#state natural area

[rustbeltjessie]

Field Trip to Sanders Park and State Natural Area, Part Two (September 15, 2023):

Cottonwood tree and memorial

Orange Touch-me-not

cracked tree

Wood fern

yellow fungus that looks like vomit

Bottlebrush grass

Zigzag goldenrod

Smilax

Old-Growth Forest Network

[landmanrealty]

[vandaliatraveler]

Photos above are from a trip into the mountains yesterday. I managed to get out to Lindy Point in the Blackwater River Canyon before the overlook was swarmed with sightseers (top two photos). The rhododendron is blooming now - the drive in from Blackwater Falls State Park is magical this time of year. As it descends through the canyon, the Blackwater River transforms into turbulent whitewater, but just above the canyon, where it turns out of Canaan Valley (5th photo down), it's a gentle, serene stream perfect for floating. I also tried out some different trails in Yellow Creek Natural Area and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The lowbush blueberries are ripening now - a sweet little snack to improve the hiking experience. :-)

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Stunning Fog Waves Rolling Over Landscapes

Nicholas Steinberg has captured the dynamic beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the way the ocean interacts with the nearby land, creating dramatic mountains and valleys of fog that roll over the hillsides of Marin county.

Many of them captured from the vantage point of Mount Tamalpais State Park, the rolling clouds and fog create effects that resemble ocean waves and streaming currents, pouring over hillsides and treetops.

[thomaswaynewolf]

[thewolfnessphotography]

Arizona. US

[imaveryevilenby]

i wanna live in a hotter climate not because I like hot weather but because the chances of being able to randomly pick up a lizard go up exponentially the closer I get to the equator

i just wanna go outside, see a lizard, say "oh wow! lizard" and yoink now I'm holding a lizard. this will fix me.

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

We have $130 to get us through to Wednesday. Unfortunately, we have a $122 bill on Tuesday, and we need to purchase a few things because of the mess that has occurred this week. Details on that are pinned on my blog.

The short version is we got hit with an ice storm, had to purchase a bunch of non-perishables because we lost power for several days, several gallons of clean water because we lost water (and are reusing the jugs because water is back but contaminated), fuel because the tank was barely empty, and...we're broke.

I have quilt commissions open (start at $150), items in my shop (start at $0), and accept donations.

$100 is all we need for the next several days so we don't overdraft.

An ice storm was not in our budget, and we burned through our savings last year with my husband's emergency surgery.

[bithegarden]

Alpine forget-me-not, Myosotis asiatica 🌱

[rabbitcruiser]

National Prairie Day

National Prairie Day, on June 3 this year, celebrates the beauty and ecological value of this often-overlooked ecosystem. Spanning more than a dozen American states and several Canadian provinces, the North American prairie is a vast grassland that offers more biodiversity and beauty than most people realize. With their endless, gently rolling plains and highly productive soils, prairies have been a valued location for farming and ranching for thousands of years. Today, only 1% of tallgrass prairie in the United States remains untouched by farming or development. National Prairie Day promotes the appreciation and conservation of America’s native prairies.

History of National Prairie Day

The United States is home to a dazzling array of geographies and environments. Some, like the towering redwoods of California or the majestic cascades of Niagara Falls, enjoy worldwide reputations as media darlings and tourist hotspots. Other ecosystems, like the humble prairie that covers much of the interior United States, receive fewer accolades but play crucially important roles in the development of the nation.

Defined as a flat grassland with a temperate climate and derived from the French for ‘meadow,’ ‘prairie’ has become almost synonymous with the expansion of the American frontier. Flanked by the Great Lakes and the grandiose Rocky Mountains, the North American prairie extends across 15% of the continent’s land area. Other examples of similar grasslands around the world include the pampas in Argentina, the Central Asian steppes, and the llanos of Venezuela.

There’s more to the prairie than meets the eye. In fact, tall grass prairies host the most biodiversity in the Midwest and provide a home for dozens of rare species of animals and plants, including bison, antelope, elk, wolves, and bears.

Native prairies face extinction as more and more land is converted to agricultural and ranching use. Due to its rich, fertile soil, prairie land is prized for agricultural use. Around the world, almost three-quarters of agricultural regions are located in grassland areas. With only 1% of tallgrass prairie in the U.S. remaining untouched, the American tallgrass prairie is now one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. The Missouri Prairie Foundation launched National Prairie Day in 2016 to raise awareness and appreciation for the nation’s grasslands. The organization seeks to protect and restore native grasslands by promoting responsible stewardship, supporting acquisition initiatives, and providing public education and outreach.

National Prairie Day timeline

6000 B.C. The Prairie Forms

The North American prairie forms roughly 8,000 years ago when receding glaciers give way to fertile sediment.

1800s The American Prairie Decimated

Throughout the 19th century, farmers and ranchers, excited about the rich potential of prairie soil, convert almost all of the American prairie to farmland and grazing land.

Early 1930s The Dust Bowl

The combination of years of mismanagement, the stock market crash, and drought conditions come to a head as thousands of families in Oklahoma, Texas, and other parts of the Midwest lose everything when their farms fail, driving them to California and elsewhere to seek work in more fertile fields.

2016 First National Prairie Day

The Missouri Prairie Foundation launches the National Prairie Day campaign to promote awareness and conservation of the vanishing ecosystem.

National Prairie Day FAQs

Why don't prairies have any trees?

The environment of the prairie, with its flat terrain, regular droughts, and frequent fires, is uniquely suited to grasses that don’t require a lot of rainfall or deep soil to thrive.

Why are prairies important?

The prairie provides an irreplaceable home for hundreds of plant and animal species, as well as exceedingly fertile soil for human agriculture and ranching. Prairie destruction has had catastrophic effects, like the Dust Bowl that decimated American farms in the 1930s. Prairies also contribute to the conservation of groundwater.

Why did the Dust Bowl happen?

The Dust Bowl disaster that swept the U.S. and Canada in the 1930s had several natural and man-made causes, including severe drought and a failure to properly manage farmland and conserve precious topsoil. A series of intense dust storms wiped out agriculture, eroded the soil, and left the land unable to produce crops.

National Prairie Day Activities

Learn about the prairie

Donate to a conservation group

Plan a visit to a famous prairie

Do a little research to learn about this important American ecosystem and the role it has played in the cultural and economic development of our country.

If you're concerned about the loss of the American prairie, donate to a grasslands conservation group to support their work.

Do you live near a prairie? Try finding the grassland nearest you and plan a visit.

5 Interesting Facts About Prairies

‘Prairie schooners’

Dogtown

Where the buffalo roam

Carbon hero

Rising from the ashes

During the 1800s, when Americans embarked on the long journey westward, their covered wagons were often referred to as ‘prairie schooners.’

Prairie dogs live in vast networks of underground burrows called ‘towns,’ which can cover hundreds of acres and house thousands of prairie dogs with complex social relationships.

When Europeans first arrived in North America, up to 60 million bison roamed the plains — by 1885, there were fewer than 600.

Prairies can help fight climate change — one acre of intact prairie can absorb about one ton of carbon each year.

On the prairie, wildfires can actually be a healthy thing — with more than 75% of their biomass underground, prairie plants are uniquely suited to surviving and thriving after a fire.

Why We Love National Prairie Day

The prairie often gets overlooked

Native grasslands are critically endangered

It reminds us of the diversity of America's ecosystems

It's not often we remember to celebrate grasslands, yet the prairie plays an important role in America's cultural past and environmental future.

With only 1% of America's native prairie remaining, it's more urgent than ever to conserve and protect this vital resource.

The United States has more environmental variety than almost any other country on earth. Celebrating each unique ecosystem reminds us to appreciate and protect all the beauty our country has to offer.

Source

[rustbeltjessie]

Field Trip to Sanders Park and State Natural Area, Part One (September 15, 2023):

fungi on a tree stump

Calico aster

Ostrich fern

trees

moss on a log

weird fungi under tree bark

Mayapple

abandoned beaver dam

[whatacartouchebag]

There’s something Very Aussie about the Rural Fire Service sending you an email to say “we’ve updated our rating system to make it easier to understand! :D”

And it’s just.

They removed Low from the fire danger scale.

Low.

Fire danger now starts at Medium.

But don’t worry, the scale still goes all the way past Extreme and tops out at Catastrophic, because why wouldn’t it.

[m00ngbin]

They are going to fuck up huge portions of the state parks in Florida I'm going to lose my mind

(link to petition protesting the GOI)

^That is an except from a PDF describing the details of the Great Outdoors Initiative (the thing the DEP announced) that I can't get the link to here, but IS linked in the petition site I put up there

Plans for a favorite park of mine ^^

Sorry I like really fail to see how a plan to increase tourism and build on acres of state park land will help aid conservation

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Stunning Fog Waves Rolling Over Landscapes

Nicholas Steinberg has captured the dynamic beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the way the ocean interacts with the nearby land, creating dramatic mountains and valleys of fog that roll over the hillsides of Marin county.

Many of them captured from the vantage point of Mount Tamalpais State Park, the rolling clouds and fog create effects that resemble ocean waves and streaming currents, pouring over hillsides and treetops.

[softietrait]

that picrew made me miss my braids and also the passion twists i had. but i've always wanted to try goddess braids -- it's just i have to travel out of STATE to get my hair done so the braids are from i believe 2017? and my passion twists were more recent - 2022.

[eclipsecrowned]

looks around furitively, pacing room

why is the tsa trying to recruit me on linkedin --