Out West, by deciding where Out West is. Many people say that the 100th meridian of longitude is the boundary between the moist east and the arid west. So we’ll let our “Out West” be west of that imaginary north-south line in North America. Out West also evokes a certain lifestyle, so I’m going to say that big cities on the West Coast aren’t included. That leaves out San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle. Not trying to be “place-ist,” but just wanting to limit what we’re up to here.

So a few weeks ago I asked the question over at LinkedIn:

“What is it about living Out West that you really like?”

Terry Gault gave some great responses:
. . . Culture is easily accessible as are cutting edge companies in high-tech, biotech, and green tech. . . It’s also a beautiful area that is not over-developed. There is plenty of open space, cow pastures, orchards, and vineyards. . . You can be outdoors most of the year and there is much to do outdoors. Skiing is 4 hours away, though Sierra skiing is not as good as Rockies (Colorado [my home state] or Utah). The ocean is 30 – 40 minutes away. There are plenty of hiking and biking trails in this county and Marin to the south. . . I could also see myself living in Colorado or New Mexico. The central coast of California (Santa Barbara – Big Sur) is also fabulous!

Tim Tymchyshyn wrote:
I love it. . . it keeps my mind clean and refreshed and around here I can see my dog runaway for days

Doug Hering said:
I live in Colorado Springs. I like the changes in the weather, the lack of much smog, lots of activities winter and summer (especially outdoors). Colorado Springs is also beautiful with Pikes Peak seeming to loom over the city. The people are friendlier than in big cities. Fashion isn’t a big deal. People pretty much are people.

And another LinkedIn member wrote:

Big sky. . . I had heard that phrase, but never really understood it until driving from Salt Lake City (home base) to Estes Park, Colorado a few years ago, I saw the most amazing cloud formations set against awe-inspiring mountains. . . Salt Lake City is repeatedly on top livability lists, and I love it. . . My take? “The West” emphasizes life over work; day over night; xeri over sculpted; new versus tradition; sweat versus starch. . . What’s not to love?

———————————————————————-

These folks have asked some great questions, like:

• Where would you see yourself living?
• How does living Out West help your attitude?
• What are people like Out West?
• What’s not to love?

Now it’s our turn. What do you like about living Out West? Let’s see your comments . . .